Huskies Beat Themselves: Washington's Costly Mistakes Lead to 21-18 Loss to Rutgers

Despite 521 Yards of Total Offense, Washington Falls Short Due to Red-Zone Struggles, Costly Penalties, and Missed Field Goals

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Photo courtesy of James Satterberg

Rutgers beat Washington 21-18 on Friday night in Piscataway, New Jersey. But it may be more accurate to say that Washington beat Washington in the Huskies’ first road game of the season. As Jedd Fisch put it post-game: “We can't play ourselves and our opponent. It's very hard to overcome that.”

The Huskies outgained Rutgers 521 to 299. The Huskies had 23 first downs, Rutgers had 15. The Huskies even had possession of the football longer than Rutgers. All of this, and Washington could only muster 18 points. Think about that. 521 yards of total offense and only scoring 18 points.

The end result was not surprising. I knew this game was going to be close, and even predicted a two-point Rutgers win. But it was a frustrating game because of how the Huskies lost. They lost the same way they lost the Apple Cup: poor execution and undisciplined football.

Before it gets too negative, let’s get to some of the positive.

What I Liked:

Will Rogers’ final drives. Down by 11 points with under five minutes remaining in the game, the Huskies needed a touchdown and a field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Starting on his own 24-yard line, Rogers completed 4-of-7 passes, including a gutsy 30-yard dime to his favorite target, Denzel Boston on 4th-and-2. Six plays later, Rogers found Boston again in the left of the end zone for a touchdown. He then found Keleki Latu for a two-point conversion, cutting Rutgers’ lead down to three points.

The Husky defense then forced a three-and-out to get the Huskies possession with 35 seconds remaining in the game. Starting on his own 39-yard line, Rogers completed 4-of-5 passes to get the ball to Rutgers 38-yard line and to set up a 55-yard game-tying field goal for Grady Gross. Unfortunately, Gross missed the field goal, completing a dismal 1-for-4 night.

Rogers’ experience was clear in these final drives. And it won’t be the last time the Huskies will need him to lead the offense in crunch time.

Jonah Coleman in the open field. If you are a Seattle Mariners fan, you may be aware of the discourse surrounding the Mariners prodigious starting rotation this past season and how it is going to waste because Seattle is not in the playoffs. Like the Mariners starting rotation, the outstanding performances of Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston are going to waste.

As for Coleman, he ripped off a season-high 148 rushing yards on 16 carries, averaging 9.3 yards per carry. I still do not understand why he does not get the ball on third-and-short. More on that later.

The Defense. I’m ready to proclaim that the Huskies have one of the top defenses in the Big Ten. For the first time this season, Rutgers was shut out in the first quarter. Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was 14-for-24 for a season-low 115 passing yards. Washington’s defense didn’t let Rutgers bleed too much clock, helping the Huskies win the the time of possession. Most importantly, the defense gave the Huskies offense several opportunities to score throughout the game.

What Needs Fixing:

Red-zone play calling. I still do not understand why Jonah Coleman does not get the ball on third-and-short. Washington was 2-for-12 on third downs. Here are the play calls and results of those third downs (also including fourth-and-shorts):

• 1st quarter - 3rd and 3 at Rutgers 4-yard line: Rogers incomplete pass

• 2nd quarter - 3rd and 2 at Rutgers 20: Rogers completion to Giles Jackson (no play, down is replayed because of personal foul penalty on Cam Davis)

• 2nd quarter - 3rd and 2 at UW 32: Rogers incomplete pass to Giles Jackson

• 3rd quarter - 3rd and 2 at Rutgers 2: Rogers incomplete pass to Denzel Boston

• 3rd quarter - 4th and 2 at Rutgers 2: Rogers incomplete pass to Giles Jackson

• 3rd quarter - 3rd and 1 at UW 36: Cam Davis rush up the middle for 13 yards

• 3rd quarter - 3rd and 1 at UW 33: Cam Davis rush up the middle for 5 yards

• 3rd quarter - 3rd and 1 at Rutgers 15: Cam Davis rush up the middle for no gain

