Washington
The Prediction: Washington Huskies @ Penn State Nittany Lions
Max Vrooman
Last week I provided the stunning analysis that narrative dictated all of UW’s games which meant they would win at home and I would’ve nailed the final score if USC had kicked one more field goal during their 4 failed trips inside UW territory.
This week the narrative clearly dictates that the Huskies are doomed but I’d like to layer on some serious analysis this time. My city league ultimate team is 6-1 and the #2 seed entering the playoffs which start of Saturday. The only game we lost was during the UW bye week. Otherwise, somehow the schedule has somehow put 6 of the 7 games (including this week) while UW is away from Husky Stadium. That means I can actually go to them but also means that the Huskies are 0-4 playing on a weekend when I have an ultimate game I can go to. Sorry Dawgs.
Oh and I guess I’ll also add that this seems a horrendous matchup for the Huskies even if you ignore the travel and the raucous stadium environment. Penn State has edge rusher Abdul Carter who is a likely top-ten pick and is 2nd in the B1G in pass rush grade per PFF and t-3rd in total QB pressures. I don’t have a lot of confidence in UW’s OL to be able to block him. On the other side, Penn State is a team that basically doesn’t throw to their WRs which negates one of UW’s biggest strengths on defense. I’ll be fascinated to see if Coach Belichick does something dramatic like put Ephesians Prysock on their star TE Tyler Warren who is really the only threat in the passing game.
Penn St 27 – UW 12
Collin O’Meara
In Steve Sarkisian’s first year as Husky HC (2009), the Dawgs took a 3-7 record into the final two weeks of the season, and generated home blowouts vs WSU (30-0) and Cal (42-10). I remember the feeling that something had clicked with that year’s team, that the team had shed its ineptitude of the Willingham years and had been transformed into something entirely different. Fast forward to 2024 and the situation now isn’t even comparable to that era, but again we have a new head coach leading a team that has little in common with the previous year, and that is still reaching for the identity it desires. In the final weeks of this season, I would love nothing more than to see Jedd Fisch’s Huskies signal that it’s all gotten dialed in, with the Dawgs winning some upsets. To be sure, there have been upward trends lately, but there are still crucial things that need fixing: inopportune penalties.. bad kick coverage.. scoring more points.. The Huskies are facing a top-10 Penn State team, in their house, who just suffered a frustrating loss, on fan-gimmick night (don’t get me wrong, I love fan gimmicks). I think the Dawgs will compete, but I also felt good about the Iowa and Indiana games, and those became road blowouts for UW.
Penn St 27 – UW 20
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Mark Schafer
It is now week 11, and the Huskies will be walking into a tough one. Not only is this a road game, across time zones, but it’s also a White Out, meaning that a crowd that was going to be tough now may be even more energized. We knew going in that this would be it, and we’ve been dreading it for months, but let me tell you what the Dawgs can do to pull it off!
The first and last thing for the Huskies to do in order to win this game is to minimize mistakes, which might be easier said than done especially since they’re literally walking into a lion’s den on Saturday, with a juiced up crowd in a White Out game. I would establish Jonah Coleman early and often and get him between 20-25 touches to start. Will Rogers can play off of him in the short passing game and set up opportunities deep. Defensively, they need to key in on the option game that Penn State likes to use and be disciplined against misdirection, using Belichick’s proclivity to play man-to-man defense to shut down Penn State’s receivers. Other than that, this is a tough task, and I think, coming off a win last week, they can do just enough to eke out a win, but they have to be perfect.
UW 24 – Penn St 21
Andrew Berg
Earlier in the season, we spent a lot of time thinking about what UW could do if they could get over certain humps. The team could compete with anybody if they could just… cut down on the penalties, perform better in the red zone, get the ball to Jonah Coleman more often, win up front more often on both sides of the ball, kick and punt better.
Nine games into the season, we might see some minor changes, but for the most part, we know who the Huskies are at this point. They’re going to struggle to block long enough to effectively push the ball downfield. They will put up some yards, but are unlikely to crack 30 points consistently against good defenses. The defense has probably played above its talent level all year, but remains susceptible to power running attacks.
