Washington Football: Positives and Negatives vs Tulsa

Week 2 is in the books and Washington Football notched their second victory of the season where they comfortably took down Tulsa 43-10. However, there was still some meat left on the bone regarding the performance. So, what were the positives and negatives of the victory?

Washington Football Positives

Sharing the Receptions

Michael Penix Jr. had another fine game, throwing the ball 38 times with 28 of them completions. He also had another 400+ passing game with 3 TDs and an interception in the end zone, although, it looked like a missed PI on Odunze that affected the route before the interception.

What was impressive from the passing offense was the amount of players who managed to see receptions. Three tight ends managed to get involved in the passing game, including Quentin Moore. He and Denzel Boston grabbed their first receptions of the season.

Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, and Ja’Lynn Polk led the team once again in receptions. However, having so many reliable targets for the passing offense is a big deal. We have seen Odunze and McMillan beat double coverage this season, but having to rely on that every week isn’t sustainable. Luckily, Washington has one of the deepest receiver rooms in college football.

Offensive Line

One of the big positives through the first two weeks is how well the offensive line has shown up in pass protection. Penix Jr. doesn’t need too much time to go through his progressions, but the offensive line has been giving him plenty of it.

The offensive line had a few changes to deal with after last season, so to look in unison so early is great to see. Redshirt Freshman Parker Brailsford has slid into the right guard position and has looked like an experienced college lineman, despite the lack of experience while Troy Fautanu has continued where he left off last season.

More significant tests will be coming for the offensive line further down the line, however,  both of the opposing defensive fronts they have faced are still good in their own right. Confidence will be high around the guys in the OL room.

Jabbar Muhammad

The transfer corner from Oklahoma State has been nothing short of outstanding since he arrived at Montlake. Muhammad had another excellent game against Tulsa to follow up from the week 1 Boise State game.

The fourth-year DB was only thrown at a handful of times in the game, but he was alert and in the right position each time. One of them was a beautifully timed break-up on the opposing receiver. He played through the wide receiver’s hands to knock the ball away and prevent a big passing play for Tulsa.

Muhammad even had a sack on a cornerback blitz. He showed impressive speed to chase down the QB and make a play, nearly dislodging the ball during the tackle.

It will be essential for the Huskies if Muhammad can stay on the field for the majority of the season as he has lockdown corner potential for the team. It will be one side of the field Washington will not need to worry about on defense.

Washington Football Negatives

Penalties

One thing that Washington needs to nip in the bud is the silly penalties that have been given up over the first two games. Against Tulsa, the Huskies had 7 penalties called on them for 93 yards.

It’s not primarily the amount, it’s the avoidable ones like the roughing the kicker call when Tulsa gained an automatic first down after being forced to punt from their own 25-yard line. The Washington defense got the ball back on a fourth-down stop. However, you can’t give teams extra shots at moving the ball downfield, especially against better offenses.

There were a few lousy PI penalties given up that extended drives for the opposition. Clean games can be the difference between winning close match-ups or losing them. Washington will need to limit those types of plays going forward if they want to reach their 2023 season ceiling.

Running Game

Should we start panicking about this Washington Football run game? Take away the WR-designed runs and the running backs had a measly 49 yards from 16 rush attempts. Three different backs have carries with Will Nixon the pick of the backs with 30 yards from 6 carries.

There are a few fans panicking about it all, but it just seems like the passing game is being leaned on more in the early season. Whether that is a ploy to get the offensive line more reps in pass protection before the bigger games.

One of the positives is how sharp Will Nixon has looked as a runner, averaging six yards a carry across two games. When he has had good runs, they haven’t forced the ball into his hands more. This could also be important down the stretch as the RBs will have less strain on their bodies early on.

As of now, it does feel like there is no need to panic. We shall see what the game throws up against Michigan State in week three.