What to watch when Washington Huskies hosts Eastern Washington

by · The Seattle Times

Washington (2-0) vs. Eastern Washington (1-2)

Kickoff: 4:15 p.m. Saturday

Where: Husky Stadium

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: SportsRadio 93.3-FM KJR

All-time series: Washington leads 3-0; Most recent meeting: 47-14 UW win on Aug. 31, 2019

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UW key players

QB Demond Williams Jr.: 65.8% completions, 517 pass yards, 50 completions, 76 attempts, 1 pass TD, 18 carries, 130 rush yards, 1 rush TD

WR Dezmen Roebuck: 14 catches, 100 receiving yards

S Alex McLaughlin: 15 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INT, 2 PBU

DT Derek Colman-Brusa: 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU

EWU key players

QB Nate Bell: 63.8% completions, 781 pass yards, 74 completions, 116 attempts, 6 pass TD, 2 INT, 40 carries, 159 rush yards, 4 rush TD

WR Wesley Garrett: 17 catches, 223 receiving yards, 2 receiving TD

LB Myles Mayovsky: 33 tackles, 1 TFL, 

S Jaylon Jenkins: 14 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBU

Containing Bell

Through two games this season, UW’s defense has faced two teams who were more than willing to utilize their quarterback’s legs. Washington State’s Caden Pinnick registered 61 yards rushing, a team-high mark, on 14 carries in the Apple Cup, while Grady Brosterhous was almost single-handedly responsible for Utah State’s run game last week, totaling 81 yards rushing on 21 attempts.

Washington will face another mobile quarterback in Eastern Washington’s Nate Bell, a 2025 All-Big Sky honorable mention. The 5-foot-10, 194-pound signal caller has tallied 159 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the ground. He had 94 yards rushing and three touchdowns to compliment 257 yards passing against Northern Iowa on Sept. 5 to earn Big Sky offensive player of the week honors. 

But yards rushing includes opposing sacks. Not counting his sack yardage and attempts, Bell has gained 194 yards on 33 carries, averaging 5.88 yards per carry. Bell is EWU’s leading rusher, having 48 net yards rushing more thanrunning back Malik Dotson. 

UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said his defense has been satisfactory against mobile quarterbacks this season. He admitted Pinnick ran the ball better against the Huskies than they’d anticipated, and said Brosterhous’ running ability on third down, in particular, was more effective than UW might’ve liked. 

“That’ll definitely be part of the emphasis going into this weekend,” Walters said Tuesday. 

Hungry secondaries

Washington’s offense has had one positive trait through two games. The Huskies, and particularly quarterback Demond Williams Jr., haven’t put the ball in danger. Williams has committed only one turnover-worthy play in 2026, according to Pro Football Focus — the botched pitch play to running back Trey Cooley against WSU, which hit Cooley in the hands but resulted in a fumble. 

Williams has an adjusted completion percentage, a stat that measures the percentage of throws on target, of 77.1% through two games. Outside of his three-interception game against Michigan in 2025, Williams has thrown just six picks across his other 27 games.

Against Eastern Washington, Williams will face a defense that thrived on interceptions in 2025. The Eagles tallied 15 interceptions a year ago, ranking No. 7 in the FCS. Safety Jaylon Jenkins, a 2025 first-team All-Big Sky selection, had five, while cornerback Ambrose Marsh snagged two. 

EWU’s secondary picked up where it left off to start 2026. The Eagles have three interceptions through three games. Jenkins and Marsh each have one, while nickel Bryce Smith grabbed his first career interception during a 41-23 loss on the road against South Dakota on Sept. 12. 

But Washington’s secondary has enjoyed an even stronger start. They Huskies are the only Power Four team with five interceptions this season, tied with Colorado State, New Mexico and North Dakota State as the No. 1 team nationally in passes intercepted. Safety Alex McLaughlin has two, while defensive backs Dylan Robinson, Jeron Jones and Rahshawn Clark each have one. 

Past scares

Despite their relatively close geographical proximity, Saturday’s game will only be the fourth meeting between UW and EWU. And while their most recent matchup was a convincing 47-14 Husky win in 2019 — led by a 349-yard, four-touchdown passing performance from quarterback Jacob Eason — their first two meetings were considerably closer. 

Washington and Eastern Washington met for the first time during the 2011 season opener. The Huskies led 30-20 entering the fourth quarter, but an EWU touchdown with 3:50 remaining pulled the Eagles within a score. Eastern Washington, the reigning FCS national champions, got the ball back with 1:17 remaining, and quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell drove the Eagles down to the UW 25-yard line. 

However, Mitchell’s end zone shot with 29 seconds remaining was intercepted by Desmond Trufant, sealing the 30-27 win for Washington and coach Steve Sarkisian. Mitchell, who was 39-for-69 passing for 473 yards, still owns the record for most passes attempted by an opposing quarterback against UW.  

EWU gave UW another scare in 2014. Led by quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and coming off a Big Sky championship, the Eagles engaged the Huskies — in coach Chris Petersen’s second game — in a 59-52 shootout. Their 111 combined points is the third-highest total in UW program history. 

The Huskies jumped out to an early 21-0 lead, but Adams and the Eagles responded quickly. The two teams combined for 38 points in the first quarter. A Cooper Kupp touchdown gave EWU its first lead of the game in the third quarter, but a pair of Cyler Miles rushing scores in the fourth quarter eventually secured a victory for the Huskies. 

Adams passed for 475 yards and seven touchdowns, the most ever allowed in a single game by UW. Kupp had three touchdowns, and Kendrick Bourne added two more. Both recorded more than 100 yards receiving. Washington, meanwhile, had eight different players take at least one carry and tallied seven touchdowns rushing.  

Andy Yamashita’s prediction:

While Eastern Washington has certainly given Washington more than its fair share of heart palpitations, the Huskies will expect to beat the Eagles in a fairly straightforward manner Saturday. Coach Jedd Fisch has won comfortably against both FCS opponents he’s faced during his time in Seattle, including a 70-10 win against UC Davis in 2025. 

Of course, UW was supposed to handle Washington State and Utah State in a similar manner, and instead struggled to impose itself. And Washington’s 2021 upset loss against FCS Montana rightfully continues to live long in the memory of the Husky faithful. So while this game won’t be as close as some past UW-EWU matchups, the Huskies haven’t proven enough on offense to believe this game will be a complete blowout. 

Prediction: Huskies 31, Eagles 10