Washington Huskies: Scouting September 18 opponent Arkansas State
Herb Nightengale
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After an 0-2 start, the Washington Huskies look to rebound at home this week against Arkansas State. It won’t be easy.
Very few would have thought the Washington Huskies would be 0-2 going into this weekend’s game against Arkansas State. Being upset by Montana 13-7 in week one was a shock. Unfortunately, last week’s performance wasn’t much better. UW was beaten badly by Michigan 31-10.
The Huskies came into the season ranked #20. However, injuries to the wide receiving group and poor play on both sides of the line have hampered them. Next up is Arkansas State, a team with lots of offensive firepower.
Arkansas State big-time offense
The Arkansas State team is 1-1 on the season so far. They beat in-state rival Central Arkansas in their opener on September 4, 40-21. Last week they lost to Memphis in a tight game 55-50. The Red Rovers, as they are called, used two quarterbacks in both games. James Blackman, a senior, started in game one while redshirt sophomore Layne Hatcher started game two.
Both Blackman and Hatcher come from big-time football programs. Hatcher came to Arkansas State from Alabama in 2019 after not seeing any playing time with the Crimson Tide. He started eight games his first year at Arkansas State. Last year though, Hatcher didn’t make any starts, but he did play in each game.
The 6-5, 190-pound Blackman played three years for Florida State before transferring to ASU. In four years, he played in 31 games for the Seminoles, totaling 5,445 passing yards with 47 touchdown passes against 26 interceptions.
Three receivers to look out for on the Red Rovers are sophomore Corey Rucker, and juniors Te’Vailance Hunt, and Jeff Foreman. Rucker had nine catches for 138 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener, while Foreman had eight catches for 198 yards and Hunt had nine catches for 123 yards. All three receivers had a touchdown against Memphis.
Points to Ponder
This week’s game will be interesting because Arkansas State is primarily a passing team. They threw for over 800 yards in their first two games with nine touchdowns. It will be interesting to see who starts Blackman or Hatcher, although the Huskies will see both in the game.
The Red Rovers haven’t run much this year. After watching game film of the Washington Huskies’ first two outings, does ASU decide to start out running then go to the pass? How well will the Sun Belt Conference school do against a defense that defends so well against the pass?
Regardless, the Huskies’ defensive backfield should be busy. Additionally, UW’s defensive line will have to find its way into Red Rovers’ backfield. The rush needs to make Blackman and Hatcher rush their passes.
Questions about the Huskies
Will Dylan Morris start again, or will they go with another quarterback? So far, Washington’s offense has been bad; worse, the redshirt freshman hasn’t looked anything like the dynamic passer he was in 2020. So far, the Huskies have scored 17 points combined. That won’t cut it.
Even if Morris starts, he’ll need to look sharp early. If not, Head Coach Jimmy Lake might turn to grad transfer Patrick O’Brien or true freshman Sam Huard.
How much longer does Offensive Coordinator John Donovan have? Media and fans are already calling for his head. Even though Lake accepted the blame for his team’s lack of offense, another dud performance this week likely ends Donovan’s tenure at Washington.
Other questions include: Will the Huskies offensive line finally play up to expectations? With only one sack on the season so far, can anyone on Washington get to the passer? When does Sean McGrew get to touch the football?
Whatever the case, the Huskies must turn things around. An 0-3 start with losses to Montana and Arkansas State puts Lake on the hot seat.
The Washington Huskies are favored on Saturday. They need to play like it. Go Dawgs!