Previewing the Michigan vs. Washington game with a Huskies insider

By Clayton Sayfie

TheWolverine.com caught up with Washington writer Dan Raley of Sports Illustrated ahead of Saturday’s matchup between the Huskies and Michigan Wolverines football. Raley broke down UW and offered a final score prediction. We begin with the projected starting lineup for the Huskies.

Washington projected starters on offense

• #2 – Sophomore QB Demond Williams Jr. (5-11, 190) — Has completed 74.1 percent of his passes (117-of-158) for 1,628 yards and 10 touchdowns with 1 interception, adding 74 rushes for 382 yards and 4 scores on the ground. The Chandler, Ariz., native is coming off a 38-19 win over Rutgers in which he compiled 538 yards of offense (402 passing, 136 rushing) and 4 total touchdowns, earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. He’s been pressured on 40.9 percent of his dropbacks this season but is still averaging 9.2 yards per pass in those situations. Williams is adept at throwing the ball downfield, with 35 completions of 10-plus air yards and a 9.2-yard average depth of target. Last season, Williams played in a backup role most of the year and earned the starting job at the end. He put up more than 400 yards of offense and 5 total scores in a 35-34 loss to Louisville in the Sun Bowl.

• #8 – Senior RB Jonah Coleman (5-9, 220) — The Arizona transfer is in his second season at Washington, following head coach Jedd Fisch to Seattle. He’s rushed 96 times for 518 yards (5.4 yards per carry) with a 38-yard long this year. He leads the nation with 11 rushing touchdowns, standing as the only player in the FBS with double-digit scores on the ground. Coleman averages 3.7 yards after contact per rush and has forced 20 missed tackles. Over a third of his rush attempts result in first downs (37 of 96). He’s added 20 receptions for 243 yards and 1 touchdown.

• #12 – Junior WR Denzel Boston (6-4, 210) — The 2024 honorable mention All-Big Ten performer is top 10 in the conference in catches (30), receiving yards (444) and touchdown grabs (6) this season. He’s made 5 contested catches on 8 attempts and has seen 6 of his receptions come on passes of 20-plus air yards. Boston doesn’t create much with the ball in his hands, averaging only 3.9 yards after the catch per reception, but is a weapon down the field.

• #81 – Freshman WR Dezmen Roebuck (5-11, 180) — The Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona as a prep senior, Roebuck has totaled 18 catches for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns. He averages 8.4 yards after the catch per reception.

• #7 – Freshman WR Raiden Vines-Bright (6-1, 200) — The slot receiver has reeled in 11 grabs for 146 yards with a 45-yard long.

• #86 – Sophomore TE Decker DeGraaf (6-4, 245) — Has recorded 15 receptions for 151 yards and has a 66.3 PFF run-blocking grade.

• #77 – Senior LT Maximus McCree (6-6, 302) — Started the last two games with Kansas State transfer Carver Willis injured. His 36.3 overall PFF grade is the lowest on the offense by over 8 points. He has a 48.8 grade in run blocking and 26.4 in pass protection. He’s given up 13 pressures on 103 pass-blocking snaps, tied for the fifth most among Big Ten tackles.

• #53 – Redshirt freshman LG Paki Finau (6-5, 310) — Made his first career start in last week’s victory over Rutgers, with full-time starter and 17-year-old freshman John Mills out with injury. Finau has a 67.2 overall PFF rating with 3 pressures given up on 93 pass-blocking snaps.

• #66 – Junior C Landen Hatchett (6-3, 315) — Has made 12 career starts entering Saturday’s game at Michigan. He’s posted a 66.2 overall PFF grade with 3 pressures, including 1 sack, allowed this year.

• #56 – Senior RG Geirean Hatchett (6-4, 310) — The older brother of center Landen Hatchett, Geirean started four games on the 2023 Washington offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award, before transferring to Oklahoma in 2024 and then back to the Huskies in 2025. He’s started all six contests this year and has a 62.9 overall PFF rating. Hatchett has yielded 12 pressures and 2 sacks in pass protection.

• #74 – Junior RT Drew Azzopardi (6-7, 315) — Has started the last 19 games at right tackle for Washington, after transferring in from San Diego State. This season, he ranks second among starting offensive linemen (behind Willis) with a 75.6 overall PFF grade and is pacing the group with an 84.9 rating in pass protection. He’s given up 3 pressures.

