NCAAF Game Preview - Washington at Rutgers
Fri Sep 1, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

FlaSt
7
Bama
24
F
OSU
49
Ind
21
F
WestMI
31
USC
49
F
Kent
3
Clem
56
F
Akr
0
PSU
52
F
UTEP
7
Okla
56
F
Wash
30
Rut
14
F
UtSt
10
Wisc
59
F
Tuls
24
OkSt
59
F
Mich
33
Fla
17
F
GaSo
7
Aub
41
F
BYU
0
LSU
27
F
App
10
UGA
31
F
Lou
35
Purd
28
F
B-C
13
MiaFL
41
F
Stony
17
SoFL
31
F
C Ark
19
K St
55
F
WVU
24
VaTec
31
F
MD
51
Tex
41
F
MonSt
0
WaSt
31
F
Tenn
42
GATec
41
F(1OT)
FLInt
17
UCF
61
F
Presb
7
Wake
51
F
URI
27
C Mi
30
F(2OT)
TnSt
17
GASt
10
F
Elon
13
Toled
47
F
Buff
7
MIN
17
F
APSU
14
Cin
26
F
UND
16
Utah
37
F
HolyC
20
UConn
27
F
FlaAM
7
Ark
49
F
ULMon
29
Mem
37
F
NMS
31
AzSt
37
F
Ford
6
Army
64
F
UNCC
7
E Mi
24
F
Rich
34
SamHu
48
F
CenCt
7
Syr
50
F
Navy
42
FlAtl
19
F
ColSt
3
Colo
17
F
BC
23
NIU
20
F
MoStU
43
MIZ
72
F
Wyo
3
Iowa
24
F
Ball
21
Ill
24
F
BGSU
10
MSU
35
F
Cal
35
UNC
30
F
YSU
21
Pitt
28
F OT
PorSt
32
OreSt
35
F
VMI
0
AF
62
F
NCSt
28
SCar
35
F
AlaAM
7
UAB
38
F
NEV
20
NW
31
F
W&M
10
UVA
28
F
Temp
16
ND
49
F
Troy
13
Boise
24
F
EWa
10
TxTch
56
F
KY
24
SMiss
17
F
ChaSo
0
MissSt
49
F
Alb
17
OD
31
F
JMU
34
ECU
14
F
NCC
7
Duke
60
F
MiaOH
26
Marsh
31
F
HBU
11
TxSt
20
F
Hamp
0
Ohio
59
F
SFA
14
SMU
58
F
E Ky
17
W Ky
31
F
Lamar
14
NorTx
59
F
NWSt
24
LT
52
F
SouLA
48
ULLaf
51
F
SEMO
16
Kans
38
F
Lib
48
Bayl
45
F
UMass
28
CoCar
38
F
CAPly
13
SJSU
34
F
SoAl
27
Miss
47
F
Gram
14
Tul
43
F
Abil
14
NM
38
F
JacSt
0
TCU
63
F
ArkSt
36
Neb
43
F
Vand
28
MidTN
6
F
NoIa
24
IASt
42
F
SoUt
21
Oreg
77
F
UCDav
17
SDSU
38
F
How
43
UNLV
40
F
(N/A)
0
Fres
66
F
NoAZ
24
Ariz
62
F
WCU
18
Hawaii
41
F
TxAM
44
UCLA
45
F
Hou
UTSA
Canc
No. 8 Washington 'rebuilding' for opener
Tue Aug 29, 2017 12:59 AM

Washington coach Chris Petersen is making repeated attempts to reduce the high expectations for his club.

That is a losing battle after the Huskies went 12-2 and reached the College Football Playoff last season.

The No. 8 Huskies begin their fourth season under Peterson on Friday when they visit Rutgers, and there is no getting away from the hype, even when Petersen asserts the Huskies are a brand-new team.

Petersen insists the talented squad isn't reloading but is instead rebuilding.

"Because you start from scratch," Petersen said Monday. "This is not even kind of the same team it was last year. The program is similar in the things we believe in. But this is a new team, so we rebuild the team every year. We rebuild a new team every week, because you're different week-to-week.

"You win, it feels different. You lose, it feels different. And so there's a different mindset and psychology with that. So we don't reload, we rebuild week-to-week. People can say whatever they want to say, but I know what our mindset is, and I know what I want it to be."

The Huskies will be without one of their stars against the Scarlet Knights, who lost their final nine outings while finishing 2-10 last season.

Washington senior All-Pac-12 linebacker Azeem Victor will miss the game against Rutgers due to a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules.

"Guys make mistakes, nobody's perfect. It's a mistake," Petersen said. "The hard thing is, you're in the public eye, so it's tough. Azeem's a good guy -- he is. But guys make mistakes, and we have team standards, and we live by them."

The player the Huskies count on the most is junior quarterback Jake Browning, who looks to build on a season in which he tied the Pac-12 record of 43 touchdown passes and helped the Huskies roll up a school-record 585 points.

Browning underwent offseason surgery on his passing shoulder but has fully recovered.

But just as pleasing to Petersen is the growth Browning is displaying as a team leader.

"Jake is doing a great job (at) the most detailed, the most meticulous position," Petersen said. "He's done a great job -- he's able to branch out from his own assignments and make sure he and the receivers are on the same page, and he's doing a great job there."

Rutgers is breaking in a new quarterback in fifth-year senior Kyle Bolin, a graduate transfer from Louisville.

Bolin will be making his seventh career start. He has passed for 2,104 yards in 17 career games.

"We're excited to watch him go play and I'm really glad he's here," second-year coach Chris Ash told reporters. "He's created a great competition at the quarterback position. I think he's elevated the play of others around him and just the leadership and the ethic the kid has demonstrated and brought to our offense has been outstanding so far."

Seniors Robert Martin and Gus Edwards will share the ball-carrying duties. Martin has 1,822 career rushing yards and Edwards (977) is a transfer from Miami.

Former Minnesota coach Jerry Kill is the Scarlet Knights' new offensive coordinator.

Perhaps even more exciting than Kill's presence will be the sight of receiver/return specialist Janarion Grant, who shares the NCAA record of eight career return touchdowns (five kickoffs, three punts). He was granted a medical redshirt last season after suffering a broken ankle early in the season.

Junior linebackers Trevor Morris (102 tackles) and Deonte Roberts (95) headline the Scarlet Knights' defense. Junior cornerback Blessuan Austin (14 passes defended) leads the secondary, which allowed just 186.5 passing yards per game last season.

Rutgers couldn't stop Browning last season as he passed for 287 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-13 victory in the first meeting between the schools. The Scarlet Knights aim to compete better this time.

"Washington (is) not going to determine the success or failures of our overall season," said Ash, "but to go out there in game one and play them again and measure your football team, the improvement hopefully that you see, that's a motivating factor for everybody."

Washington senior inside linebacker Kieshawn Bierria had a team-best 12 tackles in the trouncing of the Scarlet Knights, and he will be the focal point of the defense with Victor home in Seattle.

Bierria led the nation with five fumble recoveries last season.

Junior defensive tackle Vita Vea is rising up the list of NFL talent evaluators and primed to build on his five-sack campaign of last season.

Huskies sophomore free safety Taylor Rapp had a team-best four interceptions last season en route to being named Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and earning Freshman All-American honors.

Washington has its own standout returner in senior Dante Pettis, who has five career punt return touchdowns, one off the Pac-12 record held by California's DeSean Jackson.

In addition to Victor, Huskies sophomore cornerback Austin Joyner will also be missing after getting a two-game suspension for violating team rules.

Team Record Comparison

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