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Washington Huskies vs. Rutgers: 3 thoughts on UW’s 3-0 1st quarter lead

By Ethan Lee

Sep 27, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch looks on before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch looks on before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies are facing off against Greg Schiano and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. It’s still early, but after the first quarter, Washington looks to be in a decent spot. The Huskies’ defense has held well and Washington has taken a 3-0 lead after the opening quarter.

With a 3-0 lead over Rutgers (and plenty of game left to be played), let’s go over a few thoughts on how this game has started for Fisch and the Huskies. 

Here are three thoughts on the Huskies’ strong first quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

No. 1: Washington’s offense has been efficient and is moving the chains, which is nice

The Huskies have been pretty decent on offense so far. Washington’s offense is far from perfect, but things have been solid in the first quarter. Eight first downs and 116 total yards gained in the first quarter alone? Heck, Will Rogers has been efficient, completing six of his eight passes for 54 yards. Jonah Coleman has added 35 yards on the ground on seven carries. 

That’s not bad at all, folks! 

That said, while Washington has been able to keep Rutgers’ defense off balance all while controlling roughly 10 minutes of game time, Washington has only put up three points. The Huskies have to be better than that.

No. 2: Washington’s defense has been strong so far and that’s encouraging 

The Husky defense is doing a pretty dang good job. Through the first quarter, Rutgers has been limited to just 47 total yards of offense and three first downs. The Huskies have been active in the front seven and linebacker Carson Bruener and defensive lineman Voi Tunuufi have caused plenty of problems for the Scarlet Knights up front. Both have recorded a couple tackles.

On top of that, the Huskies are doing a decent job of putting plenty of pressure on Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis who is off to an uninspiring start of 1-for-4 passing.

No. 3: There is some room for improvement in the red zone for Brennan Carroll and the Washington Huskies offense

Washington has been moving the ball well, all things considered, but it’s not great that the Huskies had to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Grady Gross. This has been a bit of a problem throughout much of the season so far. Washington just simply isn’t getting into the end zone enough.

Not directly related, but Washington has failed on a fourth down attempt, the Huskies have been penalized a bit, and it’s clear that there is still a need to clean up execution.

We’ll see if the Washington Huskies are able to improve in some of the areas they definitely need to improve in. Penalties and execution issues need to be fixed sooner rather than later.

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