Dawgs Return House To Face No. 23 Illinois

THE GAME: The Washington soccer staff (5-2 general, 2-2 Big Ten) returns residence to Seattle to tackle Illnois (5-2 general, 2-2 Big Ten) this Saturday at Husky Stadium. Kickoff is about for 12:30 p.m., and the sport will air on the Big Ten Network. Illinois is ranked No. 23 in each the AP Top 25 and the coaches ballot. It would be the twelfth all-time assembly between the Huskies and Illini, and the primary as members of the identical convention. They performed each other 9 occasions between 1950 and 1972, together with within the 1964 Rose Bowl. Following the Illinois sport, Washington has an off week earlier than touring to Wisconsin on Nov. 8.
 
QUICK HITTERS: Husky RB Jonah Coleman leads the nation in scoring (11.1 factors per sport), speeding touchdowns (12), and whole touchdowns (13), and is second whole factors (78) … Coleman additionally ranks No. 7 in all-purpose yards … Coleman has new profession highs for makes an attempt (24 vs. Colo. St.), speeding  TDs (5 vs. UC Davis), receptions (8, vs. Maryland), and receiving yards (104 vs. WSU) this 12 months … Husky QB Demond Williams Jr. is presently No. 8 within the nation in completion share and No. 12 in cross effectivity … it takes 325 makes an attempt (he has 295) to make the NCAA profession lively leaders rankings, but when he certified, Williams would simply lead all lively gamers in profession cross effectivity (170.17), which might additionally rank No. 9 in FBS historical past … Washington gained 24-20 Oct. 4 at Maryland, regardless of trailing 20-0 … it was the seventh 20-point comeback in UW historical past and the primary on the street for the reason that 1993, 24-23 win at California … Washington has outscored opponents 80-20 within the fourth quarter this season … solely two of seven UW opponents has scored within the last quarter this 12 months … the Huskies rank No. 17 within the FBS in scrimmage performs of 10-plus yards (116), and No. 7 with 47 performs of 20-plus yards … Williams is tied for second within the nation with 10 speeding performs of 20-plus yards … Washington’s final 9 true street video games have been introduced sellouts … the present UW roster consists of gamers from 19 totally different states, in addition to in Australia and Canada.
 
TELEVISION: The UW-Illinois sport will air on Big Ten Network, with Jeff Levering, Jake Butt and Brooke Fletcher on the decision. For extra on easy methods to watch on-line, go to www.bigten.org/btn/watch-live.
 
RADIO:  All Washington soccer video games will air on the Washington Sports Network from Learfield, with Tony Castricone (play by play), former Husky tight finish Cameron Cleeland (analyst) and former UW basketball participant Elise Woodward (sidelines) on the decision. Radio protection begins 4 hours earlier than kickoff on the community’s flagship station – Seattle’s SportsRadio KJR 93.3 FM – with “Husky Gameday” reside from The Zone for Husky residence video games. Statewide protection on the 17-station Washington Sports Network begins two hours earlier than kickoff. The whole broadcast is accessible worldwide on the Huskies Gameday cellular app and the Varsity app. The UW broadcast of this sport will even air on Sirius/XM channel 137 or 195. Additionally, the Husky Football Coach’s Show airs every game-week Monday through the season at 6:00 p.m. PT, reside from JOEY Kitchen in University Village.
 
GRADUATES: A complete of 12 Huskies head into the 2025 season already having earned their undergraduate diploma, whether or not from UW or from one other college earlier than transferring to UW. Here’s the checklist: CJ Christian (S), Zach Durfee (DE), Makell Esteen (S), Geirean Hatchett (OL), Milton Hopkins (DE), Deshawn Lynch (DL), Dyson McCutcheon (S), Quentin Moore (TE), Simote Pepa (DL), Logan Sagapolu (DL), Anthony Ward (LB), Carver Willis (OL).
 
ACADEMIC SUCCESS: Following the latest educational quarter (spring, 2025), the UW soccer program posted some spectacular outcomes. The Husky soccer staff’s cumulative GPA for the quarter was 3.27, highest ever in program historical past. Additionally, 26 soccer gamers made the Dean’s checklist, together with the next 22 present staff members: Xe’Ree Alexanders, Deven Bryant, Jonah Coleman, Elinneus Davis, Decker DeGraaf, Kade Eldridge, Jonathan Epperson Jr., Omari Evans, Luke Gayton, Zachary Henning, Luke Luchini, Jacob Manu, Dyson McCutcheon, Paul Mencke Jr., John Mills, Ephesians Prysock, Jack Shaffer, Austin Simmons, Anterio Thompson, Rainen Vines-Bright, Beck Walker and Demond Williams Jr.
 