Washington projected starters on defense

• #11 – Senior DT Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei (6-4, 285) — The Arizona transfer has recorded 11 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and a sack, while pressuring the quarterback 15 times, the second-highest mark on the team.

• #90- Sophomore DT Elinneus Davis (6-3, 317) — Has tallied 12 tackles and 4 pressures this season.

• #48 – Junior EDGE Jacob Lane (6-5, 260) — Leads Washington with 17 pressures and has added 24 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss and 2.5 sacks. He’s had multiple pressures in every game, with a season-high 4 against Washington State.

• #91 – Junior EDGE Isaiah Ward (6-5, 235) — Has totaled 14 tackles, including 3.5 for loss with 2 sacks, and 14 pressures.

• #9 – Senior LB Jacob Manu (5-11, 225) — The Arizona transfer has appeared in only two games and will play in just four this regular season, to retain his redshirt as he’s a part of the “five-for-five” lawsuit against the NCAA. Manu played against Ohio State and Maryland but not last week versus Rutgers, though he’s expected to give it a go against the Wolverines. He’s tallied 9 tackles, including 1 for loss, in two contests this year. Last season with Arizona, he made 47 tackles, including 3 for loss, before suffering a season-ending injury in October.

• #17 – Sophomore LB Deven Bryant (5-11, 230) — Ranks second on the team with 39 tackles and has added 3 pressures while blitzing. He’s missed 6 tackles.

• #0 – Sophomore NB Leroy Bryant (6-0, 185) — Has registered 10 tackles and graded out at 42.8 in coverage, per PFF. He’s allowed 21 catches for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 targets.

• #7 – Senior CB Ephesians Prysock (6-4, 195) — Has started 35 career games and made 2 interceptions over his four years, including 1 in last weekend’s win over Rutgers. This year, he’s recorded 17 tackles, 5 pass breakups and a pick. PFF has him graded at 71.3 in coverage, giving up 20 catches for 214 yards and 3 touchdowns on 39 targets.

• #8 – Senior CB Tacario Davis (6-4, 200) — The Arizona transfer has missed time due to injury but returned last week against Rutgers and nearly had 2 interceptions, including 1 that was called back due to a questionable defensive pass interference call. He’s tallied 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups. He has a 69.8 PFF coverage rating and has yielded 5 catches for 71 yards on 14 targets. He has 2 career interceptions, including 1 against UC Davis earlier this season.

• #12 – Junior S Alex McLaughlin (6-2, 200) — The Northern Arizona transfer leads the team with 42 tackles, including 1 for loss, and 2 interceptions, adding a pair of pass breakups. He has an elite 88.7 PFF tackling grade and a 77 rating in coverage. He’s given up 14 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown on 23 targets.

• #24 – Senior S Makell Esteen (6-1, 205) — Has tallied 28 tackles, including a half-stop for loss, and 2 interceptions. He’s registered a 65.6 PFF coverage grade, allowing 7 catches for 58 yards and 1 touchdown on 11 targets.

Washington specialists

• #95 – Senior K Grady Gross (5-11, 210) — Has made 6 of his 7 field goal attempts with a 51-yard long this season, which is also his career long. He’s 42-of-55 on field goals for his career, including going 18-of-26 in 2024 and 18-of-22 in 2023. He went 2-for-4 against Michigan last season and 2-for-2 in the national championship game Jan. 8, 2024.

• #45 – Sophomore P Luke Dunne (6-5, 218) — The Benalla, Australia, native transferred in from Oregon ahead of the 2025 campaign and has punted only 9 times this season. Washington has attempted the second-fewest punts in the nation. Dunne is averaging 39.4 yards per attempt with a 56-yard long, pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line on 2 occasions. His 3.98-second average hangtime ranks fifth in the Big Ten among those with multiple attempts.

• #24 – Sophomore KR Adam Mohammed (6-0, 220) — The running back is averaging 25.6 yards per kick return with a 41-yard long.

• #12 – Junior PR Denzel Boston (6-4, 210) — The wide receiver is averaging 21.4 yards per punt return on 5 attempts, with a 78-yard touchdown that came against UC Davis. He has 7 fair catches and no muffs.

Demond Williams Jr. is ‘scary for any defensive coordinator’

The Arizona transfer followed head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington in January 2024 and earned significant playing time right away, even as a backup. He took over as the starter for the final two contests last season, setting the stage for what’s been a monster sophomore campaign to this point.

Williams hasn’t gotten great protection but makes plays regardless, both with his arm and legs. He’s, as U-M head coach Sherrone Moore put it, “dangerous.”

