Minnesota walked out of this one with a 27-24 win, and the bigger story for Washington was how ugly the whole afternoon looked. The Huskies went in as double-digit favorites and came out with a performance that raised hard questions about whether this team is actually any good.
The quarterback play sat right at the center of it. Demond Williams never looked settled, and there were too many moments where he hesitated, climbed the pocket, and then dumped the ball away or ran out of bounds instead of taking the checkdown.
The frustration is only sharper because this can’t be waved off as simple growing pains anymore. That excuse, as the source put it, “oh he’s young, give him time”!
doesn’t really apply here.
Washington’s lack of a run game made everything harder on Williams, and the receivers didn’t help much either. There was no real separation, which left him scrambling for answers.
Dezmen Roebuck was the one receiver who consistently created something, mostly on screens. Williams did eventually finish with a 13-yard touchdown run and had thrown a touchdown pass to Baron Naone before that, but by then the game was already slipping away.
On the Fox broadcast, there were audible “let’s go Gophers” chants. That landed as a brutal snapshot of how far things had gone off track.
A lot of the blame also falls on Jedd Fisch. His playcalling drew more criticism, and so did some of the personnel choices.
Trey Cooley was singled out as a puzzling option, especially with his 23 carries for 50 yards on the year and his two fumbles in this game. The offensive line didn’t do its part either, and Washington ended up allowing seven sacks.
Through four games, there hasn’t been much push up front, and that has left the offense in bad shape.
The larger complaint with Fisch is that he appears stuck in his system rather than tailoring it to his players. The source pointed to the 2024 Apple Cup’s Will Rogers Speed Option as an example of that stubbornness, and said the same issue is showing up now with Williams being forced into a pocket-passer role.
At 5’10”, Williams has looked better throwing on the move, which raises the obvious question of why designed bootlegs or slide plays aren’t getting more attention. The suspicion, as stated in the piece, is that Washington is chasing Combine tape for Williams at the expense of winning games.
There’s also a broader culture issue tied to Fisch’s “Be a Pro” message and the line, “Play at Washington, you’re going to the NFL”. That pitch may sound nice, but it hasn’t translated into wins, and the article argues this team hasn’t taken a step forward from 2024.
In fact, it even suggested Washington might be worse than last season. The conclusion was blunt: until Fisch and Williams show more, there isn’t much reason to believe the Huskies are headed anywhere.
Minnesota, meanwhile, looked like the more complete team. Drake Lindsey was sharp from the start, opening 8-for-8 and finishing the first half 15 of 16 for 125 yards and three touchdowns.
The Gophers ran for 125 yards, though it felt like more because their backs kept fighting through first contact. They also exposed some problems on Washington’s defense, which missed too many tackles and looked out of sync too often.
The defensive breakdown matched the offensive chaos. The secondary was getting beaten, the line was being pushed around, and communication wasn’t where it needed to be.
Minnesota came in with an identity. Washington, in this game at least, didn’t seem to have one on either side of the ball.
In Other News...
USC Heads To Washington With One Huge Concern After Oregon Loss
USC left Eugene with a 41-27 loss to Oregon in a top-20 matchup, but the Trojans still got a few useful offensive signs heading into their trip to Washington. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt was the most productive pass catcher, finishing with seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown, while King Miller chipped in 74 rushing yards to help keep the offense moving at times.
The bigger issue came on the other side of the ball, where Jahkeem Stewart returned to the lineup but the Trojans also lost Desman Stephens II after he was ejected for targeting on a hit to Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. With Washington next on the schedule, USC will have to sort through both the emotional and competitive fallout from a physical game that ended with Moore injured and taken to the hospital. [Read more 🡒]
Jedd Fisch Just Put Washingtons Biggest USC Concern Into Focus
Jedd Fisch spent part of his postgame assessment of Washingtons 27-24 loss to Minnesota circling the same theme that has followed the Huskies at different points this season: execution, especially on third downs. He touched on the offensive and defensive lapses that helped turn a winnable game into a setback, while also noting quarterback Drake Lindseys play, the protection in front of him and the continued growth of young tailbacks Brian Bonner and Trey Cooley.
For a Washington team heading into a tougher stretch, the bigger concern may be what the roster looks like when the Huskies try to clean it up. Fisch also updated several injury and eligibility situations, including Landen Hatchett, Christian Moss, Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei and Rahshawn Clark, leaving a few key pieces in varying states of limbo. Those answers matter even more with the line and skill positions already under scrutiny, and theyll be worth watching closely as the USC week conversation starts to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than Just One Loss
A September loss can be brushed off in a hurry if a ranked team steadies itself the next week, but Washington has a little more to answer for after falling 27-24 to Minnesota and slipping to 3-1. The defeat cost the Huskies momentum at a time when the schedule was supposed to sharpen their national profile, and now the conversation around the program has shifted from early optimism to how quickly it can recover.
There is also the sting of where things stand in the polls, with Washington no longer carrying the national recognition it opened the season with. The timing is tough, because the next two games bring ranked opponents in USC and Iowa, a stretch that will show whether the Huskies can quickly reestablish themselves or whether this loss was the start of a more complicated slide. [Read more 🡒]