Huskies To Host Utah State In Week Two

Saturday, September 12

Seattle, Wash.

12:30 p.m. PT

University of Washington

Utah State

Tickets From $25 - $139

September 07, 2026 | Football

Full UW Notes (PDF)Gameday Central

THE GAME: The Washington football team, 1-0 following a 24-10 win over Washington State in the Boeing Apple Cup last Sunday, takes on Utah State this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT, at Husky Stadium. The game will air live on Big Ten Network. The Aggies, in their first season in the reconfigured Pac-12 Conference, opened their slate with a 29-17 loss to Idaho State Saturday. The UW-Utah State game is the second of four straight home games in September for the Huskies, who will play host to Eastern Washington on Sept. 19 before welcoming Minnesota for the Big Ten opener on Sept. 26. New polls won't come out until Tuesday this week, but UW was ranked No. 17 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25, and No. 19 in the preseason USA Today coaches poll.

QUICK HITTERS: Washington will open the season with four straight home games for the first time since 2022 and just the second time since 1976 … all four games will be played in September ... in '22, UW played host to Kent State, Michigan State, Portland State and Stanford to begin the year, followed by a September game on the road, Sept. 30 at UCLA … in '76, the Huskies opened with Virginia, Colorado, Indiana and Minnesota, but seasons started later in those days, and that Minnesota game was played on Oct. 2 … four straight home games to begin the season was relatively commonplace a century ago … in the 2026 season opener, UW held Washington State to no successful third-down conversion attempts, in 11 tries (WSU did convert its lone fourth-down attempt) ... the last time a Husky opponent failed to convert a single third-down conversion in a game was in the Huskies' memorable, 16-13 win over USC in 2009 ... Washington started four first-year players in the WSU game, three on defense (edge Ramzak Fruean, defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa and nickelback Jeron Jones) and one on offense (left tackle Kodi Greene) ... UW QB Demond Williams surpassed 5,000 career yards of total offense vs. WSU and finished the game with 5,231 yards ... he needs just 17 more yards to reach the UW's career top-10 list ... Williams also currently has 954 career rushing yards, just 46 shy of 1,000. Only two Husky QBs have rushed for 1,000 career yards: Jake Locker (1,939) and Marques Tuiasosopo (1,495).

TELEVISION: The UW-Utah State game will air on Big Ten Network, with A.J. Kanell, Marcel Reece and Alyssa Charlston on the call. For more on how to watch online, go to https://bigten.org/btn/watch-live/.

RADIO: All Washington football games will air on the Washington Sports Network from Learfield, with Elise Woodward (play by play), former Husky tight end Cameron Cleeland (analyst), and Dave Mahler (sidelines) on the call. Radio coverage begins four hours before kickoff on the network's flagship station – Seattle's SportsRadio KJR 93.3 FM – with "Husky Gameday" live from The Zone for Husky home games. Statewide coverage on the 17-station Washington Sports Network begins two hours before kickoff. The entire broadcast is available worldwide on the Huskies Gameday mobile app and the Varsity app. The UW broadcast of this game will also air on Sirius/XM channel 83.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS: Washington's football players have continued to perform at the highest academic levels, as the program continues to post impressive cumulative team GPAs. Last school year (2024-25), the UW football team achieved a team grade-point average of 3.31 in both the fall and winter quarters, and then wrapped up the year with a 3.27 in the spring quarter. In the spring quarter, a whopping 31 members of the UW roster earned a place on the Dean's List, and 49 of the players on the 2026 roster were on the Dean's List at least once in 2025-26 (most of them multiple times): Deji Ajose, Xe'ree Alexander, Buddah Al-Uqdah, Aiden Anderson, Dash Beierly, Elijah Brown, Jace Burton, Quaid Carr, D'Aryhian Clemons, Derek Colman-Brusa, Lowen Colman-Brusa, Charlie Crowell, Parker Cross, Decker DeGraaf, Kolt Dieterich, Luke Dunne, Kade Eldridge, Soane Faasolo, Jake Flores, Hunter Green, Kayden Greene, Kodi Greene, Landen Hatchett, Devin Hyde, Justin Hylkema, Ksani Jiles, Jacob Lane, Jayden Limar, Jacob Manu, Kai McClendon, Hunter McKee, Julian McMahan, Bodpegn Miller, John Mills, Ryken Moon, Hayden Moore, Baron Naone, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, Donovan Robinson, Dylan Robinson, Tyler Robles, Victor Sanchez Hernandez, Champ Taulealea, Sam Vyhlidal, Beck Walker, C.J. Wallace, Isaiah Ward, Jordan Washington, and DeSean Watts.

