Four things to watch
WELCOME BACK TO THE HUDDLE: Senior tight end Zander Neuville and redshirt sophomore defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk are expected to make their 2018 debuts on Saturday. Neuville has been out since suffering a torn ACL in his right knee in the 2017 regular-season finale at Minnesota. Loudermilk closed spring ball on the No. 1 line but underwent May surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Although both players report they feel fit, expect the staff to avoid pushing them too hard in their first game back. UW has one more nonconference game before opening Big Ten play Sept. 22 at Iowa and it is critical both players are ready for full-time duty in that game.
SAFETY STILL THIN: UW’s top three safeties are set – senior D’Cota Dixon, redshirt freshman Scott Nelson and redshirt sophomore Eric Burrell. Yet with redshirt sophomore Patrick Johnson leaving the team and freshman Reggie Pearson out again because of a leg injury the rest of the picture is blurry. Johnson closed camp as the third safety but missed the opener after suffering a concussion. He opted to leave for personal reasons after being cleared to play. The staff hoped Pearson, who enrolled at UW in January, would be able to play this week.
SMOOTH OVER THE ROUGH EDGES: As is the case in most openers, the play of the offensive line wasn’t as clean as the starters wanted. That wasn’t surprising because UW had Jon Dietzen and Cole Van Lanen split time at left tackle and because Dietzen, right guard Beau Benzshcawel and right tackle David Edwards missed time late in camp while nursing minor injuries. Expect fewer pre-snap penalties and better overall blocking this week.
ONE-MAN SHOW? No one would be bold enough to label New Mexico, looking to rebound from a 3-9 record last season, a formidable foe for a top-10 team. Yet redshirt sophomore quarterback Tevaka Tuioti appears good enough to test UW’s young defense. The 6-foot-1, 199-pounder can pass from the pocket or on the move and is a threat to run. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Lobos’ 62-30 victory over Incarnate Word last week. “They’ve put a lot on him, run and pass game,” UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. “Obviously, he threw the ball well this last game and they had a lot of big plays. When you watch how they use him in the run game, he is a big-time factor there. We’ve got to do a great job keying on that position.”