Washington football: 3 takeaways from loss to Oregon

The Washington football program has officially hit rock bottom. Expectations weren’t very high for this Husky team heading into their match-up against the Oregon Ducks but many had hoped that they could make a little magic happen.

At the start of the game, things were actually shaping up for the Huskies. The defense came out firing and Oregon’s first drive ended in an interception. The interception set the Huskies up at Oregon’s six-yard line and it only took one attempt for running back Sean McGrew to punch it in for the score.

The Huskies were off to an early lead and things were looking optimistic. Until they weren’t. With barely two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Huskies were down 24-16. They needed just a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game.

Washington quarterback Dylan Morris ended up throwing three straight incompletions and head coach Jimmy Lake made the controversial decision to punt the ball. However, the punt ended resulted in a safety and Oregon won the game 26-16.

Washington football’s offense ruined the momentum of the defense

The Husky defense was playing the best that they have all season. They shut down Oregon’s offense early with an interception and didn’t allow them to score a touchdown until the second quarter.

However, the honeymoon phase soon ended and that wasn’t at the fault of the defense. Simply put, it was Washington’s offense that ruined the momentum of the defense. The offense couldn’t stay on the field which meant that the defense couldn’t stay off of the field. The Ducks quickly wore out the Husky defense and closed the game with 329 total rushing yards.

Jimmy Lake needs to go

It’s been a topic for weeks but the result of the Oregon game made the decision even more blatant: Jimmy Lake must be fired. In a way, it hurts to call for a man to lose his job because that is how he supports his family. However, if I wasn’t performing at my best level, my job would be in jeopardy.

Lake was a great defensive coordinator at the UW before taking on the reigns. However, his skill set is not meant for head coaching, at least not at this level right now.

You have to think that if, or when, Lake is fired, that the opening heading coaching job at the UW is an attractive one. They have a 5-star QB on the roster, a talented set of running backs, promising receiver threats, and talents spread all about the defense.

Carson Bruener transforming into a star

Redshirt freshman linebacker Carson Bruener—who is the son of Husky legend Mark Bruener—has done a tremendous at filling in for the injured Eddie Ulofoshio. Bruener’s breakout performance came against Stanford in Week 9. He finished the game with 16 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and 1.5 sacks.

In Week 10, he accounted for only seven total tackles but his presence was certainly felt. Bruener made the incredible interception to disrupt the Ducks’ first possession of the game.

I’m excited to see how Bruener develops as a player. He could end up being an incredible impact player for the Washington football program’s defense next season.