Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds in Lincoln, Neb. and Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund in Seattle - got together after Washington's 17-10 Halloween night win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. It looked pretty dire for the offense for more than three quarters, but then Demond Williams came in to help save the day. And then Alex McLaughlin finished the job with a 48-yard pick-six to seal the win, the first time Jedd Fisch has won back-to-back Big Ten road games as Washington's head coach.

Kim talked about the atmosphere, from pregame to the noise during the game that led to so many false starts, to the field being pelted once Washington took the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Chris and Scott talked about what they saw on the night, the good and the bad - and there was plenty of bad to go around when not talking about the defense or punter Hunter Green - but ultimately what does this win do for the 5-3 Huskies with one more win to get them to bowl eligibility?

And is there now a quarterback controversy between Williams and Elijah Brown?

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds in Lincoln and Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund back in Seattle - got together Saturday morning to break down what they expect to see from the Halloween festivities between Washington and Nebraska.

Will Jedd Fisch be able to get back in his bag of tricks to give Washington fans something to celebrate on Halloween? Or will Memorial Stadium be a House of Horrors and the Nebraska Blackshirts on defense make UW's life miserable on offense?

The biggest question going in revolved around the quarterback. Elijah Brown threw for 300 yards to help the Huskies win at Purdue, but Demond Williams is now back from his rib injury and Fisch is saying the incumbent is ready and able to play. So what's the plan of attack tonight?

The guys give their thoughts on that, as well as Williams' future at Washington. With Nebraska's Anthony Colandrea already announcing his intention to sign with the Cornhuskers for 2027, what does that say about Williams? Is no news good or bad news, depending on how you feel about Demond? And could we see Demond looking at what Dante Moore is doing and shut his season down too?

They also look at the rest of Washington's offensive situation, what worked well at Purdue, and what they might try and do tonight in Lincoln. Will they use receivers as runners? Could Jayden Limar offer up some much-needed offense coming back after getting hurt during the Apple Cup? And with Landen Hatchett officially out, how much is it going to affect UW's offensive line to have Kolt Dieterich back at center?

Moving to the other side of the ball, the guys talk about Colandrea and what makes him good and what Washington can do on defense to try and limit his abilities. Can UW stop the run and force Colandrea to have to win the game through the air? And Scott talks about his admiration for former UCLA WR Kwazi Gilmer and what he's been able to do so far in his short time as a Cornhusker.

And if the Huskies can slow Nebraska down on offense and play more of a field position game, could this be one of those games where Hunter Green ends up being one of the difference-makers?

Scott offers up a small recruiting update and then the guys offer up their final thoughts as Kim gets ready to head to Memorial Stadium.

Mac and Mounger's fall break has come to an end as the two former interns reunited following Washington's bye week for another show. After some introductory banter, Jack and Luke recap Washington's first B1G win of the year against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Afterwards, they set their sights on the week ahead as the Huskies gear up to take on the Nebraska Corn Huskers on Haloween night in Lincoln. Matt Rhule's Huskers are also coming off of a bye and looking to right the ship after a last-minute loss on the road to the Oregon Ducks a couple of weeks ago.

Mac and Mounger address the elephant in the room, getting right into the discussion about Washington's quarterback situation. Jedd Fisch did not indicate who will be starting on Saturday between his third-year quarterbacks, Demond Williams and Elijah Brown. Do the interns have a guess on who will get the nod? Tune in to find out.

Next, the duo assesses Washington's injury situation altogether, following the news that starting center Landen Hatchett will be sidelined for the rest of the season with an injury.

After working through a couple of additional storylines, Jack and Luke continue on their Betting B1G segment, looking to stay hot after a 5-1 combined performance from the last show.

Finally, they each provide their confidence level that Washington can pick up back-to-back road B1G wins.

http://Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds spoke this week with Husker247's Brian Christopherson, who was kind enough to join in and talk about Washington's opponent this weekend, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

With a sold out 'Blackout' Saturday night crowd expected for Halloween night, Memorial Stadium could turn into a serious House of Horrors for the visitors.

