Eastern Washington @ Washington preview

THE STORY: Now that Jake Locker is off to the NFL, Chris Polk is the undisputed face of the Washington football program. However, the star running back and darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate appears likely to miss the Huskies’ opener against Eastern Washington. Polk, a junior, underwent knee surgery to repair meniscus damage Aug. 18, which places him in jeopardy of not hitting the field until later in September. Polk’s 1,415 yards in 2010 were the second-most in school history. He has topped 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and already ranks sixth in school history with 2,561 yards. Eastern Washington is far from a first-game pushover. The Eagles are defending Football Championship Subdivision national champions and are ranked No. 1 in this season’s initial poll.

TV: ROOT Sports (Washington). LINE: None.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (7-6 in 2010): Sophomore Keith Price beat out redshirt freshman Nick Montana for the starting quarterback gig. Price replaces Locker, a first-round pick in last April’s NFL Draft. Sophomore Jesse Callier (433 yards in 2010) is being prepared to start at running back. Senior receiver Jermaine Kearse is coming off a big season in which he caught 63 passes for 1,005 yards and 12 touchdowns. Senior cornerback Quinton Richardson, who has made 30 career starts, has been hindered by an ankle injury in fall camp. Richardson and junior Desmond Trufant form a fine corner tandem, and free safety Nate Fellner had a team-best five interceptions last season.

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON (13-2 in 2010): The Eagles would like nothing better than to follow up their national championship with a season-opening upset of the state’s premier program. Senior quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell passed for 3,496 yards and 37 touchdowns last season and is one of the top players in FCS. Mitchell played two seasons at Southern Methodist before transferring. Mitchell has a top-flight target in junior wideout Brandon Kaufman (76 receptions, 1,214 yards, 15 TDs in 2010). The defensive standouts include senior defensive tackle Renard Williams (6.5 sacks in 2010), senior linebacker Zach Johnson (134 tackles) and senior safety Matt Johnson (five interceptions). The Johnsons are twin brothers. Eastern Washington’s last victory over a major-division program was in 2003 when the Eagles beat Idaho 8-5.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Eastern Washington is the first lower-division foe Washington has ever played.

2. Polk is looking to join the school’s all-time leading rusher, Napoleon Kaufman, as the only Washington backs to top 1,000 rushing yards in three different seasons. Kaufman had 4,401 yards from 1991-94.

3. Montana is the son of football legend Joe Montana.

PREDICTION: Washington 26, Eastern Washington 23 - Playing the Huskies is a major deal for the Eagles and they show it by pushing Washington hard before ultimately falling short of the upset.