By Danny Williams Posted on

Washington stunned at home by Minnesota in Big Ten opener

The first game of conference play tells a lot about a team, notably if it’s ready to compete or if it’ll be a long season up ahead. Saturday night unfortunately revealed the latter for the Washington Huskies (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten).

A quick 14-0 lead by the Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) proved insurmountable, as Washington played catch-up all night, falling 27-24.

“We have to play better, I have to coach better. I have to do a better job of getting the team ready,” head coach Jedd Fisch said.

Washington trailed 24-10 heading into the fourth quarter. UW cut the lead to seven on a magical fourth down conversion from quarterback Demond Williams Jr. to tight end Baron Naone. Minnesota drilled a 51-yard field goal to push the lead back to 10. Washington scored again with 1:53 remaining on a 15-yard Williams scramble, but failure to secure an onside kick attempt meant game over for Washington.

Offensive struggles continue

The 42-point outburst against FCS Eastern Washington proved to be more of a result of the opponent than the unit. The Huskies’ offense hopped back on the struggle bus Saturday night. 279 total yards and two turnovers are not numbers conducive to winning Big Ten football games.

Offensive line woes

Before Saturday, the Washington offensive line had been solid in pass-protection, but had struggled in establishing the run. Seven sacks allowed later, the questions surrounding the offensive line only continue to mount.

To be fair, not all of the sacks allowed were directly fault of the offensive line. Williams struggled to deliver the football on time and spent most of the night scrambling aimlessly in the backfield. The most egregious instance came in the first quarter when Williams forced a throw which resulted in a Minnesota interception in the red zone and a subsequent touchdown.

“I think a lot of the time I was getting sacked or pressured I was just holding the ball too long,” Williams said. “I just feels like it falls on me.”

The run game proved anemic once again. Washington totaled just 40 yards on 27 attempts. Take away the sacks and the numbers still aren’t great: 74 yards and 3.7 yards per-carry. Running backs Brian Bonner Jr. and Trey Cooley combined for just 11 carries for 28 yards.

Defense punched in the mouth early

The lone bright spot of the non-conference was Washington’s defense. In the three games, Washington had allowed a shade above 13 points per game. On Saturday, that number was surpassed in the first quarter.

Ryan Walter’s unit got a tough break in the first quarter when Minnesota forced a turnover and set up shop at the UW 15 yard-line. One play and 15 yards later, Minnesota took a 7-0 lead.

The Gopher’s second scoring drive was much more concerning. Minnesota went 75 yards in just six plays in 3:42 to put it up 14-0. On the drive, running back TJ Thomas broke off a 45-yard run, putting Minnesota in the red zone.

Minnesota scored once more before the break, this time an 11-play 74-yard journey spanning 5:48. Washington was able to make adjustments and allowed just six points in the second half, but the damage had already been done.

In the previous three games when the Washington defense gave up long drives, opposing offenses were often aided by UW penalties. This was not the case Saturday. Washington totaled only three infractions for 35 yards. Saturday was just a classic case of just not playing well enough to win.

“They had way too many yards running the ball,” Washington linebacker Jacob Manu said. “We have to look back at the film and correct that, and use it as a learning lesson.”

Up Next

The conference schedule only gets harder for Washington. UW plays its first road game of the season, heading to Los Angeles to take on USC (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) on Saturday, October 3 at 4:30 pm. The game will air on NBC.

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