The first game of the season is this weekend and as the Huskies prepare to stop an explosive Eastern Washington attack, the defensive players and staff know they have their work cut out for them.
We got the chance to catch up with defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake who talked about playing a lot of different players in the secondary including two new starters -- Kyler Gordon and true freshman Cameron Williams -- both of whom the coaches and players feel very comfortable with in the deep patrol.
Co-defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has some familiarity with the Eastern Washington coaching staff, so there isn't a lot of unknowns as far as what they will see on Saturday.
The linebackers have to replace a lot of leadership and experience, but linebackers coach Bob Gregory told the media he feels like the players he has stepping into those spots -- Brandon Wellington and Kyler Manu as well as youngsters Jackson Sirmon and M.J. Tafisi -- are more than capable of getting it done and now is their chance to show what they can do. Even though he's been around for a while, Gregory said he still gets the jitters and wouldn't be coaching anymore if he didn't still get them. He also discussed how seeing an opponent early in the season, especially in college, where they don't have a lot of film or just a limited scouting report makes things easier because you can just go out and play ball instead of being overloaded with information.
Linebackers Kyler Manu and Brandon Wellington talked about getting their first starts at Husky Stadium and how big it is for Manu to finally earn a starting spot after five years in the program.
Finally, Elijah Molden and Levi Onwuzurike talked about finally getting the chance to hit someone that isn't wearing purple.
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