Washington Huskies’ Big Ten transition hits roadblock on road trip to Rutgers
By Ethan Lee
Friday evening’s game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights ended in frustration for Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies. It also started off pretty sluggishly. Basically, there was a very brief period in which Washington Husky fans could enjoy this game, but given everything that happened around it, it wasn’t really all that enjoyable.
And thus, a disappointing 21-18 road loss to Rutgers on Friday night. The Huskies are now 3-2 overall and sit at 1-1 in Big Ten play. And unfortunately for Fisch and Washington, things won’t get any easier any time soon.
There were a few bright spots in Friday’s loss, but there are also some very notable concerns that should be had about Washington at this point. Let’s go over what went right, what went wrong, and what was very, very alarming to see for the Huskies in their loss to the Scarlet Knights.
The good: Washington’s passing attack was brilliant late in this game
It took absolutely way too long for Washington to commit to letting Will Rogers air things out. In total, Rogers went 26 for 36 passing and threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns without a single interception. That’s not bad, but a not insignificant portion of that came in the fourth quarter.
Rogers only threw 12 passes in the first half of the game. In the final 11 minutes of this game, Rogers threw 18 passes. In the final 11 minutes of this game, Rogers completed 13 of his 18 attempts for 138 yards, which is more than he had in the entire first half.
The Huskies challenged Rogers to run the offense and he ran it pretty well, all things considered.
On the receiving end of things, Giles Jackson had the most receptions with seven catches and Denzel Boston had a standout performance with six receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Jeremiah Hunter had six catches of his own for 67 yards.
There’s a formula for winning there. The Huskies should come back to this.
The Bad: Washington’s inability to convert third and fourth downs
The passing game certainly had its moments and Washington’s offense was thriving on the ground as well. Jonah Coleman ran for 148 yards on 16 carries (9.3 yards per carry), but for some reason, the Huskies failed to convert more than just a couple third downs.
Washington managed to go 2-for-12 on third down and then was 2-for-4 on fourth down. It’s like they just completely forgot how to convert and sustain drives. The Huskies did well with explosive plays and took advantage of some impressive moments throughout the game, but they really did not sustain drives well.
Oh! And of course it’s worth mentioning that Washington was 2-for-4 in red zone attempts. That’s not great.
The Ugly: Washington’s slow start doomed the Huskies vs. Rutgers
Look, I think the Washington Huskies deserve a ton of credit for the way they improved in the second half. Jedd Fisch, Brennan Carroll, and Steve Belichick (along with the rest of the coaching staff) put together a dynamic gameplan that worked well in the second half. Those adjustments were great.
But Washington had a grand total of 198 yards and three points in the first half. What on earth is going on with that? The Huskies found themselves down 14-3 at halftime and simply could not overcome that sluggish start, despite the furious halftime adjustments that led to a ton of fun in the passing game.
Going forward, the Huskies cannot afford to start this slow. Not if they want to make it to a bowl. Not if they want to win games. Things have to change. Especially if the Huskies hope to upend the Michigan Wolverines this week.
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