Kim and Brian set the scene and talk about what visiting Washington fans should expect, including the weather forecast and the history behind the 'Blackout' games. Next, they go into Nebraska's offense and what makes them tick, starting with their overall experience, their offensive line, quarterback Anthony Colandrea, WR Kwazi Gilmer, and their run game.

Switching to the other side of the ball, Brian talks about the dilemma faced by Nebraska DC Rob Aurich in terms of preparing for either Elijah Brown or Demond Williams. What makes Nebraska's defense so effective, especially in terms of the statistics? And who are the defensive players UW fans need to know about?

And down 2 with a 42-yard field goal to win, how confident is Brian in Nebraska's placekicker?

Kim winds down the Nebraska preview by asking Brian for his thoughts on current AD Troy Dannen and his perception among Cornhusker fans, as well as whether or not Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule has brought stability back to Cornhusker Football. Have the last couple of really close losses to Indiana and Oregon brought back some PTSD within a faction of the fanbase?

And finally, what's to do in Lincoln? And for those UW fans flying into Omaha, is it worth checking Omaha out too?

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - got together Friday morning to answer subscriber-submitted questions during this bye week. Even though the football team isn't playing this weekend, it's still a busy time of the year. The coaches are out on the road recruiting, finalizing their 2027 recruiting class and putting work in ahead for future classes. The basketball team plays their second exhibition game - this one against Washington State - on Sunday afternoon.

The guys talk Halloween in Lincoln and the last time Washington played Nebraska before dipping their hands into the virtual mailbag. Then they talk about Jedd Fisch, possible coaching changes, Demond Williams versus Elijah Brown, portal versus high school recruiting, and a few other subjects. There's also a basketball question in there that they answer, and Scott provides a recruiting update, including where the coaches are specifically this weekend to watch games and catch up with commits and top prospects from future classes.

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds in West Lafayette, Ind. and Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund in Seattle - got together after Washington's 38-26 win over the Purdue Boilermakers and they had plenty to talk about.

Despite three first-half turnovers and five overall, the Huskies still led 24-17 through efficient offense led by quarterback Elijah Brown and timely defense that turned potential touchdowns into field goals.

They kept up the pressure on defense, forcing a couple of fourth-quarter courtesy of picks from Jeron Jones and Rylon Dillard-Allen to keep the Boilermakers at bay. It's the first time since 2003 that Washington was able to fade five turnovers in a win. Ryan Walters wanted his team to come out and play with an edge, and they did just that.

A major talking point was the play of Brown, who finished with over 300 yards and three passing touchdowns to go with three picks. Were the interceptions his fault? The fault of the receivers? Or a combination of the two?

And the other major talking point of the night was Washington's run game, where they were able to generate 186 yards on 34 carries. What went right? What changed from last week where they could only muster minus-3 yards at home against Iowa?

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - are here to break down all the key talking points and storylines for tonight's Washington-Purdue game as Kim Grinolds makes his way from Indianapolis to West Lafayette, Ind. and Ross-Ade Stadium.

Historically, the Huskies have had great success on the road at Purdue. They're 3-0, the last win coming in 1990. But all three of those wins? Washington was ranked. They aren't ranked coming into tonight's game, and in fact are on a three-game skid.

The Boilermakers have won their last two games and all momentum seems to be favoring them. So what is it going to take to find a UW win on the road?

The weather isn't going to be super conducive to throwing the ball, as 15 mph winds are expected all night. Rain is also expected for game time but should dry out as the game goes on.

Chris and Scott talk about how illness and injury has ravaged the Huskies to the point where 16 players were listed on Thursday's availability report, compared to four for Purdue.