IN THE CFP ERA: The period of the four-team College Football Playoff is gone, however that 10-season stretch (2014-2023) is instructive when it comes to illustrating the groups that operated on the prime stage of the game throughout that timespan, and Washington is a type of groups. Over that 10-year stretch, solely 15 totally different applications earned a berth within the CFP semifinals, and solely eight reached the match greater than as soon as. With two CPF berths within the four-team period (2016 and 2023), Washington is a type of eight. Only six groups made greater than two appearances: Alabama (8), Clemson (6), Ohio State (5), Oklahoma (4), Georgia (3) and Michigan (3). For what it is price, six extra groups made their CFP debut within the 12-team bracket in 2024, however UW stays one in all (now) 10 groups to have appeared within the CFP greater than as soon as, when counting the 2024 information.
 
B1G TIME: As has been effectively documented during the last couple of years, Washington formally joined the Big Ten Conference forward of the 2024-25 faculty 12 months, efficient on Aug. 2, 2024. The Huskies had been joined be fellow former Pac-12 applications Oregon, UCLA and USC in making the transfer to the B1G, which now consists of 18 faculties. Washington was one in all 4 founding members of the Pacific Coast Conference (together with Cal, Oregon and Oregon State), and, together with Cal, was one in all simply two groups that had been part of that league (which modified names to the AAWU, Pac-8, Pac-10 and Pac-12) for the whole thing of its full-fledged existence from 1915 to 2024.
 
FUTURE SCHEDULES: In October, 2023, the Big Ten revealed 18 soccer groups’ residence and away, convention opponents for the subsequent for the next 5 seasons (2024-28). Here are the UW’s residence and street, Big Ten video games, for the approaching three years:
 
2026: residence – Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State; street – Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, USC
2027: residence – Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, USC; street – Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers
2028: residence – Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, Wisconsin; street – Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon
 
HUSKIES vs. ILLINI HISTORY: For a stretch of time from 1950 by 1972, Washington and Illinois confronted each other on a semi-regular foundation, squaring off 9 occasions, with all however a type of coming within the common season. The collection was renewed within the 2010s, with a home-and-home collection performed in 2013 and 2014. Prior to that, it had been 41 years for the reason that final sport. Washington holds the sting within the all-time collection, with seven wins and 4 losses.
 
In 1950, first assembly between the 2, unranked Illinois hosted a Tenth-ranked and beforehand unbeaten (4-0) Husky staff, upsetting the Dawgs in Champaign, 20-13. The Huskies went on to complete 8-2 that season, the one different loss coming to Cal. The following 12 months, Eighth-ranked Illinois visited Seattle and left with one other win, beating No. 20 UW, 27-20. The Illini made it three wins in a row with a convincing 48-14 victory in 1952 in Champaign.
 
Washington lastly received its first win over Illinois in 1956, coach Darrell Royal’s lone season at Washington, when the Huskies beat the Illini, 28-13, in Seattle. The collection picked up again in 1961, a 20-7 UW win in Champaign. The following 12 months, The Dawgs gained their third in a row within the collection, a 28-7 choice.
 
After the 1963 season, the 2 groups met within the 1964 Rose Bowl. In that one, a Dick Butkus-lead Illinois squad took a 3-0 lead into halftime after which outpaced Junior Coffey, Rick Redman, Bill Douglas, Charlie Browning and the Huskies, 17-7. Illinois’ Jim Grabowski rushed for 125 yards and was named the sport’s MVP.
 
Prior to 2013-14, the final two conferences between the 2 got here within the 1971 and 1972 seasons, each Husky wins behind the arm of Sonny Sixkiller. In ’71, the Dawgs posted a 52-14 victory in Champaign after which adopted that up with a 31-11 win the subsequent season in Seattle.
 
In 2013, the Huskies and Illini renewed the collection with a sport at Soldier Field in Chicago, with the UW profitable, 34-24. After a scoreless opening quarter, the UW opened its account on a 31-yard cross from Keith Price to Bishop Sankey within the second. Each staff then kicked a area objective to make it 10-3 at half. In the third, Sankey and Jesse Callier every ran for scores and Price hit Jaydon Mickens for one more, however two Illini TDs stored it shut (one in all them was a 72-yard cross). Illinois closed the hole to seven factors within the fourth on an Aaron Bailey rating, however Travis Coons’ second area objective of the day put the sport away. Sankey rushed for 208 yards on 35 carries whereas Price was 28-for-35 for 342 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. Despite the comparatively shut last rating, the Huskies out-gained the Illini, 615 yards to 327. However, 12 penalties for 104 yards and two misplaced fumbles hampered the UW.
 