This combination is not a great recipe against Penn St. The Nittany Lions feature a devastating running combination of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. While I’m not the biggest believer in Drew Allar, his numbers this year have been surprisingly good, especially when throwing to outstanding TE Tyler Warren. Penn St probably won’t explode for 40 points against the Dawg defense, but I expect them to bully their way to some long drives.
I’m more concerned with how the Huskies will find enough space offensively against a very good defense to keep up through four quarters. The offensive line is suboptimal at its best and banged up beyond that. Quick hitting passes will be the key to moving the ball, especially if Will Rogers can get the ball to the likes of Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston in motion to add some yards after the catch. I think the Huskies have a reasonable chance to keep the game within the spread, but with Penn St’s pace and defense, that doesn’t necessarily mean the game will be “close.”
Penn St 24 – UW 14
SU: UW 1, Penn St 3
ATS: UW 3, Penn St 1
Average Score: Penn St 25 – UW 18
On a perfect day in Seattle for football, Washington took the field inside Husky Stadium for its first scrimmage of spring practice, and ahead of his third season at the helm, Jedd Fisch seemed pleased with the results.
“Guys played and competed their ass off,” he said after the Huskies ran 120 plays. “That’s the type of day we want to have…We have a lot to work on, but we’re excited that today gave us this opportunity.”
The 120 plays had a little bit of everything, but the biggest thing the Huskies showed during the day was that, despite the inexperience that Fisch’s coaching staff is looking to lean on at several positions, there’s plenty of talent littering the roster. The best example of that is sophomore safety Paul Mencke Jr., who had his best practice in a Husky uniform after Fisch announced on Saturday that senior CJ Christian is out for the year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during Tuesday’s practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
“Paul’s done a great job of competing and being physical and playing fast, and you could see over these three years, he’s really grown into understanding now the system, and what’s asked of him as a safety,” Fisch said. “I think there’s a lot of in him that he wants to be like (safeties coach Taylor) Mays. He sees himself as a tall, linear, big hitter. So when you have your coach that is known for that type of play, I think Paul has done a great job.”
Mencke was all over the field. Not only did he lay some big hits, just like his safeties coach did during his time at USC, but the former four-star recruit also tallied a pair of pass breakups, an interception in a 7-on-7 period, and multiple strong tackles to hold ball carriers to limited yards.
While the defense did a good job getting pressure throughout the day and making the quarterbacks hold the ball with different looks on the back end, with safety Alex McLaughlin, linebacker Donovan Robinson, and edge rusher Logan George all among the players credited for a sack, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. got an opportunity to show off how he’s improved ahead of his junior year.
Early on, he showed off his well-known speed and athleticism, making the correct decision on a read option, pulling the ball and scampering for a 25-yard gain before displaying his touch. Throughout the day, his favorite target was junior receiver Rashid Williams, whom he found on several layered throws of 15-plus yards in the various scrimmage periods of practice.
On a day when every able-bodied member of the team was able to get several reps of live action, here are some of the other noteworthy plays from the day.
Spring practice notebook
- Freshman cornerback Jeron Jones was unable to participate in the scrimmage and was spotted working off to the side with the rest of the players rehabbing their injuries.
- The running backs delivered a pair of big blows on the day. First, cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was on the receiving end of a big hit from redshirt freshman Quaid Carr before the former three-star recruit ripped off a 13-yard touchdown run on the next play. Later on, every player on offense had a lot of fun cheering on freshman Ansu Sanoe after he leveled Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, letting the sophomore linebacker hear all about it when the play was whistled dead.
- Sophomore wide receiver Justice Williams put together a strong day with several contested catches, showing off his strong hands and 6-foot-4 frame, including a 25-yard catch and run off a drag route from backup quarterback Elijah Brown.
