Former Washington coach calls out Ohio State QB Julian Sayin and predicts upset

“We won that Miami game because Ken Dorsey was a freshman quarterback for Miami,” coach Neuheisel said. “All the other pieces were in place, but he wasn’t ready for that kind of scene.”

In the modern era of college football, Miami would have earned a bye in the college football playoffs after being No. 1 and No. 2 despite losing to Neuheisel’s Huskies. The Hurricanes were infamously left out by the BCS ranking system.

Neuheisel thinks an early season road upset for an unsinkable team is in the cards. The Huskies’ former coach also thinks Sayin is in line for a big career despite his projected loss.

“Here comes Julian Sayin for his first game on the road,” Neuheisel said. “He’s been marvelous, almost 80% as a passer, but I’m gonna take the Dawgs in a big time upset.”

Neuheisel is also confident in the Huskies’ offense against the Buckeyes’ defense.

“Demond Williams is a helluva player,” Neuheisel said. “I think he’s gonna prove that against this team not only with his arm, but with his legs. I don’t worry about the Huskies’ offense.”

While a bottom 10 strength of schedule is a red flag, it’s hard to argue Washington’s early offensive success behind Williams. The Huskies’ 55.7 PPG through three weeks is 2nd of 136 NCAA FBS D1 teams. Williams has eight touchdowns, zero turnovers, and over 1,000 all purpose yards through three games. BIG 10 play tends to tell a different story than the John Mateer-less Washington State Cougars and UC-Davis. 

It has not been smooth sailing for Washington since jumping ship to the Big Ten. When Michael Penix Jr. dipped for the NFL and Kalen DeBoer broke for not-so-greener pastures in Tuscaloosa, Jedd Fisch inherited a young team destined for tougher competition.

Fisch’s Huskies went 6-7 last season with a paltry 4-5 Big Ten record that included blowout losses to Iowa, Penn State and Oregon. Fisch’s signature win to date was an early season surprise against Michigan. Williams and company look to knock off the defending national champion in back to back seasons.