Moving to the Purdue offense versus Washington defense matchup, how are the Huskies going to stop Purdue RB Fame Ijeboi? He's top-6 right now in the Big Ten in rushing and the Huskies have frankly been awful trying to stop the run the last three games. And the Ryan Browne UW saw last year in Seattle is definitely not the same quarterback that is playing lights out for Purdue right now. And how will Ryan Walters deal with the emotions of being back where he was formerly a head coach?

After a quick break the talk turns to the other side of the ball. Whether it's Demond Williams or Elijah Brown (it's going to be Brown), how is Jedd Fisch going to generate some run game? Are we going to see more John Mills at tackle? And can Brian Bonner have a similar game to the one he had at USC?

Scott offers up some quick recruiting thoughts, including a preview into what UW fans should expect from the coaches as they hit the road next week during Washington's BYE week, and then Chris and Scott offer up their final pregame thoughts.

The Washington Huskies will look to halt a three-game losing streak on Friday night as they head east to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Oddsmakers have the Huskies as roughly three point underdogs after the Washington took a punishing 41-24 loss at home last week to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Jack McCauley and Luke Mounger join forces to rehash last week, turn their attention to the upcoming tilt with Purdue, and share their thoughts on the rest of the season.

One topic of conversation centered around Elijah Brown's impressive performance last week, throwing for over 250 yards and three touchdowns in place of an injured Demond Williams. The two former interns discuss positive takeaways from the Stanford transfer's strong performance and how it changes Washington's outlook for this weekend.

Furthermore, Jack and Luke talk about what success would look like the rest of the way for the Washington Huskies. With a few of Washington's preseason ambitions out of grasp, the duo reflects on ways Washington can accumulate momentum heading into the offseason and generate hope for 2027 and beyond.

http://Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds spoke this week with Sean Williams from Boiler Sports Report, the 247Sports' site that covers the Purdue Boilermakers, and Sean was nice enough to help set the scene and give Washington fans a taste of not just what they expect to see from the home team on the field, but also what to expect from the game day atmosphere in West Lafayette, Ind.

To start with, the guys talk about flying into Indianapolis and the travel issues Kim has already run into before even flying out from Seattle. Hint: it's involves a rental car.

With so many coaching connections between the two teams - Purdue Head Coach Barry Odom gave Washington Defensive Coordinator Ryan Walters his first coordinator job at Missouri and Walter was also head coach for the Boilermakers for two seasons. Odom's brother Brian is Washington's linebackers coach.

Sean offers some insight into Walters' time at West Lafayette and why things didn't work out very well for Ryan.

What is Purdue's outlook, especially given how they'd played so well the last couple weeks? Is there hope they can get to bowl eligibility? And what is it about the last few weeks where things have really clicked for their team?

As far as the play on the field, they start out first with Purdue's offense, including thoughts on QB Ryan Browne and RB Fame Ijeboi. Ijeboi could remind some UW fans of Adam Mohammed. They also talk about Purdue's offensive line and how things there have been a mix and match of players.

Switching to the other side of the ball, what is it about Purdue's defense that has evolved and improved over the course of the season? And how does Sean think they'll attack Washington's defense, especially if Elijah Brown plays instead of Demond Williams?

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - got together after Washington's game Friday night against the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes and they had plenty to talk about - and hardly any of it was good.

The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 27-3 lead and ground the Huskies down to an eventual 41-24 triumph in front of not that many Washington fans. In some ways, it felt like an Iowa home game out west. The Hawkeye fans came out to Seattle and showed up for their team.

From the start the offense was once again not right. How much of that was on Jedd Fisch, Demond Williams, the offensive line? The guys talk about all of it, as well as one of the worst rushing efforts in the history of UW Football.

By the end of the second quarter, there was a quarterback change as Elijah Brown took over for Williams. What was initially thought to be something where Fisch was looking for a spark looked more pragmatic in nature as Williams was seen going to the locker room before halftime. He would never return to the game.

