The Huskies returned from Wisconsin battered and bruised, after a shocking 13-10 defeat at the hands of the Badgers. Following the loss, their head coach answered questions from the media on Monday. He spent most of his presser talking about what went wrong, gave an injury update, and discussed the lessons learned from Saturday’s game. Here are the main takeaways from the media briefing.
The Huskies have several players dealing with injuries
Washington had injuries to two offensive linemen on Saturday. RT Drew Azzopardi rolled his ankle and his return is questionable for this week’s game against Purdue. Center Landen Hatchett is dealing with an ongoing hand injury, and the Huskies will wait and see if he can play with his cast. Defensive backs Rahshawn Clark and Makell Esteen also suffered injuries. Clark’s injury was a hyper-extended knee. He will be examined this week to determine the extent of his injury. Esteen is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, but hopes to play this Saturday.
Jedd Fisch provided an update on RB Jonah Coleman and WR Denzel Boston
Both RB Jonah Coleman and WR Denzel Boston are dealing with lower leg injuries, and there is a possibility that the duo could play against Purdue.
“We’re expecting you know this week to put him (Coleman) through a lot of treatment and be able to play him, but we will certainly really make that a day-to-day type deal. But I would say right now, his is questionable,” said Fisch. ” Denzel, we will see, he rolled his ankle pretty good. So we tried, he played most of the second half. There was a lot of plays that he had to take off and then come back a couple plays later. But we’ll have to see how he does this week in practice.”
After testing Coleman’s knee at halftime, the Huskies decided not to play him. If Coleman is unable to go this week, expect Adam Mohammed and Jordan Washington to carry the load at running back. Although Boston played through his injury against the Badgers, he will be re-evaluated ahead of Saturday’s game against the Boilermakers. If Boston’s participation is limited, expect Dezmen Roebuck to handle punt returns.
The Huskies’ special teams had a rough day
After making his first field goal from 42 yards out, Grady Gross’s second field goal attempt from 50 yards out was blocked. Fisch defended the decision to kick the second field goal, citing that the wind was at their back and moving the ball was difficult. Washington’s starting field position was bad throughout the game against Wisconsin. The Huskies had four drives start inside their own 10. Going against a strong Badgers’ defense, having long fields made scoring even more difficult. Washington also had a tough time flipping the field with its punting game:
“Well, we didn’t punt very well, so not very confident, after the game, but confident overall, from what I’ve seen in practice. We hadn’t punted too much this season, but I was disappointed in how we punted. And we needed to be better there, we need to be better in protection, we need to be better with our technique and punting, we need to get the ball off our foot quicker, and we need to make sure that that whole operation puts us in a position to flip the field, said Fisch.”
The Huskies struggled to punt the ball against Wisconsin, as Luke Dunne’s average punt was 36.8 yards. Dunne kicked four punts total, and his longest boot went for 43 yards. Washington needed him to be better in a game that came down to field position.
Washington’s QB Demond Williams learns lessons from Saturday’s loss
QB Demond Williams had to carry the team on his back without Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston for most of the game. Washington was also down to just one running back in the second half, with Jordan Washington missing Saturday’s game with an illness. Williams had to run the ball and throw the ball to generate offense for the Huskies. He finished the game as the leading rusher with 61 rushing yards, while also throwing for 134 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Unfortunately, the load for Williams was too much, as he committed two costly turnovers:
“We talked about the fact that you know, there were some plays out there. We’re up 10-3, we got the ball first and 10 at the 36. Have a chance to go up 17-3, we don’t need to take risks in a game like that, we felt 17 points was going to win us the game…He handled himself exceptionally well. He learned from every mistake. He learned from success…Obviously, we talked about the importance of ball security, and you know, this is a great opportunity to continue to learn. And I really do believe that every single week he’s going to have a great learning experience, and every single week he’s just going to continue to get better, said Fisch.”
Demond Williams is still only 19 years old and a sophomore in college. He needs to learn how to play better on the road in hostile environments. On the road in 2025, Williams has six turnovers, five interceptions, and one lost fumble. While playing at home this year, he has committed just one turnover, a lost fumble against Rutgers. Throughout the season, he has shown his resilience, bouncing back after tough performances. Williams will look to do so again on Saturday against Purdue.
