2018 Washington Football Auburn opener punctuates solid season
By Bret Stuter
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Husky Defense versus Tiger offense
The Washington Football team has tremendous pride in their defense, and they have their hands filled with the Auburn ball control offense in Tiger friendly stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Still, this is a defense which will benefit from the return of cornerbacks Byron Murphy and Jordan Miller. And its the energy of a healthy defense which will be responsible for grounding the aerial assault of the Tigers. It’s a good matchup of strength, as the Huskies defense accounted for 15 interceptions to just 10 touchdown passes in 2017.
The true threat to the Washington defense will be facing an as-of-yet unknown to the Auburn running game. While the Huskies attempt to reload the front seven with three new starters, the Tigers will be doing the same for their offensive line. So the wildcard is the Auburn Tiger running back.
Look to see plenty of Asa Martin
And they have a pretty good one coming aboard in 2018
While not even the Tigers know who that starting runner will be, I cannot ignore the belief that the role is up to Asa Martin to lose, despite being an incoming freshman. At 6-foot-0 and 200 pounds, Martin will no doubt bring both speed and power to the backfield. He has solid burst speed, and does not try to juke defenders. Instead, he vectors the best angle towards the end zone, and relies upon his speed and power to shed would-be tacklers. While I don’t look for the Washington defense to pitch a shut out on an unfriendly field, I do see the Huskies holding the Tigers to under 20 points. The only problem is, can Washington score more points?