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Washington football: 5 questions the Washington Huskies must answer in 2020

By Cody Williams

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 31: Elijah Molden #3 of the Washington Huskies looks on in the second quarter against the Eastern Washington Eagles during their game at Husky Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 31: Elijah Molden #3 of the Washington Huskies looks on in the second quarter against the Eastern Washington Eagles during their game at Husky Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Washington football (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Washington football questions: 4. How will the skill positions step up?

Quarterback isn’t the only position on offense where Washington has some concerns in terms of who will step up. The Huskies are faced with replacing seven starters from last season and that may not be felt more than at the skill positions. That starts at running back as Salvon Ahmed, the team’s leading rusher from last season with 1,020 yards and 11 touchdowns, is now gone.

Replacing Ahmed shouldn’t be terribly difficult, though. Richard Newton was second on the team in carries, yards and touchdowns last season with 117, 498 and 10, respectively, in those categories last season. A bruising back, he seems primed to be the workhorse out of the backfield and a player that the offense can feel confident in relying on.

Finding players to step up in the passing game could be of concern, though. With tight end Hunter Bryant and wide receiver Aaron Fuller, the Huskies’ leaders in receiving yards last season, now in the NFL, Sirmon needs some pass-catchers to step into bigger roles and claim their spot. There are candidates who have flashed, though, which is a positive.

Perhaps the most intriguing player is Puka Nacua. As a freshman, he played in only three games but had seven grabs for 168 yards and a score in that time before breaking his foot. His return could mean the emergence of a star. Even still, guys such as Terrell Bynum and Ty Jones will need to step up and tight end Cade Otton will need to fill in Bryant’s shoes, which may not be a huge ask for an underrated player.

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