Washington enters its first Big 10 Conference game against the Northwestern Wildcats as a 10.5-point favorite. The underdogs have already changed their quarterback, while the Dawgs are fresh off a disappointing loss in the Apple Cup. What happens next?

Max Vrooman

Washington faces another dual-threat quarterback this weekend after struggling against Mateer in the Apple Cup. Jack Lausch has already taken over for Northwestern after starting the season as a backup. He’s not nearly as dangerous as Mateer, but brings an extra variable because of his legs, so the Huskies will have three running quarterbacks by the time they play Michigan in four weeks.

There aren’t many unknowns in this Northwestern offense. Receivers AJ Henning and Bryce Kirtz have completed over half of the Wildcats’ passes in the passing game, and Cam Porter has nearly two-thirds of the RBs’ runs. Add in Lausch’s legs, and those are the only weapons Northwestern has on offense. Overall, though, this group seems more like Eastern Michigan than Washington State.

The defense is much more solid, although to be fair, it hasn’t been tested yet. The edge duo of Anto Saka and Aidan Hubbard already have double-digit QB pressure, so the performance of the Husky offense will depend largely on how well UW’s shaky OTs hold up.

This is the easiest game left on the schedule and the Huskies have a significant talent advantage. If they don’t get it done this week, the season will take a nosedive. A win is necessary to keep bowl title hopes alive.

Washington 23 – Northwestern 16

Mark Schafer

After a disappointingly sloppy loss in the Apple Cup, we turn our attention to UW’s conference opener against the Northwestern Wildcats! After a loss like that, I think our players will play more controlled and commit fewer penalties (at least I hope so)! I think this will be the textbook example of a “game where everything is going right.” However, watch out for Northwestern, who I think will want to control the ball and warm up Jack Laush with short passes before testing the middle of the field, as this offense lacks explosiveness. I expect the defense to be prepared and a Husky offense to get plenty of opportunities to prove that last weekend was an anomaly.

Jonah Coleman will step in early after his disappointing outing last week and put pressure on the Wildcats defense. Will Rogers will continue to be efficient and effective, getting the ball to his key playmakers Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston. While I wish Jeremiah Hunter was more involved, we’ll see if that happens as his scoring contribution has been lacking this season.

Overall, I expect the Huskies to come out motivated and ready to prove that last week wasn’t just a fluke, but that they belong in the revamped Big Ten. If they don’t win by a wide margin, it’s going to be a long stretch in the conference. But we should at least start with a win!

Washington 35 – Northwestern 17

Andrew Berg

I suspect the odds on this game would have been at least two touchdowns if the Dawgs had converted fourth down and goal and thus wrapped up the Apple Cup. Instead, unfortunately, this game ends up in the loser column and the bookies have discounted at least a field goal for this week. Of course, the Dawgs lost this game and the lesson is that this team has the ability to shoot itself in the foot often enough to lose to a team with less talent. How much and how quickly will the coaches and players learn from these mistakes? It’s troubling that the penalty issues have been present since week one and have only gotten worse. We’re also starting to see a pattern in how games go for this UW team: Both the offense and defense tend to have long, sustained attacks (the defense struggles to get off the field and the offense strings together first downs). For both units, field goals are more common than touchdowns (the offense is failing to get into the end zone and the defense is tightening up on the short field).

If I’m optimistic, I’d say the issues on offense should be solvable. The defense has extended so many offenses through penalties, which in theory should be something to improve. The offense has stalled in part because the offense hasn’t relied on its best player, Jonah Coleman, often enough in the red zone. The offense has also had long offenses because the defense hasn’t done them enough favors of creating good field position through quick stops or turnovers. Northwestern may offer an opportunity to fix some of those issues. The Wildcats have been terrible running the ball, which has been the defense’s biggest problem. Their defense has been vulnerable to short and intermediate passes, which should play to Will Rogers’ strengths. Because of their talent, the Dawgs are clear favorites here. It’s a question of whether they can showcase that talent through the avoidable mistakes that have sometimes obscured it.

Washington 34 – Northwestern 21

ATS: Washington 2, Northwest 1

SO: Washington 3, Northwest 0

Average score: Washington 31 – Northwestern 21