Washington State 2025 Spring Opponent Outlook: Washington Huskies

Oct 12, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) takes a direct snap against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The 2025 slate features a handful of never-seen-before matchups for the Cougars. In Week 4, though, a very familiar foe will swing by to pay a visit. While fans in the Pacific Northwest are still getting used to a September Apple Cup, the stakes will be the same when Washington comes to town on September 20. After toppling the Huskies last year in Seattle, the Cougs are gunning for their second straight over their rivals. What will UW have up its sleeve in the 117th meeting?

Offense

The Will Rogers show has come to an end for the Huskies and now it will be Demond Williams Jr. taking the snaps for the offense. Williams, who served as Rodgers' backup in 2024 as a freshman, appeared in every game last year and started the final two. He threw for 944 yards and accounted for 10 scores. Now as the bonafide starter moving forward, though, Williams seems poised for a breakout sophomore campaign with that experience behind him and the Cougars defense will surely have its hands full with #2.

Denzel Boston will still be around catching passes and that'll be big for Williams. Boston was second on the team with 834 yards and nine TDs last year behind only Giles Jackson and Jackson is gone now. The bulk of the carries on the ground should go to another returner in Jonah Coleman. Coleman rushed for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and was one of the top running backs in the Big Ten. Offensively, UW should be in pretty solid shape heading into 2025. On the other side, however, things will look quite a bit different.

Defense

Much like Washington State's own defense, however, UW's unit will be made up largely of incoming transfers. Big names like Carson Bruener and Isaiah Ward are no longer around and a crop of fresh faces will be looking to take the torch. Of those fresh faces, perhaps the most notable to Cougs fans will be that of linebacker Taariq "Buddah" Al-Uqdah. After spending three seasons in Pullman and establishing himself as somewhat of a household name, Al-Uqdah crossed enemy lines and is expected to be a starter for the Huskies this season.

Al-Uqdah, though, is just one of several transfers for Washington's D. Fellow linebacker Xe'ree Alexander came over from UCF while nose tackle Simote Pepa joins from Utah. Strong safety Alex McLaughlin jumped up from FCS Northern Arizona and is expected to play a big role for the Huskies' secondary as well.

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