Dawgs To Open 2024 Football Season Vs. Weber State

Saturday, August 31

Husky Stadium

8:00 PM

University of Washington

Weber State

Tickets

Wide shot of packed Husky Stadium during UW football runout with purple smoke

August 26, 2024 | Football

UW Game Notes (PDF)Weber State Game Notes (PDF)Football Tickets

THE GAME: The Washington football team opens the 2024 season this Saturday, Aug. 31, vs. Weber State. Kickoff is at 8:00 p.m. PT and the game will air on Big Ten Network. The game marks the start of the Dawgs' first year under head coach Jedd Fisch, who led Arizona to a 10-3 record last season. The game also marks the start of the Huskies' first season in the Big Ten Conference. Washington enters the season unranked, though the Huskies did receive votes in both the AP Top 25, and the coaches' poll, which effectively ranked them No. 32 and No. 26, respectively. The following Saturday, UW plays host to Eastern Michigan, in a game that will kick off at 12:30 p.m.

QUICK HITTERS: Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between UW and Weber State ... not counting the four-game 2020 season, the Huskies have won 10 or more games in five of the last seven seasons ... Washington is 72-26 since the end of the 2015 season ... the current UW roster includes players who list hometowns from 19 different states, as well as in Germany and Canada ... UW's 110-man roster entering the year includes 25 true freshmen, 20 redshirt freshmen, 16 sophomores, 27 juniors, and 22 seniors ... the Husky roster includes five players in their sixth season at UW: DL Jacob Bandes, RB Cameron Davis, S Kamren Fabiculanan, LB Drew Fowler, and LB Alphonzo Tuputala ... those five are playing for their fourth different head coach in 2024.

HOME OPENERS: The Huskies are 98-29-5 in home openers (whether the first game of the season or not), a percentage of .761. Washington did not play any home games in the 1890 or 1893 seasons. That mark includes a 28-game streak of home-opener wins that ran from 1908 to 1935. Before falling to Air Force in the 1999 home opener, Washington had won 13 straight such games since having fallen to Oklahoma State on Sept. 7, 1985. The Huskies had won their last 11 home openers, dating back to a loss to No. 11 LSU in 2009, prior to a loss to Montana in the 2021 debut. Last year, UW beat Boise State in the 2023 opener.

TELEVISION: The Washington-Weber State game will air on Big Ten Network, with Jeff Levering, Jake Butt, Lincoln Kennedy and Brooke Fletcher calling the action. For more information on how to watch the Big Ten Network, go to GoHuskies.com/BTN.

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 16-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 119 or 195. Additionally, the Husky Football Coach's Show airs each Monday during the season at 6:00 p.m. PT.

BIG TEN TIME: As has been well documented over the last year-plus, Washington has officially joined the Big Ten Conference ahead of the 2024-25 school year, effective on Aug. 2, 2024. The Huskies are joined be fellow former Pac-12 programs Oregon, UCLA and USC in making the move to the B1G, which now includes 18 schools. Washington was one of four founding members of the Pacific Coast Conference (along with Cal, Oregon and Oregon State), and, along with Cal, was one of just two teams that were a part of that league (which changed names to the AAWU, Pac-8, Pac-10 and Pac-12) for the entirety of its full-fledged existence from 1915 to 2024.

FUTURE SCHEDULES: Last October, the Big Ten revealed 18 football teams' home and away, conference opponents for the next for the next five seasons (2024-28). Here are the UW's home and road, Big Ten games, for the coming four years:
2025: home – Illinois, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers; road – Maryland, Michigan, UCLA, Wisconsin
2026: home – Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State; road – Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, USC
2027: home – Maryland, Michgan State, Nebraska, Oregon, USC; road – Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers
2028: home – Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, Wisconsin; road – Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon

FIRST TIME vs. WEBER STATE: Washington and Weber State have never faced one another in football. While the Huskies have a fairly lengthy history against other Big Sky Conference programs (though much of it is vs. Idaho and Montana, which were both in the same conference at UW for many years), the Dawgs have never faced the Wildcats. While Weber State has played three previous games against teams that were a part of the Pac-12 (Arizona State, Cal, Oregon State), this Saturday's game will mark the Wildcats first-ever game vs. a Big Ten program.

HUSKIES vs. THE BIG SKY: The Huskies have played games against six of the 13 teams that currently comprise the Big Sky Conference in football, though four of those teams (Eastern Washington, Portland State, Idaho State and Sacramento State) have faced the UW for the first time within in the last 13 years or so. Washington has twice edged Eastern Washington in games at Husky Stadium: 30-27 in 2011 and 59-52 in 2014. The Huskies have gone 3-0 vs. Portland State: 52-13 in 2012 (at Lumen Field), 41-3 in 2016, and 52-6 in 2022. The Huskies also beat Idaho State, 56-0 in 2013, and Sacramento State, 49-0, in 2015. The two current Big Sky opponent the Huskies have played many more times than the others are Montana and Idaho, which were both members of the Pacific Coast Conference (precursor to the Pac-12) along with the UW for majority of those meetings. The Huskies are 17-2-1 all-time vs. the Grizzlies in a stretch of games that ran from 1920 to 1951, and then re-started in 2017. Washington is 36-2-2 vs. Idaho, having played the Vandals somewhat regularly between 1900 and 1973, and then seven times since 2000. Washington has won 19 straight vs. Idaho, dating back to a tie in 1938. Montana left the PCC after the 1950 season, while Idaho was a member until 1959. Combined the UW is 60-4-3 all-time against current Big Sky teams.

