DANTONIO RETURNS

Washington coach Kalen DeBoer is downplaying comparisons between Saturday and last year’s game at Arizona State when the Sun Devils pulled out a 45-38 upset under an interim coach following the firing of Herm Edwards.

“I’m really feeling that you don’t make a big deal of it,” DeBoer said. “Because, again, it’s going to be about the 100-plus guys they have on their team that want to do something special. They’re going to be playing at home, trying to go 3-0 in an environment that is hostile. It’s going to be an awesome atmosphere. I think there will obviously be some distractions that they have, but we can’t let those distractions be ours.”

Along with elevating Barnett to interim coach, the school announced that Mark Dantonio, the winningest head coach in school history, will return as an associate head coach for the Spartans.

“Coach D brings the calming presence, the wisdom, the knowledge of being a head coach – a very successful head coach at that,” Barnett said. “And so he’s bringing all that as our associate head coach. Any and all ways, he’s willing to help with us, and that’s what he’s going to do.”

Dantonio announced his retirement in February 2020, ending a 13year run in which his teams won

three Big Ten titles.

REMEMBER ME?

When the teams played last season in Seattle, wide receiver Germie Bernard got some limited action on the field for the Spartans. When the teams meet on Saturday, he’ll likely be in a similar role of getting some limited action – for the Huskies.

Bernard was a Washington commit, but reopened his recruitment following the coaching change with the Huskies and spent his first season at Michigan State. He had seven catches all season for the Spartans and decided after last year to head back west and join the Huskies.

In three games this season, Bernard has five receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown.