McMillan Should See Increased Role Against Oregon State

Washington's standout receiver came out of the Utah game healthy.

Wide receiver Jalen McMillan played just six snaps in Washington's 35-28 win over Utah, but even that limited workload was a major hurdle cleared. After returning to action against Oregon and Stanford following a knee injury, McMillan suffered setbacks that caused him to exit both contests early.

On Monday, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said the goal was for McMillan to get back into the swing of things as fifth-ranked Washington (10-0 overall, 7-0 Pac-12) prepares for a Saturday matchup on the road against No. 10 Oregon State (8-2, 5-2).

"We wanted to let him get out there and get some confidence," Grubb said. "He was out there getting some guys' hands on him in run blocking and then getting through some man coverage, which was letting him feel the flow of the game."

Grubb added that the plan is to ramp up McMillan's workload when the Huskies head to Corvallis to take on the Beavers. After not getting any targets against Utah, McMillan could be thrust into a larger role because of injuries to others at the position.

Senior Giles Jackson missed the game against Utah with what Grubb called an upper-body injury, while redshirt freshman Denzel Boston had to exit in the third quarter after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit on a punt return.

He wasn't targeted in his limited return, but McMillan gives the Washington offense an added threat just by being on the field. He provides field-stretching speed, reliability over the middle of the field and is a proven playmaker after gaining more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2022 and would be a major factor down the stretch for the fifth-ranked Huskies.

"He felt great after the game," Grubb said. "He's good now and I know physically we're really going to push him just so he can remember what a workload feels like again."

McMillan's return against the always-physical Utah defense was big for his confidence and the coaching staff is prepared to throw more responsibilities his way. As Washington continues to push for a berth in the College Football Playoff, McMillan's return adds notable firepower to an already high-powered offense.

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