Instant observations from UW Huskies’ first Big Ten win

SEATTLE – After a heartbreaking Apple Cup loss last week, the UW Huskies rebounded with a 24-5 win over Northwestern in their first-ever Big Ten game Saturday evening at Husky Stadium.

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UW raced to a 17-0 first-half lead and leaned on a smothering performance from its defense, which held Northwestern to just 112 total yards and 2.1 yards per play. The Huskies improved to 3-1 heading into their first Big Ten road game next Friday night at Rutgers.

Here are five observations that stood out:

• No Apple Cup hangover: There’s always a level of uncertainty over how a team will respond to a crushing loss, especially one as agonizing as last week’s Apple Cup defeat. In the immediate aftermath of that loss, head coach Jedd Fisch acknowledged the challenge in front of his Huskies: “We play Northwestern in seven days, and it’s our job to be ready for that game and never let a team beat us twice.” UW certainly was ready to go. The Huskies had a dominant first half on both sides of the ball, outgaining Northwestern 240-63 in total yardage over the first 30 minutes. Fisch’s failed goal-line play call in the Apple Cup received plenty of criticism this past week, but he deserves credit for how his team bounced back on Saturday.

• Stifling defense: For the third time in four games, the Huskies’ defense kept their opponent out of the end zone. Even more impressive was that UW held Northwestern to just 112 total yards and a mere 2.1 yards per play. Northwestern quarterback Jack Lausch had a miserable second career start, completing just 8 of 27 passes for 53 yards, two interceptions and a mere 2.0 yards per pass attempt. UW’s run defense was just as stout, holding the Wildcats to 59 yards on 26 carries for a 2.2-yard average. And if not for a pair of offensive miscues, this could have been a shutout. Northwestern’s only points were a first-half safety and a second-half field goal that came after a turnover handed the Wildcats a short field. Northwestern is by no means a good offensive team and it was missing its starting running back. But no matter the opponent, this was a thoroughly impressive showing from Steve Belichick’s unit.

• Defense makes two goal-line stops: On back-to-back possessions in the third quarter, Northwestern had a first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line. Both times, the Huskies held strong and made a goal-line stand. The first instance came after UW turned the ball over at its own 33 and Northwestern drove downfield for a first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. Northwestern quarterback Jack Lausch looked like he was going to score on a second-down keeper around the right edge, but linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala and cornerback Ephesians Prysock converged for a tackle just shy of the pylon. The Huskies then stuffed the ensuing third-and-goal run from the 1-yard line and the Wildcats made a curious decision on fourth down to settle for a chip-shot field goal. Later in the third quarter, Northwestern returned a kickoff to the 2-yard line and a defensive holding penalty moved the ball to the 1. Once again, UW’s defense refused to cave. The Huskies stopped Northwestern on four consecutive plays from the 1-yard line, including back-to-back pass breakups by Prysock and linebacker Bryun Parham on third and fourth down. This is starting to become a theme for Belichick’s defense, which also had a key goal-line stand to open its Week 2 win over Eastern Michigan.

• Boston’s big day: It didn’t take long for sophomore wideout Denzel Boston to set a new career high in receiving yards. Only 20 minutes of game time, to be exact. Boston caught seven passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, including four catches for 88 yards and two TDs by the 10-minute mark of the second quarter. The highlight was a deep go route where Boston hauled in a perfectly placed 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Will Rogers. On his other score, Boston got open on a slant route and hauled in a 13-yard TD pass. Boston is already the third different player to lead the Huskies in receiving yardage this season. Senior wideout Giles Jackson was the leading receiver against Weber State and WSU, while Cal transfer Jeremiah Hunter was the leading receiver against Eastern Michigan.

• A few offensive miscues: Very little went wrong for the Huskies, but there were a few miscues on offense. Late in the first half, with the Huskies backed up on their own 3-yard line, Rogers was pressured and called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Early in the second half, Rogers fumbled a snap from center D’Angalo Titialii that gave Northwestern a short field. Rogers also had another fumbled snap later in the game. Those mistakes ultimately didn’t end up costing the Huskies, but they will need to clean up those things as they face tougher opponents in the Big Ten.

More on the UW Huskies

• Caple: What did nonconference play tell us about the UW Huskies?
• Chris Petersen, Brock Huard debate UW Huskies’ failed 4th down
• UW Notebook: Fisch says execution lacked on final Apple Cup play
• UW Huskies coach Jedd Fisch on 4th-and-goal play: ‘I made a bad call’
• Instant observations from WSU’s 24-19 Apple Cup win over UW

 

 

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