The Huskies bounced back with a resounding 49-13 win over the Purdue Boilermakers last Saturday to improve to (7-3). On Monday, Jedd Fisch took questions at his weekly press conference about what he saw from the Purdue game. He provided an injury update, praised his defense, and elaborated on what made the offense’s balance approach successful.
Huskies may have two key players return from injury
Against Purdue, Washington played without starting RB Jonah Coleman and WR Denzel Boston. Both players were recovering from knee injuries that kept them out of Saturday’s contest. Fisch provided an update during Mondays media briefing
“I think that Jonah will have a really good chance of playing, but I did think that last week going into the game that we were in a good place for him to get some reps. I think it’ll be the same. I think he’ll be eight days better. So, or I’m expecting, or seven days better, so I’m expecting him to be able to play this week. Denzel, seven days better. We’re going to see what it looks like tomorrow on the field, running around.
He ran around today. Obviously, cutting will be the most important thing for him, so we’ll see what that looks like Tuesday, Wednesday. The fact that it’s a 7:30 kickoff gives us a really full day day of rehab on Saturday. So I do think it’ll be a good chance of Jonah, a high chance of Jonah, decent chance of Denzel”, said Fisch.
Despite the absence of Coleman and Boston, the Huskies dominated the Boilermakers’ defense. Coleman and Boston have been the Huskies’ leaders in rushing and receiving this year. Having one or both of them back will give Washington’s offense a big boost against UCLA.
Huskies provide update on WR Raiden Vines-Bright and two injured offensive linemen
C Landen Hatchett has been unable to play because of a cast on his hand. He is available to play, but the Huskies have held him out as a precaution to ensure his hand is in the right place for him to return. Zach Henning has been handling the duties at center in Hatchett’s absence the last two weeks. RT Drew Azzopardi is still dealing with an ankle injury and will not play this week. John Mills filled in for Azzopardi at the position against Purdue and did a fantastic job. Washington’s head coach also gave an update on WR Raiden Vines-Bright, who suffered a scary injury in last Saturday’s game:
“He’s (Raiden Vines-Bright) doing very good, actually. Very good. He’s already begun his protocol to return”, said Fisch.
Hearing Raiden Vines-Bright is already working his way back to the team is a great sign. Vines-Bright had a scary injury when he went down on the field against the Boilermakers. Medical staff immediately attended to him, and an ambulance came to take him off the field. He had a good prognosis after he was looked at by medical staff, as he was responsive and had movement of his extremities. Monday’s report is even more encouraging as Vines-Bright is expected to make a full recovery soon.
The Huskies’ defense continues to step up
Washington’s defense has risen to the occasion in the last two games. Two weeks in a row, the defense has given up just 13 points. They also limited Purdue and Wisconsin to only 3.3 yards per carry. The Huskies’ run defense has been the key to their success:
“I think they’re doing a great job against the run. A great job against the run, which is now causing teams to have to throw the ball in longer yardages. You look at our defensive line, we’re playing four seniors of the six interior linemen. Going back to the question of, you know, we have an older group of D-linemen, you know, Durfee is older, Lynch is older. And then you look at the outside guys. Anterio is older, you look at, Ta’iTa’i is older. You have guys that have played four or five, or six years of college football”, said Fisch.
Washington’s defensive line play and ability to stop the run have made third down conversions extremely difficult for opposing teams. The Badgers converted just two of 14 third downs against the Dawgs in Wisconsin. The Boilermakers were only able to convert five of 14 third downs last week. The Huskies’ defensive line play on early downs has put teams in third-and-long situations. Washington will need to continue the trend to finish the season strong on defense.
Washington’s offense balance was on display last Saturday
The Huskies’ offense was effectively balanced between the run and the pass in their 49-13 victory over Purdue. Washington scored on seven of 10 offensive drives on Saturday. Their ability to run the ball well in the first half allowed them to take shots against the Boilermakers defense:
“Yeah, well, I think we ran it 40 times. I threw 25, 30, something like that total, but when you’re, when you’re getting the yardage we were getting, our running backs were averaging 5.5 yards per carry. So when you’re getting that type of yardage, number one you’re living in good down and distances. So you’re second and four, second and three, you’re getting first and 10’s often. We only had 10 third downs in the game, were seven of 10 on third down. So when you’re in those positive down distances, you’re capable of taking some shots, you’re able to be a little more aggressive. You’re able to, you know in the passing game, make some plays that you wouldn’t call if your at second and eight, second and 12”, said Fisch.
Those strong runs help set up the passing game beautifully. That brought Purdue’s defensive backs closer to the line of scrimmage, so QB Demond Williams had a chance to throw the ball deep. In the third quarter, Williams hit WR Audric Harris for a 61-yard touchdown pass, following three runs totaling 26 yards. The Huskies’ ability to run the ball effectively kept the Boilermakers’ defense on their toes. Washington’s run game was critical to the success of the passing game.
The run game also helped Demond Williams
Demond Williams had a rough game against Wisconsin, as he had to carry the team on his shoulders. Williams finished the game against the Badgers with two critical turnovers, which proved costly. The Huskies’ ability to run the ball against Purdue took the pressure off him. Williams threw the ball just 19 times for 257 yards, completed 84% of his passes, had two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Washington’s balanced attack helped make the game easier for Williams.
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