Pac-12 network’s Evan Moore talks No. 10 Huskies’ biggest problem — but cautions fans against panic

The No. 10 Washington Huskies (1-1) are on the road again this Saturday, this time taking on the Utah Utes (2-0).

Pac-12 Network analyst Evan Moore joined John Clayton on 710 ESPN Seattle Wednesday to recap Washington’s start to the season and talk about what he believes are the team’s biggest concerns.

No. 10 Huskies know they must be better on offense vs Utah

The Huskies began the season ranked No. 6 overall, though they now fall just one spot behind fellow Pac-12 title contender Stanford. Despite their win over North Dakota Saturday, Washington lost ground in the AP rankings. Moore explained the drop and what he views as the team’s big weakness – but he also cautioned fans against panic.

“It’s interesting because I think most people walk away, even the Huskies themselves, walk away from that game thinking it was somewhat of a subpar offensive performance,” Moore said. “However, (Jake) Browning still had his first 300-yard game since the Utah win last year.

“But I think the thing that jumps out about their performance is it was a little sluggish to start, I know going into halftime it was relatively close, and they have yet to really get the running game going. It’s been a big surprise. I think to a certain extent you sort of expected that against Auburn given the defensive front that Auburn is working with. But the inability to do it regularly against North Dakota was a little bit concerning because most of the rushing yards they were actually able to put together in that game came in the fourth quarter in quote, unquote ‘garbage time.’ So when it matters the most, this is a team that has not really been able to run the ball that well.

“I think from an eye test standpoint, which usually plays into the AP rankings, you’re coming off the loss to Auburn and then kind of being a little bit sluggish against North Dakota. I think that’s why you see them fall just a little. Now I think we all have to remind ourselves this time of year, after two games, it’s largely meaningless because the reality is the opportunity they have to win this conference is right there in front of them and there’s a lot of football left to be played.”

Hear Evan Moore’s full breakdown of the Pac-12 in his interview with John Clayton here.