“In the history of Washington football, he is the fastest quarterback they’ve ever had,” Raley said. “And they’ve had Warren Moon and Mark Brunnell, who were NFL quarterbacks and really fast, because I covered both of them. That’s how old I am.

“Demond Williams is scary for any defensive coordinator, because he is the fastest Washington quarterback ever. He might be the fastest quarterback in the country right now. And then he can throw the football. He’s got a 70-percent completion rate.

“If they can block for him — and there are a few questions about that, because they’ve lost two starting offensive linemen in the last three weeks — then he’s a problem. 

“Ohio State did a good job of shutting him down. They held the team to 2 field goals and a touchdown-less game for only the second time in like 14 seasons, something like that.

“You’re in for a treat to watch him, but they do have a problem with the offensive line at the moment.”

Washington’s ‘big three’

Washington has punted only 9 times this season, so the offense is doing something right. Williams leads the way, but Coleman and Boston are two other fantastic skill position players. Washington is averaging 39.2 points per game overall but only 22.7 in three Big Ten games.

“Well, they’ve got a big three,” Raley said. “They’ve got Demond Williams, Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston. Coleman and Boston are two of the 13 leading scorers in the country. Coleman leads the country in rushing touchdowns, and Boston is tied for second in receiving touchdowns and 13th overall. So, there’s a lot of firepower with those three guys.

“They just need to make sure somebody blocks up front. That’s why all along we thought this team could be decent — better than last year, for sure — but year three [of the Fisch era in 2026] is when Washington’s going to be scary and going to be considered a top-25 team and a playoff contender and all that. But they’re not there yet, and I don’t think that’s going to happen this season.”

Defensive players to watch

Washington is allowing 19.7 points per contest (37th in the FBS) and has stopped the run well, allowing only 82.8 yards per contest on the ground. The Huskies are 87th in the nation versus the pass, giving up 235.7 yards per outing through the air.

There’s talent, especially at cornerback, but there have been injuries to deal with, and Washington just allowed 493 yards of total offense to Rutgers.

“They do have some pretty good football players,” Raley said of the defense. “Their best defensive back, Tacario Davis, returned last week. (He’s) a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guy, which is kind of scary when you think about a cornerback that can run.

“The linebacker situation is interesting, because they finally got this guy healthy that was another Arizona transfer, Jacob Manu, and he is trying to play in 2026, because he had a half a season last year, blew a knee, and then came late for this year. So, he’s played two partial seasons, and Jedd Fisch is trying to make sure that he gets paid. It’ll have to wait until next year, as far as NIL and revenue-sharing money, and they want to make sure he gets plenty of NFL attention and that he’s a team captain and that he gets the whole real deal as a college football player.

“He was a first-team All-Pac-12 linebacker as a sophomore and led the league in tackles with 116 and got hurt last year.

“He didn’t play against Rutgers, because they’re trying to keep him to four games to preserve his eligibility, but he’s going to play against Michigan, and you can count on that. He’s really good. He’s one of the better linebackers in the country.

“The defensive front is pretty tame, and the edge rushers are kind of watered down because a guy named Zach Durfee got hurt against Ohio State, and he didn’t play the last two games. He’s got an elbow injury, and I’m not sure he’s going to play against the Wolverines.”

Why the Washington DL has struggled

Raley broke down why the Washington defensive line has had problems.

“The issues are that they don’t have a [former Michigan defensive tackle] Mason Graham up front,” Raley said. “Mason Graham was just a game-wrecker, a guy that maybe personally won the national championship game for the Wolverines a few years ago.

“They have one guy [who starts at defensive tackle], an Arizona transfer [Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei], but the other spot has had three different starters. That shows you how unstable it is. When you have three different starters in six games at one spot, you kind of think there’s a problem there.

“The issue is that probably their best defensive lineman has not played for 13 months now, and he was in uniform last weekend, and that’s Jayvon Parker. He’s from Detroit. He blew an Achilles last year and still hadn’t been cleared but might be ready to play against Michigan. But they haven’t had their best defensive lineman for 13 months.”

Washington’s path to victory and Raley’s final score prediction

“They could win in a shootout,” Raley said of Washington. “They’re not going to stop Michigan on the road. They’re not going to stop them from scoring points. The only way they’re going to win is 35-32 or something like that.

“I’d probably make the differential a little bit wider than 35-32. I think Michigan will win, 31-17.”

Prediction: Michigan 31, Washington 17