Next Up: No. 7 Dawgs Headed To Desert To Face Wildcats

Saturday, September 30

Tucson, AZ

7:00 PM

University of Washington

Arizona

Photo by: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures

September 25, 2023 | Football

Full UW Notes (with depth chart)

THE GAME: The Washington football team (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) heads out on its first conference road trip of the season, heading to Tucson to face Arizona (3-1, 1-0) Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. PT. The Huskies are off to a roaring start, winning their first four games and scoring 40-plus in each. UW moved up one spot in the latest AP Top 25, to No. 7, while staying No. 8 in the coaches' poll. UW got a first-place vote in each, for the first time since 1997. Following the Arizona trip, the Huskies will have an off week before hosting Oregon.

QUICK HITTERS: UW leads the nation in passing offense, total offense and sacks allowed; and is No. 3 in scoring offense ... UW's defense has 7 interceptions, matching 2022's season total ... over just 17 games as a Husky, Michael Penix Jr. has notched six of the top-10 single-game passing yards marks in UW history, including his first three games this season (473 vs. Michigan State – 3rd; 450 vs. Boise State – 6th; 409 vs. Tulsa – 10th) ... Penix is up to sixth in UW history in career TD passes, with 47 ... he has thrown multiple TDs in 14 of his 17 games at UW ... his 6,277 career yards rank him 6th at UW ... through 4 games, Penix is No. 1 in FBS in total offense, passing yards, passing yards per game and passing TDs; and No. 2 in pass efficiency ... four different UW receivers – Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk and Germie Bernard – have scored a rushing TD so far this season ... prior to this season, UW had had just eight games in its history in which two players had 100 receiving yards (including two last year) ... this season, that has happened in all four games ... through four games, UW has had 39 scrimmage plays of 20 yards or more, most in FBS ... UW's defense has allowed just 15 ... Penix is currently No. 1 in the nation in pass plays of 10-plus (62 plays), 20-plus (32 plays) and 30-plus (18 plays) yards ... Washington enters the week with the nation's second-longest active winning streak among Power 5 teams, with 11 victories in a row, which is the sixth-longest in UW history ... only Georgia, with an 21-game run, has a longer active streak among P5 programs ... Washington has scored 40-plus points in the first four games, the first time that UW has scored 40-plus in four straight in the same season since 1944, when the Huskies did it with two lopsided wins each over Willamette and Whitman (UW was the only major college in the Northwest to field a team in 1944) ... not counting the four-game 2020 season, the Huskies have won 10 or more games in four of the last six seasons.

TELEVISION: The Washington-Arizona game will air on Pac-12 Network, with Ted Robinson and Yogi Roth calling the action. Fans will with the proper subscription can also stream at pac-12.com/live.

RADIO: All Washington football games will air on the Washington Sports Network from Learfield, with Tony Castricone (play by play), former Husky tight end Cameron Cleeland (analyst) and former UW basketball player Elise Woodward (sidelines) on the call. Radio coverage begins four hours before kickoff on the network's flagship station – Seattle's SportsRadio KJR 93.3 FM – with "Husky Gameday" live from The Zone for Husky home games. Statewide coverage on the 17-station Washington Sports Network begins two hours before kickoff. The entire broadcast is available worldwide on the Huskies Gameday mobile app and the Varsity app. The UW broadcast of this game will also air on Sirius/XM channel 83. Additionally, the Husky Football Coaches Show airs each Wednesday during the season at 6:00 p.m. PT.

STAFF CONTINUITY: Washington's entire full-time coaching staff remained in tact following the 2022 season, which was coach Kalen DeBoer's first at the UW. He, along with all 10 full-time assistants, are back in 2023. That's actually rare in UW history as the coaching staffs have gone unchanged over two or more seasons only three times before (UW records for coaching staffs go back to the mid-1950s): 1989-90, 2009-11, and 2014-15.

Huskies vs. Wildcats History: Washington holds an 25-11-1 edge in the series against Arizona, with the Huskies taking 18 of the last 26.