IN THE CFP ERA: The era of the four-team College Football Playoff is gone, but that 10-season stretch (2014-2023) is instructive in terms of illustrating the teams that operated at the top level of the sport during that timespan, and Washington is one of those teams. Over that 10-year stretch, only 15 different programs earned a berth in the CFP semifinals, and only eight reached the tournament more than once. With two CPF berths in the four-team era (2016 and 2023), Washington is one of those eight. Only six teams made more than two appearances: Alabama (8), Clemson (6), Ohio State (5), Oklahoma (4), Georgia (3) and Michigan (3). For what it's worth, six more teams made their CFP debut in the 12-team bracket in 2024, and another five were first-time selections in 2025, but UW remains one of just 11 teams to have appeared in the CFP more than once, when counting the latest data.

B1G TIME: As has been well documented over the last couple of years, Washington officially joined the Big Ten Conference ahead of the 2024-25 school year, effective on Aug. 2, 2024. The Huskies were joined be fellow former Pac-12 programs Oregon, UCLA and USC in making the move to the B1G, which now includes 18 schools. Washington was one of four founding members of the Pacific Coast Conference (along with Cal, Oregon and Oregon State), and, along with Cal, was one of just two teams that were a part of that league (which changed names to the AAWU, Pac-8, Pac-10 and Pac-12) for the entirety of its full-fledged existence from 1915 to 2024.

HOME vs. NON-CONFERENCE: Washington has been very tough to beat in home, non-conference games over the last several decades. Going back to the 1981 season, the Huskies have posted an 82-14 record against nonconference foes at home. Those 14 losses have come to Montana (2021), Nebraska (2010), LSU (2009), BYU (2008), Oklahoma (2008), Ohio State (2007), Notre Dame (2005), Fresno State (2004), Nevada (2003), Air Force (1999), Nebraska (1997), Notre Dame (1995), Colorado (1989) and Oklahoma State (1985). Notable wins during that stretch include victories over No. 11 Michigan State in 2022, No. 19 Boise State in 2013, No. 22 Boise State in 2007, No. 11 Michigan in 2001, No. 4 Miami in 2000, and No. 12 Nebraska in 1992. Prior to the 2004 loss to Nevada, Washington hadn't lost a home game to a non-league opponent since falling to Air Force, 31-21, on September 18, 1999. The Huskies had won 10 such games before that Nevada loss. UW had a 20-game home, non-conference win streak broken in 2021, but have won 11 in a row since that loss.

CAPTAINS: The following players have been named captains for the 2026 season: Drew Azzopardi, Elinneus Davis, Landen Hatchett, Jacob Manu, Alex McLaughlin, John Mills and Demond Williams Jr. Hatchett and Williams were also captains in 2025.

