By Andrew Bailie Posted on

Huskies prepare for Michigan

After a 38-19 win over Rutgers on Friday night, the Huskies’ focus shifts to Michigan, as they prepare for an early noon kickoff Saturday. When the Huskies travel to Michigan, they will be playing their second game in the Eastern Time Zone. Husky head coach Jedd Fisch is confident of his plan to have his team ready to play on Saturday, despite an earlier-than-usual start time. Fisch held his weekly Monday presser and discussed Saturday’s opponent, and gave an updated injury report on several players.

The Huskies are ready to travel east once again

UW has worked hard to prepare for playing in different time zones this year. They have adjusted their practice and travel schedules when they make the trek east for games on the East Coast. Last year, the Huskies were 0-3 when they played in the Eastern Time Zone. Jedd Fisch consulted with Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald on what works best for handling the time change:

“Talked to coach McDonald, and I’ve asked him a bunch of things. And now we’ve talked a lot, and we adjusted our schedule when we played Maryland to make it similar to what the Seahawks do for a four o’clock kickoff, and we adjusted our schedule this week to make it similar to what the Seahawks do for their 10 am kickoff, which is 1 pm east.”

UW adjusted to the time change and beat Maryland in its first trip east. Now they need to adapt to an earlier kickoff time in this week’s game at Michigan, which is at noon ET as opposed to 3:30 pm ET when they played Maryland. McDonald is the right person to talk to about playing on the road since the Seahawks head coach has a (10-1) road record. His advice certainly helped Fisch prepare for the Huskies’ game at Maryland. UW’s head coach is looking to replicate that success and has a plan for the team to be ready for an earlier start time at Michigan.

Huskies close to getting the team fully healthy

When asked about the status of LT Carver Willis, LG John Mills, and edge rusher Zach Durfee, Fisch was uncertain if they would be back this week. If Willis, Mills, or Durfee were available to play against Michigan, they would be a big boost to the defensive and offensive lines. Michigan has a strong defensive front, and having either Willis or Mills available to start can help protect QB Demond Williams’ blind side. On the other side of the ball, if healthy, Durfee provides the Huskies with another pass rusher and sure tackler on defense. Durfee has eight tackles and one sack in four games this year.

Fisch faces a big decision on whether to start LB Jacob Manu

LB Jacob Manu did not play in the Huskies’ game against Rutgers to protect his eligibility for 2026. Manu had six tackles and was named “Dawg of the Week” after UW played Maryland. The issue is that Manu has not heard back about a lawsuit he filed with several players against the NCAA to try to earn another year of eligibility. Since the courts have yet to decide on Manu’s eligibility case, Fisch has treated this year as a redshirt year for him; that way, he can play in 2026. This is what the Husky head coach said about the difficulty of deciding which four games Manu can play this year:

“Yeah, Jacob, we’ll make a decision again like we did last week when we, you know, if we don’t know anything regarding his lawsuit, then we’ll decide this week on whether or not we’re going to use one of the two available Saturdays that we have left. Until the season comes to an end. We’ve used two games. That means he’s got two games available of the next six, and then the postseason doesn’t count. So then he could play the entire postseason.”

Considering Michigan is one of the toughest opponents remaining on the Huskies’ schedule, playing Manu this week makes sense. If Fisch decides not to play Manu, he has Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, who just returned from injury, and Xe’ree Alexander as options at linebacker. Alexander led the Huskies in tackles with eight solo tackles and had one pass breakup against Rutgers. Rainey-Sale played in his first career game and made his first tackle in limited action as well.

The Huskies’ head coach talks about what to expect from Michigan

Jedd Fisch believes the Wolverines present a “tremendous challenge” for his team this week. Michigan is coming off a frustrating 31-13 loss against USC and is looking to get back on track at home. The Huskies’ head coach expects a great atmosphere and 105,000 fans to be at Saturday’s game in The Big House. This is what he had to say about Michigan’s team and the challenges they present:

“We know it’s gonna be a very physical football game. They have an outstanding front. They do a fantastic job. And we know that defensively it’s going to be an extreme challenge, and then we know offensively, the skill guys that they have out there, we recruited. Their quarterback is elite. Their offensive line, coach Moore always does a fantastic job with their O-line, and they’re always well known to have great backs and tight ends. So it’ll be a tremendous challenge as we play Michigan this week.”

The Wolverines’ front seven will be tough on the Huskies’ offensive line, which has been dealing with injuries on their left side. Michigan has the 20th-best run defense, allowing just 101.5 yards per game, and has 15 sacks on the year. Then, on the other side of the ball, the Wolverines have the 19th-best rushing offense, averaging 216.3 rushing yards per game. The Huskies have improved against the run and currently have the sixth-best rushing defense, allowing just 82.8 yards per game. Expect a good battle in the trenches when these two teams meet on Saturday.

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