Last time we saw our beloved Huskies, they were getting trounced in Iowa while we sipped our morning coffee. It’s another 9:00 AM PT kickoff time for the Dawgs, but at least they had a bye week to get healthy and acclimate themselves in advance. Can the Huskies pull off their second upset of a top-10 team this year? Can they win their first game of the season away from Husky Stadium? Here’s what our staff has to say.
Max Vrooman
My Big Ten team talent rankings this offseason had Indiana 8th as I was one of the highest on the Hoosiers of anyone out there. It turns out I wasn’t high enough. They have been absolutely dominant albeit against an easy schedule (wins over SP+ #’s 32, 52, 73, 79, 117, 122). The advanced metrics say Washington should be their toughest opponent so far but UW is only 5 spots better than Nebraska who Indiana beat last week by 49 points.
If it weren’t for injuries, it’d be easy to dismiss any chance of UW winning this game. The Huskies are 0-3 away from Husky Stadium despite outgaining their opponent in all 3 games. There’s been no indication this team can keep from making the fatal mistake when on the road. Throw in the fact that this is a 9a body clock game and College Gameday is there so it will be among the more raucous crowds in school history and…
The arguments for a UW victory are these. This is the top-ranked offense in the country per SP+ but it’s missing its potentially All-American QB Kurtis Rouke who is out with a thumb injury. Backup Tayven Jackson is a former top recruit and has been great in relief this season but it’s just 18 throws and he had 2 TDs and 5 INTs last year. If he turns into a pumpkin under the pressure then it gives UW a shot. The Huskies are also coming off a bye week and should be as healthy as they have been since the opener. If Fisch feels comfortable giving Jonah Coleman 20+ touches finally it would help. We’re also hoping UW learned from the 9a PT start against Iowa and the preparation changes they make help.
I’m calling for a big game from Denzel Boston against Indiana’s corners who are very good but also are 5’9 and 5’11. The TD run continues for him. But UW’s red zone woes will come back to bite them again.
Indiana 34 – Washington 20
Mark Schafer
It is now game #8 for the Huskies, and it’ll be a tough one for sure. All the odds are stacked against the Huskies. It’s a road game in Bloomington, against a very well coached and balanced IU team, with College Gameday in the house, and an undefeated Hoosier team on the other side. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?
NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND! These Dawgs are coming off a bye week, and with a healthier Husky team (namely Jonah Coleman and Zach Durfee) they can shock the college football world. Another thing working in their favor is Tayven Jackson at QB, who spent most of the season backing up Kurtis Rourke, but is starting because Rourke is out with a thumb injury. If the Huskies can find ways to rattle him, and capitalize off his potential mistakes on offense, then we may have a chance. But that all depends on Jedd getting these Huskies prepared, which, the jury is still out on that one. Still, I’m an optimist to the core, and as we have established, I can never pick against the Huskies! A win here can give the Huskies momentum going into next week against USC, and lend more optimism towards the effort for a bowl bid. And I think they can get it done, it just comes down to preparation.
Washington 24 – Indiana 20
Photo by Keith Gillett/IconSportswire
Andrew Berg
Indiana’s magical 2024 run so far has some echoes of the great season UW had in 2023. They’ve got the fast-rising coach, the explosive offense led by an experienced QB, the defense that might keep games a little closer than the offense would like, and a bevy of unlikely play-makers all over the offense who keep defenses off balance. Like last year’s Dawgs, the Hoosiers love to pass the ball and they’re great at it- 1st nationally in success rate and 2nd in EPA in the passing game. Similarly, the outstanding passing game has made it easier to run the ball effectively as defenses have focused on multiple receivers burning them downfield. Of course, the blaring headline in this game is the absence of IU QB Kurtis Rourke, who has been the straw stirring the IU drink thus far. Backup Tayven Jackson was a four-star recruit who originally committed to Tennessee. Even coming out of HS, the knock on Jackson was that he played on a running team that didn’t showcase his passing ability much, and he has not played enough in college to change that experience level. UW’s secondary has done a solid job most of the year and it will be up to them to confuse Jackson and hopefully create turnovers.,
The Indiana defense also looks vaguely like UW’s 2023 iteration: more good than great, probably around 25th in the country, but good enough to let the offense do its thing. They have been good at getting opponents off the field quickly, but not as good at keeping points off the board when the opponent does move the ball. It’s an inverse of UW’s offense- “break but don’t bend.” We go back to the same questions we have seen in the past: can UW avoid penalties, finish drives, and convert yards into points? The Huskies have not done that consistently, especially away from home.
Indiana is very good. Rourke has been an important cog, but he’s not the only great player on this team If there was a different brand name next to this resume, the team would easily be in the national top 10. UW has what it takes to beat a team like that, but has not put it all together often enough to rely on.
Indiana 31 – Washington 21