Last year at Husky Stadium, the Dawgs won a shootout, 49-39, in a game that was separated by just three points (42-39) inside the final six minutes. Both teams compiled 31 first downs and both rolled up more than 500 yards of offense. UW QB Michael Penix Jr. set a new school record with 516 passing yards.

In 2021 in Tucson, the Huskies trailed 16-7 in the fourth quarter, but a nine-yard run from Cameron Davis and an eight-yard pass from Dylan Morris to Rome Odunze, gave the UW a 21-16 win. In 2020 in Seattle, Washington built a 37-0 lead and won, 44-27, in Seattle. In 2019, Washington posted its highest points total of the conference season in a 51-27 win over the Wildcats in Tucson. The Cats led, 17-13, at halftime, but the Huskies outscored them 14-0 in the third quarter and 24-10 in the fourth. Prior to that, the two teams hadn't met since the 2016 season, when the Huskies won, 35-28 in overtime, in both teams' Pac-12 opener. Tied at 28-28 at the end of regulation, the Huskies got a 4-yard TD pass from Jake Browning to Dante Pettis, and then batted down a fourth-down pass to end it. The year before, on a stormy Halloween night at Husky Stadium, the UW won, 49-3. Jake Browning was 16-for-24 for 274 yard and four scores while the UW defense forced four turnovers. In 2014 in Tucson, Arizona got a last-second, 47-yard field goal from Casey Skowron to beat the Dawgs, 27-26. A year prior in a late-September rainstorm at Husky Stadium, the Huskies pulled away from an 11-6 halftime advantage to win, 31-13. Bishop Sankey ran for 160 yards on a school-record 40 carries to lead the way for the Dawgs.

In 2013 in Tucson, the Wildcats rolled to a 52-17 win over the Huskies, with Ka'deem Carey rushing for 172 yards. In 2011, the UW beat Arizona, 42-31, as Chris Polk scored five TDs, rushed for 144 yards and caught four passes for 100 yards. In 2010 in Tucson, Wildcats backup QB Matt Scott led his team to a 44-14 win, completing 18-of-22 passes for 233 yards and two TDs. The year before in Seattle resulted in a stunning Husky win as linebacker Mason Foster intercepted a Nick Foles pass that deflected off the foot of an Arizona receiver and returned it 37 yards for a score with only 2:37 left. Washington won, 36-33, as the 'Cats' final drive was cut short by a Desmond Trufant interception.

In 2008 in Tucson, Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski tied a school record with three touchdown receptions as the Wildcats won, 49-19. In 2007 in Seattle, the Wildcats, behind quarterback Willie Tuitama, completed an impressive comeback and beat the UW 48-41 despite Jake Locker rushing for 157 yards and passing for 336. In 2006 in Tucson, the Huskies took a 21-3 lead in the second quarter and won, 21-10. In 2005, also in Tucson, Isaiah Stanback's dramatic, 69-yard bomb on the last play of the first half and 200 rushing yards from James Sims led the Huskies to a 38-14 win.

The six UW-Arizona games prior to 2005 were decided by a total of 31 points, with the most lopsided result (a 31-21 Arizona win) coming in 2004. That year, the Wildcats overcame a 13-9 halftime deficit, out-scoring the Huskies, 14-0, in the second half for the win. In 2003, Arizona snapped a string of 13 straight home losses in conference play by pulling out a late, 27-22 victory. In 2002, it was the Huskies who rallied late when Reggie Williams scored on an 80-yard reception with only 2:03 remaining in the game. In 2001, Cody Pickett ran in from three yards out with 13 seconds left to cap an amazing day. Only two weeks after separating his right (throwing) vs. USC, Pickett broke the UW record with 455 passing yards as the Huskies won, 31-28. Also included in the close contests are Washington's come-from-behind, 35-32 win in 2000 in Seattle (Marques Tuiasosopo scored with 1:10 left for the win a week after Curtis Williams was injured at Stanford), and the 1998 31-28 'Cats win, which may be the most memorable game in the series' history. Trailing 28-24 to Washington with under a minute to play, Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins flipped head over heels over three Husky defenders, landing on his feet in the end zone for the winning score.

