Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

A year later, and the result is much more pleasing to the eye if you're a Washington Football fan. Instead of losing to FCS foe Montana, the Huskies took care of expected MAC power Kent State to the tune of 45 to 20 Saturday night at Husky Stadium, probably exceeding exceptions for many UW fans in general, but maybe coming up short in certain areas of the game if you asked other fans. And it's probably what you would expect for a typical week one game. 

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - burned the midnight oil and then some to offer their takes on Washington's win, starting first with the overall play of the revamped offense under new OC Ryan Grubb and led on the field by Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. Penix went 26-39 for 345 yards and four touchdowns in just a little more than three quarters of play.

Was Penix's night the best debut for a quarterback in UW history? We'd have to go back to really look at the statistics for the others, and if it isn't the best, it has to be right up there.

The rest of the podcast was a bit scattershot, but we go through the relevant team and individual stats, as well as some of the bigger highlights of the game, starting with Asa Turner's interception on the very first play of the 2022 season. Overall, Turner finished with two picks.

We also talk about the two early fourth down plays, the one that ended up being a 28-yard touchdown for Virginia transfer Wayne Taulapapa and one that looked like DeBoer was going to call off but Penix eventually snuck for a first down.

On the other side of the ball, the Washington front did a tremendous job limiting the effectiveness of Kent State's 'FlashFAST' offense, but could have done an even better job if they had been able to corral KSU QB Collin Schlee more than once.

In the end we give our final thoughts on the night and talk a little bit about the bigger picture for DeBoer and the Huskies moving forward, as well as talk about some of the recruits we saw on the sidelines. The big recruiting weekend coming up for Washington will be when they host Michigan State on the weekend of September 17.

Michael Penix Jr, Wayne Taulapapa, Rome Odunze, Alphonzo Tuputala, Asa Turner, and Washington Head Coach Kalen DeBoer spoke with the media after UW's 45-20 win over Kent State Saturday night at Husky Stadium.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - took one last time to give their pregame thoughts ahead of today's game one of the 2022 season between the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Washington Huskies.

In the first segment, they break down the offense, starting with the quarterbacks and running backs. Kim has a little different thought than the other two when it comes to leading the show on that side of the ball. Do you agree with him? They also talk about the revamped offensive line with Jaxson Kirkland having to sit out. Chris has a bit of a take on why Roger Rosengarten is starting at right tackle, and it may have something to do with who UW's quarterback is.

After a quick break, the talk turns to the defense, and they will have their hands full with Kent State's 'FlashFAST' offense, one that ran over 1050 plays last year and averaged more yards per play than Alabama. The Huskies will be unveiling a scheme that may look similar to the nickel defense run by Jimmy Lake and Bob Gregory last season, but they are going to go about their business in a different way.

They guys talk about the impact they expect transfer CB Jordan Perryman will make, as well as a new-look linebacking corps. Cam Bright has certainly made an impact, but Alphonzo Tuputala beating out Carson Bruener at MIK caught some off guard too.

After talking about the defensive line and the impressive group of edge players the Huskies will roll out tonight, the guys take another quick break before giving their final thoughts on the game and Scott also throws out a little bit of a recruiting update as UW targets their game versus Michigan State as their next big visit weekend.

And with 19 verbal commitments in the boat at the time of this airing, how many more commitments will the Huskies take? And are they keeping some in their back pocket for the transfer portal?

Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds spoke this week with Allen Moff, who is the main beat writer covering Kent State, to get his thoughts on the KSU-Washington game from the visitor's point of view.

Per the Record-Courier, the paper of record covering the city of Kent and Portage County in Ohio, "... Moff has served as the Record-Courier's Kent State athletics beat writer for nearly 15 years over two separate stints. Allen covered the Golden Flashes men's basketball team's historic run to the NCAA Tournament's Elite 8 in 2002, and returned to the beat just in time to cover the Kent State football team's appearances in the 2012 MAC Championship Game and GoDaddy.com Bowl."

The talk between Grinolds and Moff started out with Kent State's head coach, Sean Lewis, and how Lewis and his staff have re-energized the program, especially on offense. Will it be tough to keep Lewis if the Golden Flashes continue to succeed?

The two also talk about Kent State's schedule. Starting at Washington would be considered tough enough with the travel, but Oklahoma and Georgia loom quickly on the horizon.

Talk turns to Kent State's 'Flash Fast' offense, one that uses spread concepts but will be a run-first attack. Moff talks about the names to know, what the Golden Flashes do well, and also some concerns he has for them on that side of the ball.

After a quick break, the conversation moves over to the defensive side of the ball and Moff gives the lowdown on Kent State's moves that they've made to improve a defense that definitely struggled in 2021. They've brought in a new defensive coordinator, as well as some transfer personnel to mix in with a number of returning veterans.

Next, Moff gives his take on Kent State's special teams. How comfortable would the Golden Flashes be with a 40-yard field goal to win the game?

Finally, they talk about fans coming out to the game and how confident fans are about the season ahead, and what Kent State is capable of doing this weekend.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - gathered together to recap everything they heard from the Washington players and coaches ahead of their season opener versus Kent State Saturday night at Husky Stadium.

The first part of the podcast had to do with what we heard on Monday from UW Head Coach Kalen DeBoer and the coordinators, with some specific discussion regarding their decision to have no full-time position coaches in the booth from the defensive side of the ball. Some of that has to do with special teams, but it also mirrors what both Chuck Morrell and William Inge want to get done during the game. Ryan Grubb will be up in the booth calling plays for the offense.

After the first break, the talk goes to Tuesday's media availability. That meant some discussion from the players, including the first injured player we've ever been able to speak to during a game week, Edefuan Ulofoshio. He talked about what he's going to be doing on Saturday. Could he end up in the booth Saturday night? Also went in-depth on our conversation with left guard Nate Kalepo, who will be starting his first game ever in the Purple and Gold in a couple of days. And there was also some talk on another offensive lineman who will be making his first start too, right tackle Roger Rosengarten. Kim asked; who will end up grading higher after the game - Kalepo or Rosengarten?

After the final break, the discussion moved to the coaches that we spoke to on Wednesday - JaMarcus Shephard, Scott Huff, Inoke Breckterfield, Eric Schmidt, and Julius Brown. They talked about the new players that will be starting Saturday for them, trying to defend a potent Kent State offense, and a lot more - including what to make of seeing an 'OR' next to the starting punter. Will it be Kevin Ryan or Jack McCallister?

JaMarcus Shephard, Scott Huff, Inoke Breckterfield, Eric Schmidt, and Julius Brown spoke with the media Wednesday ahead of Saturday night's season opener between the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Washington Huskies.

Edefuan Ulofoshio, Cam Bright, Alphonzo Tuputala, and Jordan Perryman

Washington offensive players Troy Fautanu, Nate Kalepo, Roger Rosengarten, and Rome Odunze spoke to the media Tuesday ahead of their season opener versus Kent State.

Here is everything Ryan Grubb, Chuck Morrell, and Kalen DeBoer said Monday ahead of Washington's 2022 season opener versus Kent State.

The media met one last time with Washington Head Coach Kalen DeBoer one last time before the Huskies move into their full game-week preparations. The Huskies host Kent State on September 3rd, a week from Saturday. He talked about specific player updates, including Ulumoo Ale, and also about various position battles, notably at running back and linebacker, as well as the possibility of seeing some true freshmen playing this fall.

DeBoer also talked about the recruiting numbers for the upcoming 2023 signing class, whether or not he'll hold scholarships back specifically for the transfer portal, and more.