Show notes
It's not exactly Air Raid, but Arkansas State is still putting up some monster offensive numbers through two games. They are third in all of FBS in total offense (610 yards per game), and top-20 in scoring offense at 44.5 points per game.
In talking with the Washington defensive players Wednesday, they're excited to see the Red Wolves come to town. It's going to be a real clash of the titans because Arkansas State leads the country in pass offense (460 yards a game), while Washington is number 2 when it comes to passing yards allowed in a game (74.5).
"Spread, they like to throw the ball," cornerback Kyler Gordon said. "Ready for that, been waiting for that. It's going to be a fun game."
"That's my Dad's alma mater, actually," said freshman outside linebacker Cooper McDonald said, smiling. "Hoping we can put the smack on them."
The Huskies have only had 38 passes thrown on them so far through two games, so they haven't had a ton of opportunities to come up with a pick. That shouldn't be a problem Saturday afternoon, as the Red Wolves have already attempted 106 passes.
"We've got to be able to stop the run and then we've got to be able to stop the pass after that," said UW DB Coach Will Harris. "It's going to create opportunities, and I believe great defenses create turnovers, whether that is through the run or whether that's through the pass."
With no turnovers forced to date, it's something that's been on Gordon's mind. He's got a bet with Trent McDuffie to see who gets the first interception of the season. The winner gets a video game. And Kyler's got his heart set on the new Call of Duty.
"I'm thinking the ball's in the air, someone's gotta get it," he said. "One of the DBs gotta get it. If it's not me, it's Trent or Bookie, AC, someone. Someone's gonna get it, so everyone's really excited to see the ball in the air. It's definitely more motivating."
The defense is motivated as much by the 0-2 start than anything else, but Harris knows it starts with the coaches first to put the players in a position to be successful. We've already seen one change in the depth chart; Cameron Williams will start at free safety.
"Let's be realistic; at the end of the day we'd like to be better on the defensive side of the ball," said Harris. "We have to, first and foremost, look ourselves in the mirror as coaches, and then we've got to get these guys situated to where we can get a better scheme for them to go out there and execute it."
Does that mean fans could see more changes on the defensive side of the ball on Saturday?
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