Washington Huskies Opponent Preview: Week 11 – Colorado
Saturday, the Washington Huskies return to Seattle for their final home game of the year as they take on Pac-12 foe Colorado.
Herb Nightengale
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Saturday, the Washington Huskies return to Seattle for their final home game of the year as they take on Pac-12 foe Colorado.
The #15 ranked Washington Huskies return home for the last game of the season at Husky Stadium. They face the Colorado Buffaloes, who are having a terrible season. Offensive Coordinator Mike Sanford became the Interim Head Coach after CU fired Karl Dorrell (8-15 record) in early October.
Colorado Offense
The Buffaloes score an average of 15.7 points per game. They have thrown nine picks and also fumbled 20 times, losing 11. Though the Washington Huskies haven’t done well in forcing turnovers, this week is an excellent opportunity to pick up a few more.
Quarterback
After missing last season due to a knee injury, J.T. Shrout is the Buff’s starter. This season he’s completed 84 of 185 passes for 1,100 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.
Colorado quarterbacks have been sacked 20 times this year. The Washington Huskies’ edge rushers and defensive backs can’t wait.
Running Back
The Buffaloes gain 115.9 rushing yards per game. Their trouble is keeping running backs healthy.
Alex Fontenot, who started the season as the primary running back, missed six games after a Game 2 injury. Last week Fontenot had his best game in three years, picking up 108 yards. Expect him to get plenty of early carries against Washington.
Junior Deion Smith is the number two running back on CU’s depth chart. He has 75 carries for 381 yards and 2 touchdowns this year. Injuries limited him the past few games, and his status is uncertain for this week.
If Smith is a no-go or limited, true freshman Anthony Hankerson and redshirt freshman Jayle Stacks will spell Fontenot.
Receivers
The Buffaloes go with two wideouts and a slot receiver.
Leading receiver Jordan Tyson is out for the season after suffering an injury against Oregon in Game 7. Colorado greatly misses the freshman’s production.
Daniel Arias, last year’s Pac-12 honorable mention, is a senior from Mill Creek, Washington. Though he starts at X receiver, in the last three games, Arias has gotten fewer targets due to dropped passes. Sophomores Ty Robinson and Chase Penry are listed as Arias’s backups.
The other starting wideout is another sophomore, Montana Lemonious-Craig. He has 264 yards and 2 touchdown catches. His 20 receptions are second on the team.
At slot receiver is RJ Snead II. A graduate transfer from Baylor after five seasons at Baylor, Snead has 19 catches for 162 yards.
Tight end Brady Russell has 15 catches on the season for 115 yards.
Colorado Defense
This is the worst defense in the Pac-12. Colorado gives up the most points (41.7) and yards (488) per game. That bodes very well for the Washington Huskies quarterback and FBS passing yards leader Michael Penix.
Defensive Line
In the Buffaloes’ 3-4 formation, they use a defensive end and two defensive tackles. Terrance Lang, a second-year starter, is the DE. The senior has 27 tackles with six for losses this year. Backing him up is grad transfer Chance Main who has 20 tackles and one sack.
Juniors Na’m Rodman and Jalen Sami start on the interior. Rodman has 17 tackles on the season, while Sami has 25 tackles, with 2 for loss, and 1 forced fumble.
Linebackers
Colorado starts Guy Thomas (Joker), a senior, and Robert Barnes (Star), a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, on the outside. Thomas has 27 tackles with 6.5 for loss. Barnes has 32 tackles with 2.5 for loss.
The inside linebackers are the bright spot on an otherwise dismal Colorado defense. Josh Chandler-Semedo, a two-time All-Big 12 Player from West Virginia, came to Colorado as a grad transfer. He has 83 tackles, with 11 for loss. Senior team captain Quinn Perry has 57 tackles with 2 for loss.
Defensive Backs
Opposing offenses have gone after the Buffaloes’ defensive backs all season with good results. The Washington Huskies receivers and tight ends have to be looking forward to Saturday.
At left cornerback is sophomore Nikko Reed. He has 31 tackles and 1 interception in 2022. Last year Reed had the first interception of his college career against the Huskies. On the right side is sophomore Kaylin Moore, who has 28 tackles.
When Colorado uses a nickel package, freshman Simeon Harris gets the call.
Sophomore Tyrin Taylor is the starting free safety. He has 21 tackles and 1 interception. Strong safety Trevor Woods is a hitting machine. The redshirt freshman has 77 tackles. He’ll be busy against the Washington Huskies.
The Washington Huskies are a more than 4 touchdown favorite on Saturday. A win will give UW an undefeated 8-0 record at Husky Stadium for 2022. Go Dawgs!