In 2014 in Seattle, in Coach Chris Petersen’s first 12 months, the groups met in week three, at Husky Stadium. A brief speeding rating from Callier, a 75-yard TD cross from Cyler Miles to John Ross and a Shaq Thompson 36-yard interception staked UW to a 21-3 lead within the first quarter. Early within the second, UW working Dwayne Washington scored, and after Illinois scored two factors on a security, Thompson returned a fumble 52 yards for his second defensive landing of the day. The Huskies, who led 38-12 at half, coasted to a 44-19 victory.
 
DEMOND’S BIG DAY: UW quarterback Demond Williams Jr. turned in a profession efficiency in Washington’s 38-19 win over Rutgers on Fri., Oct. 10, passing for 402 yards whereas speeding for 138. In doing so, he grew to become the primary Husky, second Big Ten participant and sixteenth QB in NCAA-FBS historical past to cross for 400-plus yards and rush for 100 or extra in a sport. His 138 speeding yards had been fourth-most ever by a Husky quarterback (his was simply the twelfth 100-yard speeding efficiency by a QB in UW historical past), and his 538 yards of whole offense broke Michael Penix’s document of 529, set in 2022 vs. Arizona (516 passing, 13 speeding). His 402 passing yards had been Fifteenth-most in UW single-game historical past.
 
ROSTER TURNOVER: Like at loads of applications nowadays of faculty soccer, Washington’s roster has seen a great deal of turnover in the previous couple of years, unsurprisingly, on condition that UW has had 4 head coaches in seven years. However, when it comes to class years, the 2025 Husky soccer roster is comparatively balanced. At the beginning of the season, UW’s 103-man roster consists of 29 true freshmen, 15 redshirt freshmen, 19 sophomores, 18 juniors, and 22 seniors. However, considering what number of years gamers have been at UW offers a unique image, as 77 of the 103 are enjoying their first (47) or second (30) at Washington in 2025. UW’s roster additionally consists of 14 third-year Huskies, seven fourth-year (together with Anthony Ward, who spent two years at UW earlier than going to Arizona for 2 seasons), 4 fifth-year (together with Geirean Hatchett, who spent final season at Oklahoma), and one sixth-year roster member (Makell Esteen, whose first 12 months at Washington was 2020).
 
STARTING EXPERIENCE: For the second 12 months in a row, it is honest to say that UW didn’t return numerous starters from the earlier 12 months. However, the Husky roster DOES embody a surprisingly massive variety of gamers with beginning expertise – practically all from final 12 months. Not counting specialists (Grady Gross has been UW’s “starting kicker” for 2 seasons), and never counting the present Huskies who began for different school applications earlier than transferring to UW, Washington had 20 totally different present gamers who had began in a Husky uniform – 12 on offense (whole of 70 UW begins) and eight on protection (32).
 
In addition to the 20 present participant who had began for Washington, the 2025 Husky roster consists of 21 gamers (a few of them the 20 who’ve since began for UW) who’ve began no less than as soon as for one more four-year school: LB Buddah Al-Uqdah (21 begins at Washington State), LB Xe’ree Alexander (7 at UCF, 6 at Idaho), OL Drew Azzopardi (6 at San Diego State), S CJ Christian (19 at FIU), RB Jonah Coleman (7 at Arizona), Tacario Davis (22 at Arizona), Zach Durfee (11 at Sioux Falls), TE Kade Eldridge (1 at USC), WR Omari Evans (6 at Penn State), WR Kevin Green Jr. (2 at Arizona), OL Geirean Hatchett (1 at Oklahoma), QB Kai Horton (1 at Tulane), LB Jacob Manu (27 at Arizona), S Alex McLaughlin (23 at NAU), DL Simote Pepa (3 at Utah), CB Ephesians Prysock (16 at Arizona), DL Logan Sagapolu (1 at Miami, Fla.), DL Anterio Thompson (12 at WMU), DL Ta’ita’I Uiagalelei (13 at Arizona), EDGE Isaiah Ward (11 at Arizona), and OL Carver Willis (18 at Kansas State).
 
All totaled, as of the beginning of the 2025 season, UW had 33 totally different gamers with a mixed whole of 330 profession begins on the four-year school stage.
 
ALASKA AIRLINES FIELD AT HUSKY STADIUM: The Oregon sport on Nov. 5, 2011, marked the ultimate sport in Husky Stadium previous to main renovations that had been accomplished in summer season, 2013. The Huskies re-opened their residence area with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2024 season marks the 104th season of play in Husky Stadium. Original building on the ability was accomplished in 1920 when Washington performed one sport within the new campus facility. UW’s all-time document in Husky Stadium stands at 421-186-21 (.687). Washington is 66-17 (.795) in residence video games for the reason that stadium re-opened in 2013.