Washington had a losing record last season just one campaign after falling to Michigan in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Kalen DeBoer fled to become Alabama’s coach and player departures were rampant on both sides of the ball. Still, the Huskies managed a 6-0 home mark.
Now Washington (6-7 last season) looks to stretch the home winning streak to 21 games when they open the 2025 season against Colorado State on Saturday night at Seattle.
The Huskies won all four of their Big Ten home games in their first season in the league, including a rematch against Michigan.
But there was never a solid flow in the eyes of coach Jedd Fisch, who left Arizona to tackle the Huskies’ revamping project.
“It’s now nice to feel grounded, and it’s nice to feel like we’re going into Year Two,” Fisch told reporters. “We know our team really well. We know our program really well. We understand the community really well. And now, I think we’re at a point where we can really take that next big step.”
Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. started two games last season and is being counted on heavily this season. He completed a solid 78.1 percent of his throws for 944 yards and eight touchdowns against one interception.
Jonah Coleman followed Fisch from Arizona and rushed for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The defensive additions include linebacker Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah, a transfer from Washington State. He had 76 tackles, five fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and three interceptions last season.
Colorado State (8-5 in 2024) snapped a string of six straight losing seasons last year and will be looking for third-year starting quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to take a step forward.
Fowler-Nicolosi passed for 3,460 yards and 22 touchdowns and a whopping 16 interceptions in 2023. He reduced the picks to nine last season but his yardage (2,796) and scoring passes (14) also dropped.
Rams coach Jay Norvell said a change in style was part of the issue.
“I think we have a quarterback that’s had to learn different styles,” Norvell said of Fowler-Nicolosi. “You know, he’s been in a strictly Air Raid system, and then last year we were a little bit more pro-style.”
Norvell likes having a quarterback who is in his fourth season in the program in an era where players are quick to enter the transfer portal.
He scans the entire roster and feels good times are ahead for the Rams.
“We want to be special,” Norvell said. “To do that, we have to step up in games like this. We’re excited about the opportunity.”
This is the first meeting between the schools.
