If the Washington players wanted to spend a little extra time savoring their victory over rival Washington State last Saturday, Huskies coach Jedd Fisch quickly dismissed their intentions.
“We put the Apple Cup to rest yesterday,” he said Monday of his team’s 59-24 victory.
That’s because the Huskies (3-0) will host No. 1 Ohio State (3-0) on Saturday afternoon in Seattle in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
“They’re very disciplined. They know their assignments,” Fisch said. “It’s Ohio State; they’re always going to have a great defense. They’re always going to have a great offense and a great kicking game. That’s why they win as much as they win.
“Our game is the game that everyone will tune in on. What else do you need to know? What else do you need to do?”
Washington will be challenged going against an Ohio State offense that features receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, who have combined for 32 catches for 534 yards and six touchdowns this season.
Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin has thrown for 779 yards and eight TDs, with three interceptions.
Fisch said Huskies linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah will not play after sustaining a left knee injury against Washington State, and cornerback Tacario Davis is questionable following an upper-body injury suffered in a 70-10 rout of UC Davis on Sept. 6.
Saturday’s game will match Ohio State’s defense — which is tied with BYU for the average fewest points allowed (5.3) in the nation — vs. the Washington offense, which is second in points (55.7).
Huskies running back Jonah Coleman leads the country with nine rushing touchdowns while the Buckeyes are one four teams (Florida State, Minnesota and Penn State are the others) that haven’t allowed a rushing TD.
“He’s a really good back,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said of Coleman. “This is somebody who runs really physical, runs really hard, has really good vision. Can catch the ball out of the backfield.”
The Buckeyes also must contend with dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who passed for 298 yards, rushed for 88 and accounted for five touchdowns (four passing and one rushing) against Washington State.
Day compared him to Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray.
“He’s a tremendous talent, and it’s going to be a good challenge for our team,” Day said of Williams.
This will be the Buckeyes’ first road game of the season after wins against then-No. 1 Texas (14-7 score) in the opener, Grambling State (70-0) and Ohio (37-9).
Ohio State did not play last weekend.
“We know this is going to be a great challenge, being on the road, a very good team,” Day said. “For these guys, this group, it will be our first time on the road. Whatever we’ve done in the first three games means absolutely nothing going into this game. We’ve got to go on the road and get this win.
“We’re expecting a great environment, and that’s what’s a great part about being on the road, you get to go into these environments and you get a feel for what it’s like.”
Washington has won 22 games in a row at home, the second-longest streak in the country behind Georgia’s 34.
“We’re going to continue to do the best we can to keep the streak going, but we’ve got the No. 1 team in the country here,” Fisch said. “So we have to make sure that we are ready for what will be an absolute challenge, to say the least.”