EXPERIENCE AND YOUTH: Washington's current roster includes a total of 34 players – 17 each on offense and defense – who have started at least one game for the Huskies prior to 2023. Entering the year, the 17 offensive players had totaled 145 starts in the Purple & Gold, while the 17 defensive players (which includes former offensive line starter Ulumoo Ale) had 156 starts between them. Tight end Devin Culp entered the 2023 season with the highest total of starts under is belt among offensive players, with 18, while safety Asa Turner, with 23 career starts entering 2023, led the defensive side. The list of Dawgs with starting experience doesn't take into account the 10 current Huskies who transferred to UW after having started at another four-year college, nor does it account for starting "specialists." Washington 119-man roster entering the year included just 15 players in their final year of eligibility, along with 29 true freshmen, 15 redshirt freshmen, 35 sophomores and 25 juniors. Potentially, 104 current Huskies could return for 2024, while 79 enter the 2023 season with three or more years of eligibility remaining.

GRADUATED DAWGS: The 2023 Washington football roster includes 23 players who have earned their bachelor's degree. Here are those 23, alphabetically: Ulomoo Ale, Jacob Bandes, Julius Buelow, Devin Culp, Troy Fautanu, Drew Fowler, Ralen Goforth, Dominique Hampton, Antonio Hill, Giles Jackson, Tuli Letuligasenoa, Matteo Mele, Quentin Moore, Dylan Morris, Jabbar Muhammad, Richard Newton, Michael Penix Jr., Faatui Tuitele, Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Alphonzo Tuputala, Asa Turner, Edefuan Ulofoshio, and Jack Westover.

LONG PLAYS: Washington has notched 39 scrimmage plays of 20 or more yards over its first four games, the highest such total in the nation. UW also leads the nation with 23 plays of 30 yards or more, four more than any other program. Those totals include 32 passes of 20 or more yards, and 18 of 30 or more, from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Both of those totals are also tops in the nation. Penix also leads FBS with 62 completions of 10 yards or more, eight more than anyone else. Additionally, Rome Odunze leads the nation with 24 receptions of 10-plus and 13 of 20-plus yards, while Ja'Lynn Polk is fourth in the nation with nine 20-plus yard receptions. Meanwhile, UW's defense has allowed just 15 plays of 20 or more yards this season, 24 fewer than the Husky offense has had.

Last year, Washington finished the season with 62 passing plays for 20 or more yards, tied for eighth-most in the nation (five teams that ranked higher played more games than UW's 13). Washington led the nation last year with 193 pass plays for 10 or more yards.

TWO 100-YARD RECEIVERS IN A GAME: Prior to the start of this season, Washington had had just eight games in its history with two players finishing with 100 or more receiving yards (including two such games last year). So far this season, Washington has had two players with 100 receiving yards in all four games:
                  vs. Boise State: Rome Oduzne (132) & Ja'Lynn Polk (101)
                  vs. Tulsa: Jalen McMillan (120) & Odunze (107)
                  at Michigan State: Odunze (180) & Polk (118)
                  vs. California: Polk (127) & Odunze (125)

Additionally, last year, Odunze was the first Husky ever to record four straight 100-yard games. In the first four games of 2023, he's already matched that streak.

CONFERENCE MOVES: Along with USC, UCLA and Oregon, the Huskies will move to the Big Ten Conference after this coming academic year (2023-24) and will play a Big Ten schedule in 2024. Four other current Pac-12 programs – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah – are also departing, as those four will join the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25. Washington has been a member of what is now the Pac-12 since the inception of the league, in 1915. Only the UW and California have/had been members in every year since. The UW football team has won a league title in every decade since the 1910s, other than the 2020s – the Dawgs will have one last chance to extend that streak this year.

ALASKA AIRLINES FIELD AT HUSKY STADIUM: The Oregon game on Nov. 5, 2011, marked the final game in Husky Stadium prior to major renovations that were completed in summer, 2013. The Huskies re-opened their home field with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2023 season marks the 103rd season of play in Husky Stadium. Original construction on the facility was completed in 1920 when Washington played one game in the new campus facility. UW's all-time record in Husky Stadium stands at 409-185-21 (.682). Washington is 53-16 in home games since the stadium re-opened in 2013.