Washington Takes Down No. 10 Michigan: Huskies' Defense Shines in 27-17 Victory at Husky Stadium
Washington Huskies secure statement win over top-10 Michigan with dominant defense, timely turnovers, and standout performances from key players.
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For weeks the discourse around the Washington Huskies football team has been about the self-inflicted wounds this team has suffered in its losses to Washington State and Rutgers.
The story from Saturday nightās 27-17 win against the Michigan Wolverines was different. Instead, the story was about the damage this team did to a quarterback-less Michigan team at Husky Stadium.
Since 2022, Washington is now 5-1 against teams ranked in the AP Top 10 since 2022, the best winning percentage among all teams in the country.
What I Liked:
The Defense. The Huskies held Michigan to its second-lowest point total of the season at 17 points. Washingtonās defense came up with two timely fourth-quarter turnovers that were critical in the Huskiesā win.
The first was a forced fumble by defensive end Voi Tunuufi which came just plays after Washington quarterback Will Rogers threw his first interception of the season. The fumble, recovered by defensive lineman Logan Sagapolu set up an eventual Jonah Coleman touchdown that broke the 17-17 tie, and put the Huskies up 24-17.
The second turnover occurred in Michiganās next offensive drive when safety Kamren Fabiculananās intercepted a Jack Tuttle pass, giving Washington the ball in Michigan territory again.
Along with the interception, Fabiculanan had four tackles and a pass-break up, earning him Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week honors.
Through six games, Iām comfortable saying Washington has one of the top defenses in the Big Ten this season. Here is where Steve Belichickās defense ranks in the country:
No. 8 in yards allowed per game (256)
No. 7 in yards allowed per play (4.2)
No. 10 in points allowed per game (13.2)
No. 1 in completion percentage (46.7%)
No. 3 in passing yards allowed per game (125.5)
No. 10 in passing touchdowns allowed per game (.5)
These numbers all come with the caveat that the Huskies havenāt exactly faced the best offenses in the country. But, it would be foolish not to acknowledge that the Washington defense has dominated subpar offenses as you would expect a dominant defense to do so. The Huskies should have a shot to win the remaining games on their schedule because their defense will keep them in those games.
Quarterback play. Statistically, Rogers did not have his best game against Michigan. But as I watched his play in person on Saturday, I could tell he is starting to master Fischās offensive scheme.
In Washingtonās second and fourth drives, Rogers led the Huskies down the field for 83 yards and 74 yards respectively. In the second drive, Rogers went 4-for-6, including a beautiful deep 39-yard pass to Giles Jackson, a 13-yard pass to Denzel Boston, and a 3-yard touchdown pass to Boston.
On the Huskies;ā first play in the fourth drive, Rogers completed a 16-yard pass to Keleki Latu. Then after a five-yard run by Jonah Coleman, Rogers and Williams completed a double pass reverse to Cam Davis who scampered for 37 yards. On the very next play, Rogers connected with Jackson who capped the four-play drive with a 16-yard touchdown.
People have criticized Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch for inserting backup freshman quarterback Demond Williams in the middle of drives. The criticism is based on the notion that inserting Williams upsets any rhythm that Rogers and the rest of the offense is in. Fisch told the media that Williams adds another dimension to Washingtonās offense that defenses have to deal with. I was still skeptical after this explanation. If something is working well, why disrupt it?
After the win against Michigan, I think Williams helps more than he hurts. It seems natural now for him to enter offensive drives, and it seems like defenses can be put into a tough position when having to deal with an entirely different type of offensive skillset in the middle of a drive. The run-pass option game with Williams looked effortless against a stout Michigan defense with Williams rushing for 20 yards on five carries and completing two passes for 44 yards.
The Wide Receiver Room. How good are Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson? Good enough to combine for 158 yards and two touchdowns against an above-average Michigan secondary. Despite NFL prospect Will Johnson in coverage for the Wolverines, the Washington receiving room still found success. It is hard to believe that these two were in the same receiving room that had three NFL receivers last year. As opposing defenses have to game plan more and more against the duo, Rogers will have to rely on other pass catchers, including tight end Keleki Latu who quietly had his best game of the season, with seven receptions for 65 yards.
What Needs Fixing:
Special Teams. Grady Gross improved upon last weekās performance, but his first-quarter miss of 41-yards is concerning. It looks like the distance is there, but he was just wide left, much like the misses against Rutgers. Fortunately for the Huskies, after a second-quarter 28-yard field goal attempt was blocked, Gross hit a 28-yarder in fourth quarter, and a 32-yarder that put the game away for the Huskies in the fourth quarter.
For the second week in a row, Gross attempted four field goals. His services are needed much more than last season. He may improve just through the sheer amount of game reps heās getting, but Iām not exactly confident he will be perfect on the road against Iowa this coming Saturday.
Middle Ten. This game had a chance to get out of hand for the Huskies at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half when Michigan scored 17 unanswered points to go up 17-14. After Michigan converted a field goal with 1:49 remaining in the game, the Huskies offense drove the ball all the way to Michiganās 11, before Grossā 28-yard attempt was blocked.
Then, to start the second half, Michiganās offense put together a methodical 11-play 75-yard drive, culminating in a Michigan touchdown. Thankfully, for Washington, the Huskiesā defense tightened up and held the Wolverines scoreless for the rest of the game.
Who Impressed:
The offensive line. Washingtonās big guys up front have not garnered much praise this season, but they may have had their most impressive showing on Saturday against Michigan. Rogers had enough time to find his weapons on offense throughout the entire game. The offensive line also created enough space for the Huskies to rush for 136 yards against a Michigan defensive line led by preseason All-American defensive tackle Mason Graham.
How do you feel about this Washington team after its win against No. 10 Michigan?
This was an incredible game. I wonder how the outcome would have been different if Tuttle had been in the whole time. Super fun to watch. I bet was a lifetime experience for anyone watching in-person. C'monMARTA!