The guys talk about what Brown was able to do in terms of helping the Huskies win the second half, but when the offense finally showed up the defense pretty much no-showed the whole game. We talked about what was arguably the worst tackling performance of the Ryan Walters' era. And in what was the first start ever for Iowa quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski, the Hawkeyes could have put a deck chair and a cooler had all day to do everything he needed to. And most of the time it was just handing it off to Kamari Moulton, who finished with over 200 yards.

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - got together Friday to produce their weekly pregame show, and this one against Iowa felt very similar to Washington's pregame show against Minnesota.

The Huskies are playing another traditional Big Ten program known for power and toughness, and they're doing it with continued question marks on offense, specifically with quarterback Demond Williams and the run game.

But before they tackle that side of the ball, Chris and Scott talked about the main talking point coming out of the Iowa camp this week, the questionable status of quarterback Hank Brown and what that means for backup Jeremy Hecklinski. Unlike Minnesota's Drake Lindsey, Hecklinski has very little college experience. He's never started a game before. Can the Huskies' defense turn Iowa one-dimensional on offense and force Hecklinski to beat them through the air? That could prove tricky as the Hawkeyes have some varied threats to their passing game.

Switching over to the other side, Chris and Scott continue the discussion that was left after Washington's four-point loss at USC. The storylines are the same; can Demond Williams simplify his game, take the easy money and stop holding on to the ball for so long? And can the run game continue to evolve now that Brian Bonner has a couple of strong outings under his belt?

Landen Hatchett is considered 'probable' heading into the game, so what would his inclusion mean for the Washington offensive line? And will Jedd Fisch continue using John Mills at left tackle instead of freshman Kodi Greene?

Much like Minnesota, the Hawkeyes have been very, very good in special teams, especially their return games. Can the Huskies keep them at bay similar to what they were able to do against the Golden Gophers?

Either way, the guys are expecting more of a rock fight than a shootout, that's for sure.

Scott provides a quick recruiting update before the guys finish up the pregame show with their final thoughts. And for those fans going to the game - GET THERE EARLY! We know how getting around Seattle on a Friday afternoon can be.

Jack McCauley and Luke Mounger are back this week for the latest installment of the Mac and Mounger show!

Luke was in Los Angeles to take in the sights and watch Washington's 25-21 loss to USC in person. What was his take on the game?

Jack chimes in as the two give their report card from that game and whether or not there were any positives or signs of improvement they could take from the loss, especially with regards to UW quarterback Demond Williams.

That leads into their game preview versus Iowa, a game that definitely feels like a must-win if the Huskies want to avoid making difficult work when it comes to bowl eligibility.

But they can't avoid the lingering concerns shown so far, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The question Luke poses is; will the Huskies move the chains in their first drive against the Hawkeyes?

They then work into their 'Betting B1G' segment and then finish the show with their confidence intervals when looking at the Iowa-Washington game. Are they feeling better than they did a week ago, or will the lingering concerns continue to show up?

One thing is for sure; they aren't expecting a lot of offensive fireworks from either team Friday night.

http://Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds is currently in Chicago for Big Ten Basketball Media Days, but that didn't stop him from tracking down David Eickholt of Hawkeye Insider to talk Iowa Hawkeyes Football and the players Washington fans should be aware of when the two teams square off Friday night at Husky Stadium.

Iowa's football program is such an anomaly these days, as they've only had two head coaches since 1978. Kirk Ferentz is at Iowa City for his 28th season running the Hawkeyes' program and his defensive coordinator, Phil Parker, is on his 15th season with Iowa. That kind of continuity is simply amazing.

Starting with Iowa's offense, David breaks down what has gone well for OC Tim Lester, and what is still a work in progress. He talked about the injury to QB Hank Brown, the odds the Huskies will see their backup QB, Jeremy Hecklinksi, and the movement along their offensive line.

Turning to the other side of the ball, David breaks down Iowa's defense, starting with the defensive line, and what they could do to slow down a Washington offense that is already struggling to move the ball and score points. Is it as simple as Parker dialing up pressure after pressure to keep Demond Williams guessing?

