Washington Huskies Planning For Offensive Prowess of Southern California Tight End

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SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies football team might not have any more room for error for the rest of the season.

The Huskies, who began the season ranked 17th in the country and considered a potential darkhorse contender to make the College Football Playoff, didn't receive a vote in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll after a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sept. 26. This complete fall off from the poll came after Washington fell to unranked after an undefeated, albeit unimpressive, showing in its three nonconference games.

The Huskies won't have any room for reprieve as it will go on the road for the first time this season to play the No. 18 Southern California (USC) Trojans at 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

A win against USC will likely put Washington back on track to receiving votes in the AP poll and back in the CFP conversation.

However, the Huskies defense will have to neutralize one of the best tight ends in the country for that to happen.

True freshman tight end Mark Bowman, who was the highest-ranked recruit in the Class of 2026, has been as-advertised for the Trojans through their first five games.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound true freshman has reeled in 21 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns, and might already have one of the most impressive plays of the season — a hurdle over two defenders in a game against Louisiana on Sept. 12.

"He was rated the No. 1 tight end in the country for a reason," UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said in a weekly news conference Tuesday at Husky Stadium. "He's big, looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger-big (from) back in the day, he's a cut-up dude. Has really good athleticism, good catch radius. They find ways creatively to give him the ball. He's really good with the ball in his hands, yards after contact. You can't go low, because he'll hurdle you, so you got to hit him up high and get him down. As the season has gone on, he's gotten better in the run game, as well, and being physical at the point of contact. Really good player. He is as-advertised."

The direct lineup for a tight end would normally be a linebacker or slot cornerback/nickelback for an opposing defense.

Washington's base defense has two linebackers, three cornerbacks and two safeties. Based on Walters' comments at the weekly news conference, it seems like the team is planning on having a defensive back on the talented first-year.

"Will we match a linebacker on Mark Bowman? Probably not," Walters said. "Not on purpose. There might be times of, we're in zone coverages or things of that nature where they might be matched up. … The pressure, collectively to get off the field as a defense is going to be high. I think they're averaging a little over 10 explosive plays a game. A lot of yards after contact, a lot of yards after catch."

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