UW HUSKIES

Instant observations from Huskies’ mistake-filled loss to Iowa

Oct 12, 2024, 12:51 PM | Updated: 3:14 pm

Iowa Hawkeyes Kaleb Johnson UW Huskies Carson Bruener 2024...

Iowa's Kaleb Johnson runs past Carson Bruener for a TD against the UW Huskies on Saturday. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

(Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

After shooting themselves in the foot during a pair of narrow losses to Washington State and Rutgers earlier this season, the UW Huskies appeared to turn a corner last week with their stirring win over defending national champion Michigan.

Instead, some all-too-familiar issues plagued them once again.

Recap | Box score

Washington traveled to the heartland and was undone by yet another crippling onslaught of mistakes in a 40-16 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Huskies finished with a 393-328 advantage in total yardage, but had two costly turnovers, another blocked field goal and another rash of red-zone struggles. It was all far too much to overcome, especially against a high-powered Iowa rushing attack that features one of the nation’s best running backs.

Washington (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) has outgained its opponents in all three losses, including a 452-381 total yardage advantage over Washington State and a 521-299 advantage over Rutgers. But in all three of those losses, the Huskies have scored fewer than 20 points.

Perhaps the most glaring stat: In their three losses, the Dawgs have had 15 possessions in which they snapped the ball at or inside the opposing 25-yard line. On those 15 possessions, they have totaled just three touchdowns and 38 points – an average of 2.5 points per possession.

Here’s what stood out from Washington’s latest setback:

More red-zone woes: Once again, the Huskies moved the ball well before running into another slew of mistakes in or near the red zone. The Huskies opened the game with a 14-play, 73-yard drive, but came away with no points after a false-start penalty and a blocked field goal. Later in the first half, they drove to the Iowa 17-yard line, but had to settle for a field goal after the Hawkeyes ramped up the pressure and forced three straight incompletions. And on the opening drive of the second half, Washington quarterback Will Rogers was intercepted on a third-and-9 from the 23-yard line. Rogers was trying to hit Denzel Boston on an out-breaking route, but Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris undercut the route and came up with his third pick of the season. It amounted to another bevy of wasted opportunities, with the Huskies totaling just 10 points on their first four trips inside the Iowa 25-yard line.

Huskies gift Iowa short fields: In the final minutes of the first half, the Huskies gave the Hawkeyes a pair of short fields that resulted in 10 points. The first instance came when Iowa defensive lineman Aaron Graves beat Washington right guard Enokk Vimahi and knocked the ball free from Rogers for a strip-sack fumble, which Iowa recovered at the UW 19-yard line. The Huskies’ defense held strong, but the Hawkeyes cashed in with a field goal. Then just over a minute later, Iowa returned a short punt by Jack McCallister 37 yards to the Washington 35. The Hawkeyes again capitalized on the short field, capping a quick five-play scoring drive with an 18-yard catch-and-run TD by star running back Kaleb Johnson.

Defense struggles to contain Iowa star RB: Johnson entered the day as the second-leading rusher in the FBS with 771 yards through five games, while averaging a whopping 7.9 yards per carry. Johnson had another big day against Washington’s defense, totaling 188 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He ran for 166 yards and two scores on 21 carries, including a back-breaking 53-yard run in the closing seconds of the first half. If the Huskies had contained him there, they likely would have entered the half trailing by just seven points. Instead, Johnson’s big gain set up a field goal that extended Iowa’s lead to 20-10.

A rough day for the pass protection: The Huskies already faced a challenge going up against Iowa’s stout defensive front. That challenge was ramped up when starting left tackle Maximus McCree exited with an injury on the game’s opening drive. With McCree out, the Hawkeyes feasted on Washington’s offensive line, totaling four sacks and affecting numerous other plays – most of which came while rushing just four defenders. The biggest play was Graves’ strip-sack of Rogers in the second quarter, which led to an Iowa field goal. Max Llewellyn also had a key sack in the third quarter, when he unleashed a perfectly executed spin move and brought down Rogers on third-and-7 from the Iowa 35, which ultimately killed another Washington scoring opportunity. In addition, there were a number of other instances where Iowa’s pressure led to incompletions or throwaways from Rogers.

Kicking struggles continue: Grady Gross’ shaky kicking was an issue once again. After a lengthy opening drive, the Huskies came up empty when Gross’ 32-yard field-goal attempt was blocked. It was Gross’ seventh missed field goal in the past four games, including the second week in a row that he’s had a kick blocked. Gross nearly missed another field goal later in the first half, when his 34-yard attempt sailed over the right upright and was ruled good. Iowa argued that the ball wasn’t fully inside the upright, but the play was not reviewable. Gross went 18 of 22 on field-goal attempts last season, hitting a number of big kicks during Washington’s run to the national championship game. But this fall, the junior has struggled mightily. He is now just 10 of 17 for the season, including 5 of 12 over the past four games.

More on UW Huskies football

• UW midseason review: The good, the bad and what’s next
• UW Huskies Notebook: Updates on Valdez, Durfee ahead of Iowa game
• Huard: Who are the Huskies after first Fisch signature win?

 

 

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