What a game. It had a little bit of everything and objective observers likely truly appreciated the way Washington and Louisville traded punches. Unfortunately, Jedd Fisch and the Huskies were unable to come out on top of the 2024 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl as Louisville held on to win 35-34.
This is a game that might sting for a minute, but it’s a fairly appropriate ending to the 2024 Washington Husky football season. We got to see the potential in the program that Jedd Fisch is rebuilding while also experiencing a bit of disappointment.
To me, that’s a microcosm of what we’ve had all year.
With this game wrapped up, I’ve got a few thoughts. I’m sure y’all have some thoughts as well. Here are three takeaways from Washington’s narrow loss against the Louisville Cardinals.
3 takeaways from Washington Huskies’ loss to the Louisville Cardinals in the 2024 Sun Bowl
- First and foremost, I really feel like Washington’s offensive line needs a bit of help. Maybe that has to do with the transfer portal and the incoming recruiting class. Maybe it’s as simple as Washington’s line getting more time to work together to gel and gain experience. Whatever it is, it’s a problem that Demond Williams Jr. had to scramble as much as he did. Five sacks and being held under 100 rushing yards. Not great.
- Speaking of things to improve, the defensive overhaul that will happen this offseason is going to be interesting. With Steve Belichick leaving, Washington is losing a defensive coordinator that probably doesn’t get enough credit. Washington held Louisville well below its season average of 455.8 total yards of offense per game. And the Cardinals have a phenomenal rushing attack. But there are still issues here that will need to be addressed and it’ll be fun to see how that all plays out.
- We can’t talk about Demond Williams Jr. enough. His game was remarkable. Against one of the better teams in the ACC, Williams completed 81 percent of his passes and launched some incredible passes down the field to throw for 374 yards and four touchdowns. Along with that, Williams also ran for another 48 yards and another touchdown on the ground. He’s going to be a force that Big Ten defenses won’t enjoy trying to slow. There’s a ton of potential there and Washington has some incredible talent to build around with him at quarterback.
With the way the Huskies performed, even with some of the issues that they had, it really feels like the future is pretty bright for this program. While a 6-7 season is a letdown compared to what we saw from the Huskies a season ago, it really looks like Jedd Fisch and his staff were able to establish a strong foundation on Montlake.
Williams, a true freshman, went toe-to-toe with one of the most exciting offenses in the ACC and he came within striking distance of beating the Cardinals. There’s all sorts of talent all over the roster right now that Fisch and company should be able to build around. This loss stings, but things look really good for the Huskies moving forward.