A look at IU football’s 2024 opponents: Week 8 — Washington

With college football season starting to creep up, we’re running down Indiana’s schedule to preview all 12 opponents for 2024.

One of Indiana’s marquee home games this fall comes against new Big Ten foe Washington. The Huskies are coming off a storybook season, with their run to the national championship game behind head coach Kalen DeBoer and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. — both former Hoosiers. But DeBoer left for Alabama, and UW’s roster underwent significant turnover in the offseason. Former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch will lead a new-look Huskies team into the Big Ten this year.

Opponent: Washington
Date/Time/TV: Saturday, October 26, TBA
Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.
2023 record/postseason result: 14-1, 9-0 Pac-12, 34-31 win over Oregon in Pac-12 Championship Game, 37-31 win over Texas in Sugar Bowl, 34-13 loss to Michigan in CFP National Championship

Returning production, offense: 26 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (134th in the country)

Offensive outlook: Fisch brought his entire offensive staff from Arizona with him to Seattle in the same roles. That group thrived in Tucson — the Wildcats finished 20th in the country in total offense in 2022 and 2023. They fared especially well in the passing game, ranking eighth in the nation in passing offense last season and sixth in 2022.

This Husky offense will bear very little resemblance to last season’s squad, as they lost all 11 offensive starters from 2023. But Fisch brought in a lot of talent from the transfer portal to rejuvenate the unit.

Washington replaced Penix with Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers, who set 29 total program records in a decorated four-year career with the Bulldogs. Few quarterbacks in the country can bring the sort of experience Rogers possesses to a revamped locker room and offense, as the SEC passing leader in 2021 and 2022.

The Huskies may not have the same depth at receiver as they did last season after losing Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillan, and tight end Jack Westover. Fisch added redshirt senior Jeremiah Hunter from the transfer portal, after he led Cal last year with 731 yards on 63 receptions with seven touchdowns. He’s in line to lead the Washington receiving corps this year. Some existing in-house options like senior Giles Jackson and redshirt sophomore Denzel Boston contribute as well.

Both Washington and Arizona had weaker ground attacks than passing attacks, and the Huskies have to replace Dillon Johnson (233 carries, 1,195 yards, 16 touchdowns). Fisch brought junior Jonah Coleman with him from Arizona, after he led the Wildcats last year with 871 yards on 128 carries with five touchdowns. UW also gets redshirt senior Cameron Davis back after he missed all of last season with a knee injury — Davis recorded 107 carries for 522 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022.

UW also lost all five starters from its strong offensive line last season. But the highest-rated addition Fisch made in the portal, per 247Sports, was redshirt sophomore tackle Drew Azzopardi — a four-star transfer. He could be a key factor on Washington’s line this year.

Returning production, defense: 55 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (95th in the country)

Defensive outlook: Fisch retained a couple defensive position coaches from Arizona, but has Steve Belichick taking over as defensive coordinator. The Huskies have more pieces back on defense than they do on offense, though their defense was average — at best — in 2023.

UW has three returning defensive starters from last season. Third leading-tackler Carson Bruener and fourth-leading tackler Alphonzo Tuputala are back at linebacker, and fifth-leading tackler Elijah Jackson returns at cornerback. Redshirt senior safety Kamren Fabiculanan wasn’t a full-season starter last year, but he did finish with two interceptions, two pass breakups, and three tackles for loss.

Washington’s defense lost the most personnel up front, with all four defensive line starters gone. Fisch brought two defensive ends along from Arizona, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Ward (four sacks, five TFLs, nine QB hurries last year) and junior Russell Davis II (3.5 sacks, 5.5 TFLs, two QB hurries), who could be big pieces of UW’s pass rush this year.

Sophomore defensive back Jordan Shaw displayed a lot of potential as a freshman at IU last season, and he’ll look to make an even bigger impact for the Huskies after transferring. He and junior Arizona transfer Ephesians Prysock — rated a four-star transfer by 247Sports — should play important roles in the UW secondary this year.

Special teams outlook: Junior kicker Grady Gross returns after nailing 18 of 22 field goals and all 63 extra-point attempts last season. Washington also has redshirt punter Jack McCallister (41.7 yards per punt) back this year. UW utilized a big group of kickoff and punt returners last season, and some of those players are gone. But redshirt senior running back Daniyel Ngata was UW’s main kickoff returner last year, averaging 23.3 yards per return, and he’s back this year. Boston and Giles Jackson are strong candidates to handle punt return duties this season, although neither player did much with those opportunities last year.

Overall Outlook: There are reasonable questions to ask about whether Fisch can succeed right away — and to what extent — with so much roster turnover. The Huskies definitely have talent, but if it takes a while for everything to jell with the new players and new system, it could leave them without much margin for error later in the conference schedule. Washington won’t be the same juggernaut it was in 2023, but it should still be a bowl team. And if things work out well for the new-look Huskies, they could have a high ceiling in their first year in the Big Ten.

Previous opponent outlooks:

Florida International

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