Washington Huskies vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 9th 2024

Preview and Prediction

When discussing the challenging driving conditions caused by snow around the University of Washington campus in Seattle, the term commonly used is "white-out."

On Saturday, the Huskies will face a different type of white-out as they travel to State College, Pa. to take on the No. 6 ranked Penn State team.

For over 20 years, fans have been encouraged to wear white to one home game per season for the Nittany Lions. This tradition seems to bring good luck, as Penn State has won five consecutive white-out games and seven out of the last eight.

Head coach James Franklin has referred to the "white-out energy" that the fans bring, and his team could use that boost after suffering their first loss of the season last week against Ohio State.

"Overall, we have some areas that we need to continue to improve on, but our focus is now on Washington," said Franklin, who was involved in a confrontation with a fan after the loss. "We need to find a way to secure a win this week. I thought our staff and players did a good job of addressing our mistakes and moving on to Washington."

Quarterback Drew Allar, who threw an interception in the end zone and missed a fourth-and-goal opportunity from the 1-yard line against Ohio State, shared the same sentiment.

"We talked about not letting one loss turn into two or three," Allar stated. "We need to correct our mistakes from last week. Offensively, we are not pointing fingers at any one person for the loss."

Allar has completed 70.1% of his passes for 1,786 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions. His top receiver, Tyler Warren, was recently named a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, which recognizes the top tight end in the nation. Running back Kaytron Allen has rushed for 536 yards this season, while Nicholas Singleton has recorded 498 yards on the ground.

The Huskies (5-4, 3-3) are coming off a 26-21 victory against USC, where Jonah Coleman rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Carson Bruener was named the Big Ten defensive player of the week after recording 12 tackles and two interceptions.

Washington's quarterback, Will Rogers, who transferred from Mississippi State, has completed 71.1% of his passes for 2,284 yards and 13 touchdowns with four interceptions. Coleman leads the team in rushing with 889 yards and seven touchdowns, while wide receiver Denzel Boston leads the conference with nine touchdown receptions.

Huskies coach Jedd Fisch, who has experienced a white-out while coaching at Michigan, is looking forward to the atmosphere.

"It's going to be an incredible experience," Fisch exclaimed. "Saturday night, white-out, and a crowd of 110,000 or 111,000 fans. It's going to be an amazing atmosphere, no doubt. I think our players are going to have a blast."

Fisch also shared that he showed his team footage from previous white-out games to prepare them for the intense environment.

"We just need to go out there and play our best game of the year," Fisch added. "We are one win away from becoming bowl eligible, and we still have a tough game against Oregon and a home game against UCLA."

PREDICTION

Washington Huskies

Penn State Nittany Lions