UW Huskies’ offense sputters again in ‘frustrating’ performance

SEATTLE – The good news? The UW Huskies are 2-0 and their defense has been stout.

But on the other side of the ball, it’s been a particularly sluggish start for Washington’s offense.

No. 19 UW Huskies escape with 16-14 win over Utah State | Box score

After pulling away for an underwhelming 24-10 Apple Cup win over the WSU Cougars last Sunday, the No. 19 Huskies continued to sputter in a 16-14 victory over Utah State on Saturday.

Through two games, Washington has scored just four touchdowns and four field goals on 24 possessions.

“We’ve got to do things better,” UW coach Jedd Fisch said. “We’ve got to execute better. … We’re not scoring. We’re not making those plays. And on top of that, we’re just not getting into a rhythm. We’ve got to get into a rhythm, and I think that’s on all of us to find a way.”

The biggest problem has been Washington’s ineffectiveness on the ground.

Dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr. has rushed for 130 yards on 18 carries through two games, but UW’s running backs have combined for just 125 yards on 42 carries for an average of 3.0 yards per attempt.

“Very frustrating,” Fisch said. “… We have to find ways to run the football better.”

Part of those struggles, no doubt, are a product of UW’s injury-depleted backfield. Washington lost its top two running backs to injuries in the Apple Cup, with Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar both expected to be sidelined for a significant portion of the season.

But the bigger issue may be the Huskies’ offensive line. UW’s O-line was supposed to be a strength this fall, but the unit has struggled to generate much push up front.

That was strikingly evident in the Apple Cup, when Limar was stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line on the final play of the first half. And it was a problem again in short-yardage situations on Saturday – including when freshman Ansu Sanoe was stopped for no gain on a third-and-2 midway through the fourth quarter.

On Saturday, UW’s offensive line also committed two penalties, surrendered two sacks and allowed multiple passes to be deflected at the line of scrimmage.

Afterward, Fisch was asked whether the O-line lacked physicality.

“It was hard to totally assess it – the difference of the physicality versus handling some movements and handling the odd fronts and handling some pressures and handling some twist games,” Fisch said.

“So, I think there’s a lot to improve upon up front with the O-line. I think there’s a lot to improve upon as coaches to make sure we’re putting the offense in the best possible position to run the football. I think there’s a lot to improve upon in terms of developing the running game that really works best for our backs.”

Washington also was plagued by several untimely drops on Saturday.

In the first quarter, running back Trey Cooley was wide-open after sneaking out of the backfield on fourth-and-3 from the Utah State 34, but couldn’t corral Williams’ pass.

Early in the fourth quarter, Williams escaped the pocket on third-and-goal from the 8-yard line and threw to Dezmen Roebuck, who dropped the ball with space to cut upfield and potentially score.

And with a chance for the Huskies to run out the clock in the closing minutes, a wide-open Roebuck dropped another pass.

Fisch called Roebuck’s two drops a “fluke,” saying his pass-catching ability is on par with 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, who Fisch coached at Arizona.

“Dez Roebuck has the best hands of any players I’ve ever been around other than T-Mac, and they’re equal,” Fisch said. “I’ve never seen that happen, so I think that was just a fluke.”

Williams also had a handful of off-target passes in the first two games. That included a missed opportunity on Saturday early in the fourth quarter, when wideout Chris Lawson made a leaping one-handed grab, but landed out of bounds in the back of the end zone.

“As an offense, we shot ourselves in the foot a lot,” Williams said. “… I want to shout-out our defense for the way that they played. They closed out the game for us.”

Through two weeks, UW’s defense has allowed just 12 points and 256.5 total yards per game, while generating six takeaways, six sacks and 16 tackles for loss.

“Defensively, we’re playing at a very high level,” Fisch said. “And that’s a nice complement to an offense that’s working through some things.”

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