It will be the first time that Arizona State has played in the newly renovated Husky Stadium on Oct. 25 and they will have a young Washington team to play against. The Huskies are inexperienced but have a lot of upside in the secondary, while the offensive skill players remain unproven as well with the departure of Keith Price and Bishop Sankey. Although Washington may not be held together very well, here are a few pieces that can help glue them together in 2014 under new head coach Chris Petersen.
Offense: Jaydon Mickens (5-foot-11, 171 pounds)
The best of a group of wide receivers that returns next to nothing in 2014. Minkins caught 65 passes for 688 yards last season including five receptions for 39 yards against Arizona State. The Huskies relied a lot on Sankey last season so the receiving core didn't get much work, but Minkins should see increased production in 2014 given the lack of experience at the skill positions.
Defense: Danny Shelton (6-foot-2, 332 pounds)
His height and weight should tell you plenty about this nose tackle who could be an imposing threat to stop the run. He had 47.5 tackles and two sacks last season. The Huskies have a new defensive coordinator in Pete Kwiatkowski who could make some changes up front, which Washington needs if they're going to be more effective and those changes could certainly center around Shelton and his size.
Defense: Marcus Peters (6-foot-0, 198 pounds)
The Huskies are by far the lightest at cornerback than any other defensive position but Peters will anchor the group and will provide much needed mentorship to the newcomers. He had 49.5 tackles last season with an impressive five interceptions and one sack last season. He will certainly matchup against each team's best wide receiver in 2014.
Defense: Shaq Thompson (6-foot-2, 231 pounds)
Linebacker is the strongest returning position for Washington, which will put John Timu and Travis Feeney with Thompson to form a fairly formidable core of linebackers. Thompson is the best of the bunch with 64 tackles and an interception last season.