Washington’s offense is among most explosive in the country after two weeks

The Washington Huskies’ offense has been mightily impressive during the first two weeks of the season as they are near the top of the country in explosive plays.

Going into the 2024 season, the Washington Huskies’ offense was expected to be mostly conservative as it relied on quarterback Will Rogers, who has not been a harbinger of big plays during his productive career. The team boasts an impressive defense, which has delivered through the first two weeks, not allowing a single trip to the end zone.

The surprise of the offense thus far has been the number of explosive plays, defined as 10+ yard gains. The Huskies are tied for second in the Big Ten with 39 such gains in just two games.

This was far from expected this season but is a testament to not only the playcalling by coach Jedd Fisch but also the elevated play of Rogers and running back Jonah Coleman. Rogers, especially against Eastern Michigan, looked very comfortable pushing the ball downfield to Washington’s breakout collection of playmakers.

Giles Jackson, Denzel Boston, and Jeremiah Hunter have quickly ascended to one of the better groups of wide receivers in the country and should continue to give defenses fits with their diverse skill sets. True freshman tight end Decker DeGraaf has turned into a big play weapon as well, with two long touchdowns in his first two career games.

On the ground, led by Drew Azzopardi and Gaard Memmelaar, the offensive line has been able to clear holes for Coleman and Cameron Davis. Coleman, to his credit, has looked extremely smooth and powerful as he runs over two lower-level defenses.

The first real test will be against a feisty Washington State team that is coming off a win against Texas Tech. The Huskies will need to continue their big-play tendencies if they want to dominate the Cougars in the way they know that they can.