Washington Huskies: Game 1 vs Kent State – TV, Weather, and More
It’s Week 1 of the college football season. The Washington Huskies open at home against Kent State. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
PNWS presents what you need to know to enjoy Game 1 of Washington Huskies 2022 football as they host the Kent State Golden Flashes in Seattle. Whether you are headed to Husky Stadium or watching on TV, PNWS has you covered.
Details
Who: Kent State Golden Flashes (0-0) at Washington Huskies (0-0)
Where: Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium – Seattle, Washington.
When: Saturday, September 3, 2021 – 7:30 p.m. PDT.
TV: FOX Sports 1. Announcers: Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis (506.com).
Weather: At kickoff, expect partly cloudy skies with a very slight SSW wind and temps in the 70s. (weather.com).
Line: Washington -23. Over/Under: 60 (Odds Shark).
Injuries
Washington Huskies
Out – OT Jaxson Kirkland (ankle/eligibility), LB Eddie Ulofoshio (knee). Questionable – RB Richard Newton (knee).
Kent State Golden Flashes
None reported.
Washington’s depth chart for Kent State is out. One surprise: Taj Davis over Ja’Lynn Polk at WR. With Jaxson Kirkland out, Troy Fautanu slides over to LT and Nate Kalepo gets the nod at LG. Otherwise looks about how expected. pic.twitter.com/Zc7Q8dTgCT
— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) August 29, 2022
Interesting Trends
The Washington Huskies went 2-6 in their final 8 games in 2021, including 4 straight defeats. For the entire season, they only covered the spread 3 times. The offense will be much better under DeBoer than it was under Jimmy Lake. It’s hard to fathom that in the Huskies’ last 20 games, the total went under in 75% of them.
Kent State won their division last season but limped across the finish line with a 7-7 record. That included losses in their final two games. Additionally, the Golden Flashes haven’t won a season opener since 2014.
Outlook
It’s a new year with a new coaching staff and a new quarterback for the Washington Huskies. Along with the arrival of new head coach Kalen DeBoer comes a sense of optimism that the Huskies aren’t too far away from competing for a conference title on his watch.
Transfer quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is comfortable in DeBoer’s offensive system because the coach was his OC at Indiana a few years back. With an outstanding group of receivers to work with, he will go after Kent State’s defensive backs early.
UW’s big question mark this year, as it was last year, is their offensive line. They were a huge disappointment in 2021, and the Huskies desperately need them to turn it around in 2022. That starts today.
On the other side, Kent State’s offense is no pushover. They play a similar up-tempo style to what DeBoer wants to implement at Washington. Flashes’ quarterback Collin Schlee is a first-year starter but is a dual threat who can make plays.
Neither team did a good job stopping the run last season. It’s a point of emphasis for the Washington Huskies’ defense this year. They get a good test right out of the gate facing Marquez Cooper, who ran for 1,205 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns in 2021.
Two things to watch for with the Huskies’ defense. First, after losing two defensive backs to the NFL this spring, transfer corner Jordan Perryman will be under the gun. Second, outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui should be fully recovered from the Achillies tear he suffered a year-and-a-half ago and ready to once again wreak havoc on his opponents.
The Huskies should win this game, but we said the same thing before last season’s upset loss to Montana in Week 1. This time UW will be better prepared. They probably don’t cover 21 points against Kent State’s fast-paced offense but will leave the game with a “W.”
Related Story: Scouting Kent State
Catch up with PNWS on Sunday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.