Huskies Look to Extend Home Win Streak Against Eastern Michigan; Week 2 Picks
Washington Huskies vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles: Key Players, Game Time, and Prediction for Week 2 Matchup at Husky Stadium
Eastern Michigan v. Washington Game Preview
Date: September 7, 2024, 12:30 p.m. PT
Location: Husky Stadium (Seattle, WA)
TV: Big Ten Network
Eastern Michigan Eagles Overview
Record: 1-0
Last week: Win at UMass, 28-14
Conference: MAC
Coach: Chris Creighton
Key Players:
Cole Snyder (Sr.) Quarterback - The early reviews on the Buffalo transfer quarterback are positive. Snyder meshed well with EMU’s group of receivers in the team’s win against UMass, tallying 241 yards on 17-of-29 passing with one touchdown. He also added 28 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown as well.
Oran Singleton (Jr.) Wide Receiver - Singleton served as Snyder’s primary target last week, leading all EMU receivers with 89 yards receiving on eight catches with one touchdown. The speedy receiver nicknamed “Man Man” is considered one of the top receivers in the MAC. He joins EMU after stints at both Akron and Hutchinson CC. At 5-9, he will likely be enveloped by the taller 6-4 Washington cornerback, Ephesians Prysock.
James Djonkam (Jr.) Linebacker - Djonkam, a transfer from Arizona State, starts at the middle linebacker position for EMU. He led the defense with 13 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. His performance earned him MAC Defensive Player of the Week last week.
Opponent Q&A: Previewing Washington and Eastern Michigan's Showdown with Ypsilanti Eleven's Alex Alvarado
The Huskies continue their non-conference schedule against the MAC’s Eastern Michigan on Saturday. To preview this weekend’s game, I chatted with Alex Alvarado from the Ypsilanti Eleven, a Substack covering Eastern Michigan football.
Five Things to Know
Junior cornerback Ephesians Prysock may be the team’s most talented defensive player. Standing at a tall 6-4, with an ability to explode and make quick strides, Prysock has the physical tools to emerge as an NFL prospect. Against Weber State, Prysock recorded 1 tackle and 1 pass breakup. He will likely be covering EMU’s top reciever, Oran Singleton.
The Huskies’ offensive line is still a question mark. Washington’s coaches shuffled the offensive line around a few time throughout the game last Saturday, seemingly in search of the right combination. For example, in Washington’s first scoring drive in the first half, Drew Azzopardi switch from right tackle to left tackle, Ennok Vimahi moved from right guard to right tackle. One thing to watch is to see if Washington’s coaches will be still experimenting with different combinations against EMU.
Washington senior tight end Quentin Moore left last Saturday’s game with an injury to his left leg.1 The last update provided by Washington head coach Jedd Fisch was that the Moore would be out day-to-day or at most, a couple of weeks. It’s safe to assume Moore, even if he is ready to go by this Saturday (seems unlikely), will see limited action. This means senior tight end Keleki Latu or freshman tight end Decker DeGraaf will have to step up in Moore’s absence. DeGraaf caught a 33-yard touchdown last week, becoming the first true freshman tight end to ever catch a touchdown in the opening game of his freshman year. Latu, a transfer from Nevada, also played in last week’s game.
Washington’s victory over Weber State last weekend extended the school’s 15-home game win streak, which is the third-longest streak in the nation behind Georgia and Michigan. There was a reported 66,984 people in attendance for the late night-tilt against Weber State. I expect there to be more fans in the attendance with a normal and desirable 12:30 p.m. start time.
This is a homecoming for EMU head coach Chris Creighton who attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle and played quarterback for the Rough Riders. Also returning home is EMU senior running back Dontae McMillan who attended Chief Sealth.
