After a shocking loss to a two-win Wisconsin team, new questions and concerns arose about the Washington Huskies moving forward. With another two-win team in Purdue coming into Seattle tomorrow, the Huskies must avoid another collapse against a team that they should blow out, as they've underperformed in those games this season, and Purdue has put up a fight in its losses despite its record.
Still with plenty to play for, tomorrow will be an opportunity to steady the ship and lay the foundation for what should be a bright future for the program. Here are three questions that must be answered by the Huskies going into tomorrow.
1. Can the defense put together a full 60 minutes?
The performance of the Huskies defense was the most positive takeaway from the loss to Wisconsin, only allowing 13 points. But even so, it still showed flashes of continuous issues that have been lingering all year, and Wisconsin's 13 points was still the most it has scored since Sept. 13.
The most pressing of those issues is the inability to get pressure in the backfield. The Huskies only average 1.5 sacks per game, which is tied for 101st in all of the FBS. Edge rusher Zach Durfee, a player fans have had lofty expectations for, only has two -- although has battled through injuries this season.
This failure to take away time from the opposing quarterback has made things difficult for Washington's secondary, the most-talented unit on the defensive side, as there's been plenty of instances where the defense allows chunk plays to wide-open receivers that lead to quick scoring drives.
The lack of pressure also reveals itself in the run game, as Washington consistently loses the battle at the line of scrimmage, allowing 3.5 yards per carry, which is theoretically good enough for a first down every time if the opponent ran the ball three times in a row. That pretty much happened against Wisconsin, as the Badgers basically had no passing game -- with their non-punters only throwing for 24 yards, yet they rushed for 157 with only three negative plays.
The Huskies don’t need to turn into a dominant pass-rushing team overnight, but they do need to show signs of progress. They need to win more snaps at the line of scrimmage to limit the explosive lapses in coverage, and prove they can dictate tempo rather than react to it.
2. What's happening in the running back room?
Washington's running attack has been deadly for most of the season, which has set up the passing game to flourish for quarterback Demond Williams Jr. Of course, Williams' ability to run himself is a huge reason for that, but running back Jonah Coleman is the main battery that powers the ground game.
However, Coleman had to come out of the game due to injury against Wisconsin after rushing only five times for just two yards. Backup Adam Mohammed came in and performed decently (12 carries for 54 yards), but the eye-test showed that the threat of the run simply wasn't the same.
Coleman's injury continues to be something to monitor, as he will be a game-time decision to play against Purdue, but even without him, the backup backs and O-line should still be good enough to dominate. The key word there is "should." Outside of Mohammed, speedster Jordan Washington should have a role carved out for him, but even his status is questionable -- missing last game with an injury.
You can't expect to win with Mohammed playing every snap at running back or with Williams running and taking hits too often, so the Huskies must get creative in the backfield if Coleman and Washington are out.
Other running backs on the roster include freshmen Quaid Carr, Julian McMahan, Ryken Moon, and JUCO transfer Beck Walker. All of whom have yet to see action this season, and you'd imagine them all to redshirt this season, but it's possible that one of them can potentially suit up for this game without burning that eligibility.
3. Can the special teams win the field-position battle?
Last week against Wisconsin, the Huskies were crushed in the field-position battle. The Badgers deserve credit for pinning Washington back with great punts, but mishaps on kickoffs and questionable fourth-down decisions doomed the Dawgs on the start of most possessions.
A blocked punt in the second quarter was the one saving grace for Washington's special-teams unit, but even that didn't outweigh the rest of the mistakes. On the same possession, a miscommunication that led to a fair catch on the Huskies' five-yard line followed by Jedd Fisch's decision to try a 50-yard field goal in awful weather conditions despite only needing five yards for a first down while trailing late in the game were a perfect encapsulation of the kinds of setbacks that defined Washington's loss.
In a sport where offense and defense is assumed to be the primary factors that go into winning and losing, last game proved that special teams shouldn't be an afterthought. The Huskies will need to prove they can sharpen that part of their game against Purdue.