Washington Huskies’ week 3 opponent goes scorched earth in season opener

Week three of the 2024 Washington Huskies football season is going to be a pretty interesting matchup. It’s a neutral site game at Lumen Field in Seattle and it’s against a team that is probably pretty upset with the Washington Huskies. 

And if their week one game against Portland State was any indicator, the Washington State Cougars have found a way to score points by the dozen. The Cougars definitely looked solid in their season opener and flexed their muscles a bit in a dominant 40-point victory over Portland State. 

Unsurprisingly, given the way the Washington State offense is assembled, the Cougars managed to rack up 413 yards through the air. They threw six touchdowns against Portland State. And yes, I get that Portland State is an FCS team, but that sort of prolific passing attack is interesting to see. 

Also, it’s worth keeping an eye on that passing attack and becoming familiar with it. Because in a couple weeks, we’re going to see it up close and personal when the Cougars meet up with the Washington Huskies for the Apple Cup.

Washington Huskies football: Washington State, Huskies' week 3 opponent, demonstrates offensive firepower vs. Portland State 

Another quick note about that passing attack, it was built on deep passes with plenty of explosive plays. Wazzu quarterback John Mateer completed 11 of 17 pass attempts for a remarkable 352 yards and five touchdowns. 

That’s noteworthy. 

But, what is also noteworthy is the way that Washington State also gave up 30 points to an FCS program. Sure, they won 70-30, but it’s probably not a great thing for Wazzu’s defense to get gashed for 30 points in a contest against a team they should be drastically more talented than.

There’s a nonzero chance that we see the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars get into a shootout in a few weeks. And I’m very interested in that.