Washington’s Keys to Victory
Key 1: Get Jonah Coleman going. This was a key from last week. And what did Coleman do? He ran for three touchdowns and became the first UW running back to ever rush for 100 yards in his Husky debut since 1960. I don’t think the game plan changes against EMU. Once the Huskies were able to establish the run game last weekend, quarterback Will Rogers and the Huskies receiving corps got in a rhythm.
Here’s one of Coleman’s more impressive runs from last weekend’s win:
Key 2: Find Jeremiah Hunter. Despite starting alongside teammates Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston, Hunter did not record a reception in last week’s blowout. Getting Hunter involved and figuring out he fits in this offense is crucial for not just this game, but the rest of the season. Rogers will need as many weapons at his disposal as possible. Last season, at Cal, Hunter led the Golden Bears with 62 receptions, 703 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Key 3: Pressure Cole Snyder. One of EMU’s weaknesses, as identified by Alex Alvarado at The Ypsilanti Eleven, is the Eagles’ offensive line. Like Washington’s offensive line, EMU also lacks experience up front. According to Alvarado, three different players rotated in at right guard in the team’s win against UMass last week. Though Washington only gave up three points against Weber State, the team only recorded one sack and did not force any turnovers. Creating extra possessions for the offense will be crucial this season, and forcing Snyder to make mistakes in this game could break this game open.
Prediction
While the talent gap is a lot closer between Washington and EMU than it was between Washington and Weber State last week, I still think the Huskies come away with a relatively easy win against the Eagles. I expect Washington’s offense to run much smoother than last weekend and I expect the Husky defense to cause a turnover or two while taking advantage of EMU’s subpar offensive line.
Spread: Washington is favored by 24.5 points
The Pick: Washington 38, Eastern Michigan 10
Week 2 Picks
Week 1 Record vs. the spread: 1-4
Week 1, straight up: 4-1
Week 2 reader guest picker: Charlie
No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan (Saturday at 9:00 a.m., Fox)
Even though Texas lost two interior lineman to the NFL Draft, I expect defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s unit to be ready to stop the run to help lead the Longhorns to a rare road victory in Ann Arbor.
The spread: Texas is favored by 7.5 points
The pick: Texas 28, Michigan 21
Charlie’s pick: Texas 34, Michigan 28
Baylor (1-0) at No. 11 Utah (1-0)(Saturday at 12:30 p.m., Fox)
Visitors rarely win at Rice-Eccles stadium. Since 2020, Utah has only lost two games at home, once to No. 20 USC in 2020 and another last year to No. 8 Oregon. I expect quarterback Cam Rising to have another big day for the Utes.
The spread: Utah is favored by 15 points.
The pick: Utah 34, Baylor 19
Charlie’s pick: Utah 24, Baylor 20
Colorado (1-0) at Nebraska (1-0)(Saturday at 4:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
It’s difficult for me to pick against two talents like Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, but the Buffaloes defense just gave up 26 points to North Dakota State and this is a rivalry home game for Nebraska. I have the Cornhuskers winning a close one.
The spread: Nebraska is favored by 7.5 points.
The pick: Nebraska 35, Colorado 31
Charlie’s pick: Colorado 31, Nebraska 30
Boise State (1-0) at No. 7 Oregon (1-0) (Saturday at 7 p.m., Peacock)
The Ducks had a wakeup call last week nearly falling to Idaho. It’s tempting to pick the upset here, but Oregon’s run defense should be able to limit Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. The Ducks only allowed 49 yards rushing in its win last weekend.
The spread: Oregon is favored by 19.5 points.
The pick: Oregon 42, Boise State 21
Charlie’s pick: Oregon 48, Boise State 21
Utah State at No. 13 USC (Saturday at 8 p.m., Big Ten Network)
After an impressive neutral-site win against LSU, the Trojans get the late-night kickoff game at home against Utah State. We’ll see the backups in for USC by the fourth quarter.
The spread: USC is favored by 28.5 points
The pick: USC 49, Utah State 20
Charlie’s pick: USC 52, Utah State 17
Hooooooweeeee! College football latsgo!