And how about special teams? If Iowa has to line up to make a kick to win it, how confident are they? And how many Iowa fans are expected to travel to Seattle for the game?

To finish the preview podcast, David offers up his keys to the game. Will it be a rock fight or a shootout?

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - get into the guts of Washington's brutal 25-21 loss to USC Trojans Saturday evening in Los Angeles.

Obviously the guys talk about the key moments in the game, and most of them revolve around Demond Williams. The verdict? It's not very kind to the junior signal-caller. So where has it all gone wrong? Why has he regressed so much? What is the difference in the teachings between Jimmie Dougherty and JP Losman, for example? And why were they so inept on third down to the point where they didn't convert their first one until the middle of the fourth quarter?

There were some definite bright spots, from Brian Bonner, to Chris Lawson, to the play of the defense to keep the Huskies in the game.

But the penalty bugaboo bit them again, but this time they had company in the Trojans. And it wasn't exactly a stellar day throwing the hankies for the Big Ten officiating crew.

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - are back in Seattle while Kim Grinolds makes his way from the beach to the Los Angeles Coliseum, and we've been told he's already sweating up a storm.

With temps expected to be in the high 90's at kickoff, hydration and staying hydrated throughout is going to be just one problem of many for the Road Dawgs, who play away from Husky Stadium for the first time this year.

Which fan base has their finger on the pulse of their program? Because a thorough sampling of reaction from both USC and Washington message boards finds two fan bases that are not happy campers at the moment. That's why this game feels like an even bigger game than it might have felt a month ago, for example.

Starting with the battle between USC's offense and UW's defense, Chris and Scott talk about the players expected to make a difference for both sides. With receiver Corey Simms out and two other young playmakers for the Trojans - receiver Trent Mosely and TE Mark Bowman - questionable, we'll see how much they'll impact what USC tries to do. And how can UW slow down Heisman candidate Jayden Maiava?

Moving to the defensive side of the ball, USC fans don't seem convinced by new DC Gary Patterson at all. What is at the heart of their discontent? And will they be without DL Jahkeem Stewart and Alex VanSumeren? And apart from that, what is Washington going to do to solve their own offensive issues? With no running game, how can Demond Williams impact the result? And is there a chance Landen Hatchett could play? Jedd Fisch said on Thursday he is a game-time decision.

Chris and Scott also talk about a couple of other factors, namely the youth of the Huskies and how many of them are traveling for the first time in their careers, and also the impact of playing on grass for the first time. We know Lincoln Riley will want the surface in the Coliseum to be tight to allow his speedsters to go as fast as possible. Can UW keep up?

To finish the pregame show, Scott gives a recruiting update and then they offer up their final thoughts heading into kickoff.

http://Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds spoke Friday with http://USCFootball.com's Ryan Abraham, and both Washington and USC are licking their wounds after losing their conference openers.

To start, how much is the weather going to play a factor? It's expected to be in the high 90's in the Los Angeles Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

And what to make out of both teams going into this game? Do we really know who they are and what they are about?

And with USC, is their head coach, Lincoln Riley, officially on the hot seat? Ryan talks about that and what it might take for Riley to lose his job.

Ryan talks about what UW should see on offense, and then they moved to the defensive side of the ball. One thing Riley did do in the offseason was hire former TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson as USC's Defensive Coordinator. How has that gone?

Jack McCauley and Luke Mounger are back for this week's Mac and Mounger Show! Things aren't quite as they hoped for after Washington's 27-24 loss to Minnesota, so they reflect on that, as well as how the season has gone so far for the Huskies as a whole.

Then they roll out their confidence intervals for this weekend's game against USC... hint: they aren't feeling super great about it, but also admit the feeling about this game in general is a bit weird because of the Trojans' loss last weekend to Oregon so there is still reason for optimism if you're a Washington fan.

