Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

Our game preview on both sides of the ball, as well as the key factors expected to play a role in the eventual outcome of today's game between Boise State and Washington.

Jack McCauley and Luke Mounger break down their keys on both sides of the ball when looking at Washington's weekend opponent.

Lee Marks, Scott Huff, Inoke Breckterfield, Eric Schmidt, and William Inge speak to the media as the Huskies continue to prepare to host Boise State this Saturday at Husky Stadium. 

Michael Penix Jr., Dillon Johnson, Nate Kalepo, Parker Brailsford, Edefuan Ulofoshio, and Jabbar Muhammad talk about their season opener versus Boise State, to be played Saturday afternoon at Husky Stadium. 

The full audio of Washington's Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, and Head Coach as they spoke to the press ahead of UW's Saturday game versus the Boise State Broncos at Husky Stadium. 

The Dawgman.com interns - Jack McCauley and Intern Emeritus Luke Mounger - finish out their season position preview series by tackling the secondary.

They start out with the newest additions - Oklahoma State transfer CB Jabbar Muhammad and juco cornerback Thaddeus Dixon - and how they slot in to the competition that has been brewing since the end of the 2022 season.

Muhammad and Dixon are competing with existing cornerbacks Elijah Jackson, Jaivion Green, and Davon Banks. Who is standing out? Who do Jack and Luke think will end up standing out from the crowd?

The guys also take a quick look at the future depth at corner, with a nod to Darren Barkins, Caleb Presley, Leroy Bryant, and Curley Reed. And Jack thinks one of that group might make an early jump in 2023 if needed.

Before they move to the safeties, Jack and Luke take a gander at the Husky position, a nickel-style back that the UW defensive coaches like as a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker. Mishael Powell, Tristan Dunn, and Kamren Fabiculanan are the main players talked about here.

Moving to safety, the first names on the team sheet are Asa Turner and Dominique Hampton, and Jack and Luke break down what they think those two players need to do this fall in order to take that next step in their development.

They also break down the safety depth behind the veterans - Makell Esteen and Vincent Nunley - as well as the idea that both Fabiculanan and Dunn can help out at both safety and Husky when needed.

Jack and Luke finish out this preview pod by taking a look at the secondary as a complete group between the three positions and their role within the defense as a whole.

The Dawgman.com interns - Jack McCauley and Intern Emeritus Luke Mounger - roll through the rest of their position group previews by combining two more rooms into one podcast.

After breaking down Washington's defensive line group, the interns got after it with the EDGE and Inside Linebacker rooms.

To start, they analyze the UW EDGE players, starting with their stars - Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui - as well as Sekai Asoau-Afoa, Maurice Heims, Zach Durfee, Lance Holtzclaw, Anthony James, and Jacob Lane, as well as veteran Voi Tunuufi, who made the move from the defensive line room.

Who will the Huskies lean on after Brice and ZTF? And how will their skill sets complement each other? And how will the walk-ons, starting with Milton Hopkins, make their presence known?

After a quick break the guys then move inside to talk about the players responsible for handling the next level of the defense - the inside linebackers. This group has seen a bit of a personnel shift, as Cam Bright, Kristopher Moll, Demario King, Daniel Heimuli, and a handful of walk-ons are all gone; Ralen Goforth was brought in from USC, as well as true freshmen Deven Bryant, Jordan Whitney, and a couple of new walk-ons to help fill in the gaps.

So is it a matter of addition by subtraction? Will having Edefuan Ulofoshio from the beginning of the year show itself in a way it couldn't last season? And will Alphonzo Tuputala continue to develop on the field considering all the physical changes he's made in the weight room?

And will a player like Goforth reach his potential in a new environment after a mixed career with the Trojans? And will a stalwart like Carson Bruener be the perfect foil for Goforth? Will they be the pair behind Ulofoshio and Tuputala the Huskies can count on for quality depth that they couldn't in 2022?

Jack and Luke finish out this preview pod by taking a look at the other scholarship players that make up the linebackers room, as well as the quality walk-ons like Drew Fowler, Austin Harnetiaux, and others.

The Dawgman.com interns - Jack McCauley and Intern Emeritus Luke Mounger - begin to roll through the rest of their position group previews by hitting the first of three podcasts highlighting the defensive side of the ball.

Today, they're talking about the defensive line, and specifically the two interior linemen set in UW's standard nickel base scheme. They begin their analysis with a look at Washington's expected DL starters, Tuli Letuligasenoa and Ulumoo Ale, and then move to their expected backups, Faatui Tuitele and Jacob Bandes.

To finish up the podcast, the guys talk about expectations - especially now that everyone returns in a system making a jump from year one to year two. Do they think the Washington defensive line could end up being one of the best in the conference? And could the Huskies get some valuable play from the Michigan twins, Armon and Jayvon Parker to help supplement the experienced players in the two-deeps?

The Dawgman.com interns - Jack McCauley and Intern Emeritus Luke Mounger - roll through the rest of their offensive position group previews by combining three rooms into one podcast.

First they start with the quarterbacks and obviously spend a bunch of time talking about Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Penix Jr. After a quick break they work their way into the tight ends room, where they focus their time by breaking down what they expect to see from Devin Culp, Jack Westover, Quentin Moore, Ryan Otton, and Josh Cuevas.

After another quick break, Jack and Luke finish the podcast off talking about the offensive line room. Going from left tackle to right tackle, they give their thoughts on each specific position with a focus first on the expected starters: Troy Fautanu, Julius Buelow, Matteo Mele, Nate Kalepo, and Roger Rosengarten.

NOTE: This podcast was recorded before the official news of Gaard Memmelaar's season-ending injury.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - were at Husky Stadium today to watch their eighth and final practice of fall camp. And with it being Day 17 overall of fall camp, things are definitely winding down.

With 10 days until UW lines up against Boise State on September 2, it's now all about fine-tuning and winnowing down the options on both sides of the ball and special teams to get to what will give them the best chance to beat the Broncos.

To that end, there were a lot of scout team periods, working on details during individual periods, and thud tempo with no tackling allowed during a practice that saw the Huskies in shoulder pads and shorts.

With the news that Cameron Davis and Gaard Memmelaar are missing 2023 with season-ending injuries, it was good to see a couple of other players who hadn't been at practice for a while - Tybo Rogers and Diesel Gordon - were back and practicing with the team.

The Dawgman guys focused on the nature of practice, how it felt like it was more focus than fire compared to previous practices, and especially what the Huskies are going to do at the running back position.

They also broke down how the reserve offensive line looked with Memmelaar now out, and also what some of the defensive players and coaches said after the practice. Elijah Jackson has landed the other cornerback spot opposite Jabbar Muhammad, and Sekai Asoau-Afoa has been getting looks with the number one EDGE unit along with Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui.

They also spoke with Special Teams Coordinator Eric Schmidt, who gave a full breakdown on the kicking battle between Grady Gross and Addison Shrock, as well as who would line up at punt and kick return now that Giles Jackson has been limited and Cameron Davis is no longer available.

The guys then give their final thoughts and there's also some more talk about Jen Cohen's move to USC and also a frustrating end to Washington's European Hoops trip.