FUTURE SCHEDULES: In October, 2023, the Big Ten revealed 18 football teams' home and away, conference opponents for the next for the following five seasons (2024-28). Here are the UW's home and road, Big Ten games, for the coming two years:

2027: home – Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, USC
road – Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers
2028: home – Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, Wisconsin
road – Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon

HUSKIES vs. AGGIES HISTORY: Washington's history vs. Utah State on the gridiron is limited to just three games, but the history between the two goes back well over a century. Washington is 3-0 all-time vs. the Aggies, with wins in 1904, 1994 and 2015. Here's a look at those three contests:

October 22, 1904 – Washington 45, Utah Agricultural College 0
Washington took on the Aggies at Madison Park in Seattle on Oct. 22, 1904, led by stars Dode Brinker, Hunky Shaw and Fred McElmon, but without leader Enoch Bagshaw, the future UW coach, who was injured in a game vs. Oregon State the previous week. UW was coached by James Knight, the former Princeton and Michigan player, in his third year in Seattle, while the 2-1 Aggies were led by former Harvard player George Campbell. Shaw, who would appear in one game for the Pittsburgh Pirates of 1908, scored three touchdowns and McElmon added two more as Washington rolled to a 45-0 win. That margin was considered surprising as the Utah State squad had a significant size advantage over the Seattleites.

October 10, 1998 – Washington 53, Utah State 12
The Huskies and Aggies met for the first time in modern history in the middle of the 1998 season. Washington rolled to a 53-12 victory at Husky Stadium in a game that featured a number of unusual stats. The Huskies led 22-0 after one quarter, 39-0 at half and were up 53-0 before Utah State scored 12 points in the final quarter. The Huskies were only 1-for-10 on third down and leading rusher Jason Harris rushed for just 52 yards in the win, while QB Marques Tuiasosopo was only 11-for-21 for 194 yards. But, the Huskies sacked USU quarterbacks 13 times, the Aggies fumbled eight times (losing four) and also committed 19 penalties for 159 yards. Utah State also led the time of possession by nearly 13 minutes (36:24 to 23:36). Harris, Tuiasosopo and Willie Hurst scored two rushing TDs each and Joe Jarzynka kicked a pair of field goals.

September 19, 2015 – Washington 31, Utah State 17
The most recent of the three UW-USU games came in week three of the 2015 season, as freshman QB Jake Browning and the Huskies won, 31-17, in a game that was close until the Huskies scored a pair of TDs in the third quarter. An 81-yard passing TD from Browning to running back Dwayne Washington was the highlight of the first half, as UW went into halftime up 17-10. But UW pulled away in the third as Browning connected with Washington on a 33-yard score and hit tight end Drew Sample with a three-yard touchdown pass. Utah State narrowed the gap in the fourth on a 96-yard fumble return from Jon Rocquemore. Browning finished 23-for-31 for 368 yards and three TDs.

HUSKIES vs. THE NEW PAC-12: Washington has played all but one of the eight football programs that form the new Pac-12 Conference for the 2026 football season. Of course, Washington and Oregon State were both early members of the old Pacific Coast Conference, and Washington's rivalries with OSU and Washington State date back to 1897 and 1900, respectively. But the Huskies have also played games (multiple games, in all but one case) against all of the other Pac-12 teams besides Texas State. Washington is 5-2 vs. Boise State; 1-0 vs. Colorado State; 3-1 vs. Fresno State, 69-25-4 vs. Oregon State; 3-0 vs. San Diego State; 3-0 vs. Utah State; and 78-34-6 vs. Washington State. All totaled, the Huskies have posted an all-time record of 162-62-10 vs. current Pac-12 football teams. As a side note, and not included in the above total, UW was also 3-0 vs. new Pac-12 (non-football) member Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs haven't had varsity football since the start of World War II.

ALASKA AIRLINES FIELD AT HUSKY STADIUM: The Oregon game on Nov. 5, 2011, marked the final game in Husky Stadium prior to major renovations that were completed in summer, 2013. The Huskies re-opened their home field with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2026 season marks the 106th season of play in Husky Stadium. Original construction on the facility was completed in 1920 when Washington played one game in the new campus facility. UW's all-time record in Husky Stadium stands at 423-187-21 (.687). Washington is 69-18 (.793) in home games since the stadium re-opened in 2013.