And finally they hit on their Bets to Bark, where they predict one Big Ten school to lose their head coach soon, and they also give an under/over call on the UW/USC game. Will it be one where the defenses slow the offenses down, or will it be a repeat of the 52-42 shootout at the Coliseum we all saw back in 2023?

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - got together after Washington's 27-24 loss against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and they had plenty to talk about.

It was the first conference game of the season for both teams, but you wouldn't have known it watching the visitors. They were up for the fight and played like it.

The home side, on the other hand? They came out about as listless as any game we can remember. Add to it a short-field turnover that led to Minnesota's first touchdown, a huge lack of tackling in the first half, and the Huskies' inability to generate anything offensively until the fourth quarter.

That's when Demond Williams and the offense lit up for 14 points, but that was not enough to make up for three quarters of poor play.

The fight was there, but the execution in all three phases was decidedly not. And that all added up to a three-point loss that felt worse than a three-score loss.

With the Golden Gophers in the rearview and USC coming up, the guys ask this question to end their postgame show; how many conference wins will Washington get?

The guys from http://Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - had plenty of time this morning to get up, grab their favorite breakfast beverage, peruse the early kickoff shows and then hit the mic to talk about the very last game of the college football weekend; the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Washington Huskies.

With an 8 pm local time start, there are no other games being played later than this one, so time to rest up and check this out on your way to Husky Stadium, because it's going to be a late one.

The guys start first with Minnesota's offense, led by quarterback Drake Lindsey and the issues they also face in the run game because of injury. Sound familiar?

Lindsey, at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, is a vastly different quarterback than what Washington has seen so far this year. He's been compared to Drew Bledsoe, so he's got a rifle for an arm. But can the UW pass rush make Lindsey's life difficult? Or can we expect a lot of quick pass game and a steady diet of check-downs?

They also talk about this as an Elinneus Davis 'revenge' game. Is he really salty about not being recruited as hard by the in-state school as he was others, including UW? We'll see.

The talk then turns to Washington's offensive struggles. Will Jedd Fisch try and involve Demond Williams even more in the run game? And will the receiving corps continue to ramp up their play? They had an excellent game against Eastern Washington, but can they step things up to an even higher level?

And what are the Huskies going to do about helping out first-year LT Kodi Greene? Will John Mills see some time outside? Minnesota definitely has some rushers of note, so this will be an important part of the game to watch for if you're a UW fan.

Scott provides a quick recruiting update, including a note on top 2028 EDGE Jalanie George and his October 1 commitment date. How are the Huskies doing with George, especially knowing a couple of his teammates have already committed to the Huskies?

Chris then adds his two cents in about Minnesota's potent special teams and then the guys offer their final thoughts before ending the pod.

After white-knuckling their way to a 3-0 start, the Washington Huskies kick off Big Ten Conference play this weekend against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Jack McCauley and Luke Mounger get together to share their thoughts before Saturday evening's showdown.

Minnesota enters this game 2-1 on the season, having lost a couple of weeks ago to Kamario Taylor and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Even so, Minnesota boasts a veteran coach-QB combo, with PJ Fleck entering his 10th season as the head coach of the Gophers and Drake Lindsey garnering NFL Draft Buzz.

After recapping Washington's week three win over Eastern Washington, Jack and Luke turn their attention to storylines they are tracking as the Huskies take on their first conference opponent of the season. Among those topics is if Washington's young, yet talented defensive front will succeed in trying to disrupt Lindsey's rhythm in the pocket this weekend.

Additionally, the two life-long interns discuss takeaways on Washington's offensive performance so far. This includes Washington's heavy reliance on short and intermediate passes to keep the offense on schedule and how that tactic might fare against steeper competetion.

After picking their Bets to Bark, Jack and Luke share their plays for Betting B1G. Each is off to a 3-6 start, so it might be a good idea to ignore this part of the show! Finally, the duo shares their confidence interval that the Huskies can improve to 4-0 on the season.