UW Huskies vs. No. 1 Ohio State: Keys to the game, how to watch and prediction
Here’s what to watch for when Washington (3-0) hosts No. 1 Ohio State (3-0) on Saturday at Husky Stadium in Seattle.
TV: CBS
Latest line (via ESPN Bet): Ohio State -8.5, Total 52.5
All-time series: Ohio State leads 9-3
UW key players
QB Demond Williams Jr.: 73.5% completions, 778 pass yards, 50 completions, 68 attempts, 6 pass TD, 34 carries, 220 rush yards, 2 rush TD
RB Jonah Coleman: 51 carries, 347 rush yards, 9 rush TD, 8 catches, 150 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
LB Deven Bryant: 16 tackles, 1 PBU
S Alex McLaughlin: 16 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 2 PBU
OSU key players
QB Julian Sayin: 78.9% completions, 779 yards, 56 completions, 71 attempts, 8 pass TD, 3 INT
WR Jeremiah Smith: 20 catches, 315 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD
LB Arvell Reese: 20 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 PBU
S Caleb Downs: 13 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT
Smith and Tate vs. Prysock and Davis
Ohio State arrives in Montlake, Washington, boasting one of the most productive wide receiver duos in the country. Sophomore wideout Jeremiah Smith was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection as a freshman, who earned some All-American consideration after finishing the 2024 season with 76 receptions, 1,315 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Smith has enjoyed a strong start to 2025. His 105 yards receiving per game ranks 11th nationally.
Junior wide receiver Carnell Tate is entering his second year as a starter with the Buckeyes. The 6-3, 195-pound Tate has played 31 games during his three seasons at Ohio State, making 82 catches for 1,216 yards and eight touchdowns across his career. His 73 receiving yards per game ranks 53rd in the country.
But UW does have some size outside to combat Smith and Tate’s physical frames. Senior cornerback duo Ephesians Prysock and Tacario Davis are both listed 6-4 and around 200 pounds on UW’s roster. They’ll be tasked with containing Smith and Tate, with some help over the top from post safety Makell Esteen.
Of course, Davis remains questionable after leaving UW’s 70-10 win against UC Davis with an apparent upper body injury and coach Jedd Fisch said Monday that the Arizona transfer is a game-time decision. But even if Davis plays, UW’s cornerbacks have a daunting challenge on their hands. The Huskies do not drop linebackers into coverage much, committing them to containing the run and asking their cornerbacks to hold up in man-to-man coverage.
Smith and Tate have not seen much man coverage this season according to Pro Football Focus. Smith has been targeted five times while facing man coverage, catching two passes for 15 yards and a touchdown. Tate caught one of his two targets for 13 yards and a touchdown against man coverage.
However, they have torched zone coverage this season. Smith tallied 300 yards and two touchdowns against zone defenses. He caught 18 of his 19 targets. Tate is a perfect 8 for 8 on his targets against zone schemes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Whatever the outcome, Saturday’s game will potentially feature two of the nation’s best receivers against two veteran cornerbacks playing a different defensive scheme outside that Ohio State has not seen much of in 2025.
Speeding up Sayin
When sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin steps onto the field Saturday, the Ohio State signal-caller will be making the first road start of his career – at a stadium where UW has a 22-game winning streak.
Sayin has been solid during his first three games as the Buckeye starter. Against No. 10 Texas during the first start of his career, Sayin was 13-for-20 passing for 126 yards and a touchdown, helping Ohio State eventually seal a 14-7 win. Since then, Sayin has put up consecutive 300-yard performances against outmatched competition, though he has also thrown three interceptions.
But Sayin faced only a limited amount of pressure during his short tenure as Ohio State’s starter. He has been pressured on just 17% of his dropbacks according to PFF, completing seven of his 12 pass attempts for 87 yards, a touchdown and throwing an interception.
UW’s defensive line is coming off its most effective pass-rushing game, though it was against an overmatched Washington State offensive line. Eleven different Huskies recorded pressures during the 117th Apple Cup according to PFF, and five tallied multiple pressures.
They were led by fifth-year edge rusher Zach Durfee, who accounted for 11 pressures – 10 hurries and a quarterback hit – on his own. His hit against WSU quarterback Zevi Eckhaus led directly to junior safety Alex McLaughlin’s first interception. Durfee and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters called Durfee’s performance against the Cougars his most disruptive game of the season.
“He plays fast,” Walters said. “He plays physical.
But getting pressure against Sayin is not so simple. Texas only managed five pressures, and no Ohio State offensive lineman has allowed more than four pressures through three games this season.
Additionally, Sayin has been good against blitzes according to PFF. He has been blitzed during 37.3% of his dropbacks, but has completed 19 of his 27 pass attempts for 237 yards and four touchdowns. Though he has also thrown two of his three interceptions when teams blitz.
Finding another target
The Huskies have leaned heavily on sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr., junior wide receiver Denzel Boston and senior running back Jonah Coleman through its first three games, especially after the collarbone injury suffered by sophomore wide receiver Rashid Williams.
Boston and Coleman each totaled at least 100 yards receiving during the Apple Cup. But against Ohio State, UW needs another receiver to step up to help diversify UW’s offense. Whether that is true freshmen Raiden Vines-Bright or Dezmen Roebuck. Or any of the trio of tight ends UW plays: sophomore Decker DeGraaf, seventh-year senior Quentin Moore or sophomore Kade Eldridge.
Fisch has repeatedly stated he is happy with the depth the team has at wide receiver, specifically. But Vines-Bright and Roebuck combined for one catch for 5 yards during the Apple Cup. No player outside Boston and Coleman had more than one reception. That might work against WSU, but Ohio State is a whole different matter.
The Buckeyes have allowed just 118.3 yards passing per game, sixth best in the country. If Ohio State only has to worry about Boston downfield, UW’s offense may be in for a long day despite its high-flying production to start the season.
Prediction
We’ll learn more about UW this week than we have during the previous three weeks combined. The Huskies took care of business during their nonconference schedule, beating all the outmatched teams in front of them by substantial margins, carried largely by a dominant offense.
Ohio State, which already enters with a quality win against Texas, is a completely different challenge. The reigning national champions have returning contributors at almost every position or high-impact transfers.
And while UW’s offense has not shown any signs of slowing down, a shaky first three quarters for the UW defense did not necessarily instill confidence that the Huskies can go shot for shot with the nation’s top team.
That being said, it will be an exciting game with lots of scoring and UW is certainly in a position to put forward a strong performance on a national platform.
Final score: Buckeyes 34, Huskies 27