Three questions heading into Colorado’s matchup with Washington

BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes will host the washington Huskies in their final home game of 2019.

Here’s what we’re wondering:

Does Mel have an inside scoop on Jacob Eason?

Jacob Eason hasn’t lived up to the hype.

Sure, he’s been a solid starter for the Huskies this season after transferring into the program two years ago. But none of his stats scream “surefire NFL quarterback” like they were supposed to when he was the No.1-rated recruit in the entire country back in 2016.

Radon’s career got off to a hot start. He became the starter early on, and played solidly, but during his sophomore year another highly-rated young quarterback stole his job. That’s when Eason transferred.

Where did Eason start his collegiate career? Georgia.

And who was the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator at the time? Mel Tucker.

Who knows what two seasons in the same program as the quarterback you’re facing is really worth. Eason, now 22, has probably changed quite a bit since he was a 20-year-old taking on the Mel Tucker defense every day in practice.

But don’t ignore the fact that Tucker has at least some inside info on the Huskies’ quarterback.

Will Hunter Bryant dominate the middle of the defense?

The weakest part of Colorado’s defense this season has been the dead center.

The Buffs’ inside linebackers are strong against the run but have often seemed puzzled in coverage.

Enter Husky tight end Hunter Bryant.

Bryant, a senior, has been the catalyst of Washingon’s offense in 2019. He’s provided an extra receiving threat in a league that doesn’t often see tight ends contributing heavily.

Bryant is working the middle of the field like pro, which is opening things up for running back Salvon Ahmed, who has been another key to the Husky attack. The threat Bryant poses forces opposing linebackers to sit back an extra split second before crashing down on the running back.

Starbacker Davion Taylor has been playing inside for the Buffs more and more as the season progresses. There’s a good chance his assignment on Saturday is to shadow Bryant, who put up 105 yards and two touchdowns against Utah two weeks ago, and then 90 yards against Oregon State last Saturday.

Maybe the scariest part of the game is that he isn’t taking advantage of every opportunity. He dropped passes last week and had his biggest play of the game, a long touchdown, called back. Plus, he almost came down with a couple more jump balls.

He’s one to watch on Saturday.

What even is Colorado’s offense at this point?

There are so many questions when it comes to the Colorado offense.

– Which Steven Montez will show up?

– Will Laviska Shenault show up at all?

– What is happening with the play-calling?

– How many penalties will the offensive line stack up?

This could be the best Pac-12 offense to play on Saturday, or it could be the league’s worst.

I’m not willing to bet one way or the other, but I will say that establishing running back Alex Fontenot early would likely get the squad off the block on the right foot.

Colorado hosts Washington at 8 p.m. MST on ESPN. The game will be played at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.