SEATTLE -- Chris Petersen has only one loss as UW head coach against Kyle Whittingham heading into his fifth Pac-12 Conference opener.

Utah left Husky Stadium with a 34-23 victory in 2015, the only win for the Utes in the series. The Huskies hold the other 10 with most of the games being previously played between mid October and early November.

Saturday marks the first time the two schools will open the season against each other with a late 7 p.m. (Pacific) kickoff on ESPN in Salt Lake City. TheDawgReport.com answered five questions from the Utah Rivals site ahead of the game and that included a score prediction...

Utah Rivals: Washington returns a lot of key guys from 2017, but early on, the offensive line has had its share of injuries and struggles. What should Utah expect from that position and how big of an early concern has it been?

TDR: Utah should definitely expect a vulnerable offensive line from UW until they prove otherwise for a full four quarters. The Huskies were able to settle down in the second quarter against Auburn, and didn’t have too much of an issue with North Dakota. But a lot of their errors have been self inflicted and after two warmup games – one pretty decent to start the season – the Utes will definitely give the o-line a test. Chris Petersen singled out reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Weak, linebacker Chase Hansen, during his Monday press conference. Hansen leads the Utes with two sacks and certainly is seen as the face of the defense from an outside looking in perspective.

Utah Rivals: One-time Utah receiver commit, Utahn, Ty Jones, has had a nice start to the season. Other than Browning and Gaskin, who else should Utah be aware of, heading into the showdown?

TDR: For sure it’ll be hard to miss Ty Jones – if Washington is able to execute its offense the way it wants – on Saturday. The run game hasn’t begun the season as the coaching staff had hoped and the statistics back it up. UW has combined for three rushing touchdowns in 2018, one each from [Myles] Gaskin, Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant. Jones is the team leader with his two touchdowns against North Dakota last Saturday, and he’s expected to become more of a focal point after coming on late as a true freshman last season. Fans should expect to see at least two or three different backs, namely Gaskin, sophomore Salvon Ahmed and either McGrew and / or Pleasant. From a receiver point of view junior Aaron Fuller is one to keep an eye on aside from Jones.

Utah Rivals: Utah has a couple wide receivers that could test the Huskies secondary, who are the main focal points outside for Utah that could pose a threat?

TDR: The way to stop the Huskies offense is simply control the line of scrimmage early, force Jake Browning to throw it and be coy in how you bring extra pressure when UW does throw. They have as many rushing touchdowns as they do passing (three) when Browning is the quarterback, excluding the fourth quarter throw by backup Jake Haener in week two. If you control the game up front and don’t allow UW to have an early scoring drive or two, it forces the defense on the field more and Utah has the more dynamic QB in Tyler Huntley. Against two inferior teams in Weber State and Northern Illinois the Utes allowed 13 points in the first quarter, more than any allowed in the final three quarters combined. UW is better than both of Utah’s first to opponents so an early lead on the road changes the complexion of the game. If the game is scoreless or tied with neither holding momentum that bodes well for the home team.

Utah Rivals: What kind of a game plan would you draw up, to stop the Huskies’ offense?

TDR: The way to stop the Huskies offense is simply control the line of scrimmage early, force Jake Browning to throw it and be coy in how you bring extra pressure when UW does throw. They have as many rushing touchdowns as they do passing (three) when Browning is the quarterback, excluding the fourth quarter throw by backup Jake Haener in week two. If you control the game up front and don’t allow UW to have an early scoring drive or two, it forces the defense on the field more and Utah has the more dynamic QB in Tyler Huntley. Against two inferior teams in Weber State and Northern Illinois the Utes allowed 13 points in the first quarter, more than any allowed in the final three quarters combined. UW is better than both of Utah’s first to opponents so an early lead on the road changes the complexion of the game. If the game is scoreless or tied with neither holding momentum that bodes well for the home team.

Utah Rivals: How would you attack the Washington defense?

TDR: The front seven is where UW is most vulnerable on defense. It’s well known that trying to beat the Huskies one-on-one outside or down the field isn’t going to result in success. But if an offense, for example Utah, can have a long drive and at least move into UW territory on the opening possession it establishes a legitimate threat. They do a lot of in-drive subbing along the defensive line, and if an offense can gash the Huskies defense with a few runs early and eliminate the Greg Gaines factor, then it becomes a matter of doing so for the entire game. UW showed it can bend but not break against Auburn, and it’ll have to do so once more against Utah.

Utah Rivals: Will the Pac-12 ever see the sophomore version of Jake Browning again or is he just as good as the personnel around him? That 2016 team was loaded with playmakers.

TDR: Jake Browning has been what UW has needed the past two years, which includes his well documented 2016 sophomore season. Since then he’s lost his two best receivers from that season, John Ross (No. 9 overall pick) and Dante Pettis (second-round pick), and UW is showing the effects of the drop in recruiting at wide receiver before Bush Hamdan rescued the position after 2016. What Browning has become this year is a product of what’s around him. Jones is still an emerging player as a sophomore. The offensive line is without a senior at left tackle and it’s an expectation that more than at least seven will play each week, which doesn’t help settle the QB even if he’s got trust. So I think a return to sophomore Browning isn’t in the cards, but the Huskies don’t need that type of season to still have success in 2018. He just can’t continue to hurt UW as he has.

Utah Rivals: What’s your prediction for Saturday and why?

TDR: I’ve gone back and forth on the result, but every angle has the final score a one possession game for either team. The gut still says Washington has enough on offense when it counts to pull out the victory on the road, but it’s going to take a score on defense or through special teams to split Utah and UW. I think Browning will become more of a game manager and benefit from a more diverse run attack, using Gaskin with McClatcher, McGrew, Ahmed in various combinations to get a better result than UW has the first two weeks.

Score: UW 20, Utah 17