3 Husky Position Battles to Watch for the Tulsa Game

We size up the competition and predict outcomes for starters.

Mystery always surrounds the University of Washington football team during game week with Kalen DeBoer's staff devising all sorts of diabolical offensive plays, plus trying to figure out ways to increase the defensive pressure on the next team up.

What's different this week is the Huskies (1-0) could have up to three new starters when they take the field on Saturday to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-0).

While this is always a situation handled tactfully, so not to give up on a player too soon and hurt someone's confidence level, DeBoer and his coaches stress how they still want to reward increased performance. The game and practice video simply doesn't lie. Yet this is mostly about which order these guys join the huddle.

"We're going to need them all," DeBoer said.

That said, the Huskies could shuffle the starters at running back, cornerback and left offensive tackle, while still using everyone in the upcoming game against their visitors from Oklahoma. Following are the ongoing position battles to keep an eye on:

Elijah Jackson vs. Davon Banks

Coming off the bench, Banks was one of the break-out players in the UW's 56-19 victory over Boise State, supplying four pass break-ups — the most over the past five seasons by a Husky defensive back — and just missing on an interception while Jackson seemed to struggle a bit at times, drawing a pair of pass-interference penalties.

"I thought Davon, I don't know if he stole show, but he got those pass break-ups and played real well and it's obviously something we're excited about," DeBoer said. "But again, there's a lot of things Elijah did really well, too, and there's things we could have done to help him out a little bit better where it looks a little bit rough on his end for a play or two."

Both sophomores, Jackson and Banks each were two-game starters in 2022, dealing with injuries and inexperience. At 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds, Jackson is slightly the bigger of the two by two inches and seven pounds.

Outcome: We think the UW staff will hang with Jackson as the starter to enable him to get more comfortable, with Banks rotating in fairly quickly, just as they did in the opener.

Dillon Johnson vs. Will Nixon

Nixon, the former Nebraska wide receiver, came off the bench against Boise State and broke 14- and 21-yard runs in his six carries, while Johnson, the Mississippi State transfer, started but didn't seem to have the same burst he displayed in spring ball, when he was sandwiched in between a pair of minor knee surgeries, and he twice was pulled down by solo tacklers in the open field. 

At 5-foot-11 and 202 pounds, a more filled-out Nixon continues to progress and appears ready for a more prominent role as a sophomore. Johnson, a 6-foot, 218-pound junior, is just going to need more time to feel comfortable in his new surroundings and 100 percent healthy again.

"We're still trying to find out who the leader is in that room and who's supposed to be the guy," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. "I thought Will took a big step forward."

Outcome: Nixon has worked hard to put himself in position to be the No. 1 guy and we think he'll get rewarded with a start against Tulsa.

Nate Kalepo vs. Julius Buelow

These guys spent most of the spring and the fall as the No. 1 guards but, with the rapid emergence of redshirt freshman Parker Brailsford as the starter on the right side, they're neck-and-neck competitors on the left side. The 6-foot-6, 318-pound Kalepo drew the start against Boise State, but the 6-foot-9, 313-pound Buelow played more snaps. These juniors are so close neither player can afford to take any plays off leading up to Saturday's game.

"I think there's things that both of them did that boosted their case; I don't think anybody hurt their case," Grubb said. "I think both played real well. Again, practice matters."

Outcome: We think Kalepo and Buelow will stay put in the order in which they were used against Boise State and share the position once more. 

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