ROSTER TURNOVER: One main storyline for the 2024 UW football team has been about the amount of change that has occured since the end of the 2023 season. In fact, UW has just two returning, regular starters back from '23 (LB Alphonzo Tuputala and CB Elijah Jackson), and the Huskies lost 41 letterwinners off of last year's team, while adding 59 new players to the roster since the end of last season. On the depth chart for the season-opener in 2023, 44 players were listed on offense and defense. Just 11 of those 44 are still on the Husky roster (and just two of those 11 are on offense).

GRADUATES: A total of 21 Huskies head into the 2024 season already having earned their undergraduate degree. Here's the list: RB Sam Adams II, S Cameron Broussard, DL Jacob Bandes, LB Carson Bruener, TE Owen Coutts, RB Cameron Davis, S Makell Esteen, S Kamren Fabiculanan, LB Drew Fowler, S Justin Harrington, WR Jeremiah Hunter, WR Giles Jackson, DL Deshawn Lynch, OL Gaard Memmelaar, TE Quentin Moore, QB Will Rogers, DL Logan Sagapolu, WR Camden Sirmon, OL D'Angalo Titialii, LB Alponzo Tuputala, OL Enokk Vimahi.

NFL CONNECTIONS: Much has been made of the UW coaching staff's NFL connections, including that coordinators Steve Belichick (Bill) and Brennan Carroll (Pete), as well as analyst Luke Del Rio (Jack) and GA Jake Lynch (John), are all sons of prominent NFL coaches and GMs. Three other staff members – Scottie Graham, Vinnie Sunseri and quality control analyst Caleb Wilson – played in the NFL. And, UW's player roster also includes a number of sons of former NFL players: Sam Adams II (Sam), Carson Bruener (Mark), Roice Cleeland (Cam), Quentin Moore (Mark), Russell Davis II (Russell), Dyson McCutcheon (Daylon; plus grandfather, Lawrence), and Justice Williams (Roland). Lastly, Daniyel Ngata (Joseph), Ryan Otton (Cade), Keleki Latu (Laiatu) each have older brothers who are current NFL players.

Season Openers: Washington is 91-37-6 all-time in season openers, good for a mark of .701. Since 1989, Washington has posted an 21-13 record in season openers – 14-2 at home, 7-9 on the road, 0-2 neutral site. In the 34-season span dating back to 1989, the Huskies have opened vs. a ranked team 13 times (5-8): vs. No. 15 Stanford in 1993 (W, 31-14), at No. 17 USC in 1994 (L, 24-17), at No. 20 Arizona State in 1996 (L, 45-42), vs. No. 19 BYU in 1997 (W, 42-20) at No. 8 Arizona State in 1998 (W, 42-38), vs. No. 11 Michigan in 2001 (W, 23-18), at No. 12 Michigan in 2002 (L, 31-29), at No. 2 Ohio State in 2003 (L, 28-9), at No. 21 Oregon in 2008 (L, 44-10), vs. No. 11 LSU in 2009 (L, 31-23), vs. No. 19 Boise State in 2013 (W, 38-6), at No. 23 Boise State in 2015 (L, 16-13), neutral vs. No. 9 Auburn in 2018 (L, 21-16).

HOME vs. NON-CONFERENCE: Washington has been very tough to beat in home, non-conference games over the last several decades. Going back to (and including) the 1981 season, the Huskies have posted a 77-14 record against non-Pac-10/Pac-12 foes in Husky Stadium. Those 14 losses have come to Montana (2021), Nebraska (2010), LSU (2009), BYU (2008), Oklahoma (2008), Ohio State (2007), Notre Dame (2005), Fresno State (2004), Nevada (2003), Air Force (1999), Nebraska (1997), Notre Dame (1995), Colorado (1989) and Oklahoma State (1985). Notable wins wins during that stretch include victories over No. 11 Michigan State in 2022, No. 19 Boise State in 2013, No. 22 Boise State in 2007, No. 11 Michigan in 2001, No. 4 Miami in 2000, and No. 12 Nebraska in 1992. Prior to the 2004 loss to Nevada, Washington hadn't lost a home game to a non-league opponent since falling to Air Force, 31-21, on September 18, 1999. The Huskies had won 10 such games before that Nevada loss. UW had a 20-game home, non-conference win streak broken in 2021.

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 413-185-21 (.684). Washington is 57-16 in home games since the stadium re-opened in 2013.