- Of all the tackles for a loss the Huskies were able to rack up throughout the day, two stood out. First, junior defensive tackle Elinneus Davis burst through the middle of the line to wrap up freshman running back Brian Bonner. Later on, freshman outside linebacker Ramzak Fruean wasn’t even touched as he shot through a gap in the offensive line to track down a play from behind, letting the entire offensive sideline know about the play on his way back to his own bench.
- The Huskies experimented with several defensive line combinations on Saturday, and for the first time this spring, it felt like freshman Derek Colman-Brusa took the majority of his reps alongside someone other than Davis, who he said has taken on an older brother role to help mentor the top-ranked in-state prospect in the 2026 class.
“Elinneus is a phenomenal guy. Great work ethic. He’s kind of taken on that older brother mentor for me. He’s been a great help just to learn plays and learn the scheme. Can’t say enough good things about the guy.”
- Ball State transfer Darin Conley took a handful of reps with the first team, while rotating with Colman-Brusa, who got a lot of work in alongside Sacramento State transfer DeSean Watts.
Twenty Sioux Falls School District art teachers have their own original pieces on display at the Washington Pavilion’s University Gallery now through May 31.
The “Teachers as Artists” exhibit showcases their work not just as educators, but as artists inside and outside of the classroom, and highlights how art education builds critical thinking, creative problem-solving and self-expression skills.
Edison Middle School art teacher Meagan Turbak-Fogarty said she dreamt of such a showcase since her first year teaching.
She and Kathy Dang, an art teacher at Marcella LeBeau Elementary School who also serves on the city’s Visual Arts Committee, partnered with the city and Washington Pavilion to bring the showcase to life.
Turbak-Fogarty has taught at Edison for five years and said her passion for art is “instantly felt” on her classroom walls, but that students have asked where they could see her art in the classroom, or what kind of art she creates in her own time.
“I always felt the feeling that I stand in front of all these kids every single day and preach about how much I love art, and how art has changed my life,” Turbak-Fogarty said. “That got me thinking, ‘I want to show them.’”
Some of her works on display at the Pavilion include art she created in her first year teaching, including a large Cheetos bag she created as an example for her eighth grade classroom when they were working on a large chip bag project. Turbak-Fogarty said she loves painting, working with acrylics and unconventional materials.
“I wanted to show my students that art can be anything,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be hanging up in a museum to be considered art.”
Continuing to do her own art while teaching the subject helps keep her inspired, Turbak-Fogarty explained, adding that it helps her push her own creativity when it comes to projects she works on with students.
Samantha Levisay, an art teacher at John Harris Elementary School, showed three pieces in the show — “Moments in Time,” “Midnight Butterfly Garden” and “Whimsy” — with the same mixed media, watercolor and printmaking skills that she teaches in different units at every elementary grade.
Levisay educates her students that “art is everywhere.” She said her favorite memories as an art teacher are “moments when I show students a lesson, and they take it even further.”
“Kids are so creative; I marvel at them all the time,” she said. “They inspire me every day with their endless creativity and imagination.”
Roosevelt High School art teacher Ruth Hillman showed two pieces in the show: “The Potato on the Wall,” a mixed media work, and a collection of her handmade clay charms in a shadow box.
She also wore some of her art — miniature potato earrings made of clay.
Hillman is in her third year at RHS. When she’s not teaching art, she’s also making art, and sells her charms at shows like the Art Collective.
Washington High School art teacher Mollie Potter displayed a three-part painting series at the show that she said were inspired by her English language learner students’ stories, and how teachers help students “take flight,” as represented by balloons, parachutes and kites in her work.
Porter said she is often inspired by her students’ art in the classroom; for example, one former student was obsessed with swans, and Porter said she later created a painting inspired by one of the student’s stories about swans.
At an April 17 reception, Mayor Paul TenHaken emphasized the arts as an “important economic driver in the community,” and said the show honored educators “who are artists in and of themselves,” but who might not have had a chance to display their art outside the classroom before.
“This is a way for us to honor them and show their incredible work,” TenHaken said.
Full Episode:
Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 4/17/26
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