• 3rd quarter - 4th and 1 at Rutgers 15: Cam Davis rush up the middle for 3 yards

Is Fisch getting too cute with the play calling on third down? There’s certainly an argument to be made that he is getting too cute when Jonah Coleman finished the game averaging 9.3 yards per carry and Rutgers was showing no signs of stopping him. Looking at the list above, I count at least four times where the Huskies opted to pass the ball when they could have called a run play for Coleman or even Davis.

By now it should be clear to the coaching staff that Rogers has issues in executing a pass play within the five-yard line. And honestly, that makes sense. Why would a quarterback be naturally good at passing the ball within that distance?

I understand there’s a need to teach Rogers a pro scheme, but at some point, coaches need to play to the strengths of their team instead of forcing the team to play to the strengths of the scheme. I think the scheme should play to the strengths to the players.

Discipline and Penalties. It seems like every offensive drive there will be one badly executed play or one back-breaking penalty that will kill momentum. On defense, it seems like there is always a bad penalty that wipes away a potential stop. And the worst part of this? It’s a pattern. It happened in the Apple Cup loss and it happened again in the Rutgers’ loss.

Here were three of the worst offenders:

• 1st quarter - Rogers completes a pass to Adam Mohammed. Offensive lineman D’Angelo Titaialli draws a 15-yard personal foul penalty and puts UW in a 2-and-23, effectively killing Washington’s first drive.

• 2nd quarter - Rogers completes a seven-yard reception to Giles Jackson to get the Huskies to the Rutgers 13-yard line. Cam Davis is hit with a 15-yard personal foul penalty for a low block, forcing a 3rd-and-17 with the drive ending with Grady Gross missing a 42-yard field goal.

• 2nd quarter - Lance Holtzclaw blocks a 38-yard Rutgers field goal attempt. Vince Holmes prematurely runs onto the field to celebrate in front of a sideline referee and Washington is tagged with a 15-yard illegal substitution penalty, giving Rutgers the ball at UW’s 15-yard line. Rutgers scores a touchdown on the next play.

I don’t know what the coaches can do except to tell the players not to commit these penalties again. The frustrating part of this is that different players are committing these penalties from game-to-game which means there may be a team-wide issue of players just being undisciplined.

I don’t know whether the coaches can transform this team into a completely disciplined team before Michigan, but the coaches can certainly make the team more disciplined or disciplined enough. If the coaches can’t reverse this trend, then, well, the Huskies probably aren’t making a bowl game this season.

Grady’s worst game. Gross missed field goals from 42, 37, and 55 yards. If he makes one of those field goals, the game is tied. If he makes two, the Huskies win. It was a putrid performance from one of the Huskies’ most consistent performers last season. Something was off, but I think Gross is better off just erasing Friday night’s performance from his memory.

Prior to the Rutgers game, Gross was 6-for-7 through four games, including three 40-yard or longer ones in the Apple Cup. His first two attempts in this game were well within his range. In 2023, Gross was 7-for-8 between 40 and 49 yards and 4-for-7 between 30 and 39 yards. Last night’s 55-yarder was his first 50-yard plus attempt as a Husky.

Gross shouldn’t be this team’s main source of offense. And I can live with a missed 50-yarder. He’s earned this team’s trust. Here’s to hoping those misses are out of his system.

Who Impressed:

Denzel Boston. There is no question who the top wide receiver is on this team. Boston finished last night with six receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. He is producing every game.

Rogers trusts him and defensive backs struggle to stop him in the red zone. Boston has now scored at least one touchdown in four of the team’s five games. And for the second consecutive game he has topped over 100 yards and hauled in a pair of touchdowns. Boston finished the day with seven catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

What are your reactions after the Huskies’ loss to Rutgers?