Washington got through its nonconference slate unbeaten, but the Huskies are carrying a defensive problem into Big Ten play: the line between playing fast and playing clean still isn’t sharp enough.
That issue showed up again in Saturday’s 48-16 win over Eastern Washington at Husky Stadium. Washington finished the nonconference schedule 3-0, but the defense was flagged again and again, piling up the kind of mistakes that can turn into real trouble once league games start.
Through three games, UW is averaging 8.7 penalties per game for 91.7 yards. Against the Eagles, the Huskies were called for eight penalties and 101 yards. The first six flags all landed on the defense: three pass interferences, one delay of game, one targeting and one unnecessary roughness.
The targeting and unnecessary roughness calls came on the same play and led to the ejections of fourth-year linebacker Xe'ree Alexander and fourth-year edge rusher Jacob Lane.
After the game, Washington head coach Jedd Fisch said he was "very disappointed" in the penalties.
Fifth-year linebacker Jacob Manu echoed that message and said the defense has to clean it up quickly.
"Coach Fisch hit on it after the game," Manu said in a postgame interview Saturday at Husky Stadium. "There's being aggressive (but) then we got to be disciplined.
Those penalties will hurt us, kind of kept (Eastern Washington's) drives alive. ... This week, we got to work on discipline."
That was the most damaging part of the night for Washington’s defense: too many of the flags extended Eastern Washington drives that should have been ending sooner. The same pattern has been there across the nonconference schedule against Eastern Washington, Washington State and Utah State, even if it didn’t change the final result.
The concern now is obvious. Those kinds of mistakes can get away with you in September against those opponents. They’re a much tougher sell once the Big Ten schedule starts.
Washington opens conference play against Minnesota at 8 p.m. PT on Sept. 26 at Husky Stadium.
After that comes a brutal stretch with back-to-back ranked opponents: No. 12 Southern California on Oct. 3 and No.
17 Iowa on Oct. 9.
In Other News...
USC Faces A Familiar Washington Problem With More At Stake Now
USCs Oct. 3 meeting with Washington now has a network and a kickoff window, with the game set for NBC in the late afternoon from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. For both programs, it is another chance to stack a prominent stage onto a rivalry that has become even more interesting because of where the teams are headed and who is guiding them, with Jayden Maiava and Demond Williams likely to be central figures.
The coaching subplot gives the matchup even more weight. Lincoln Riley and Jedd Fisch have crossed paths before, and Washington has been a particularly stubborn problem for USC in recent seasons, adding another layer to a series the Trojans still trail historically. With that backdrop, this one feels like more than a conference date on the calendar, especially with each side carrying plenty into early October. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Still Has One Big Problem After Its Get-Right Win
Washingtons 48-16 win over Eastern Washington offered the kind of clean offensive response the Huskies needed, with the attack looking sharper and younger playmakers helping drive the first-half surge. Washington scored on nearly every drive before halftime, and the growth was visible in the way the offense spread the ball around and kept the pressure on after an uneven start to the season.
The concern, though, was hard to miss even in a comfortable victory. Washingtons defense piled up too many mistakes, getting flagged for seven of the teams eight penalties and spending too much time under a cloud of pass interference calls, ejections and other discipline issues. For a team trying to build momentum, the improved offense was encouraging, but the ongoing penalty problems left a much bigger question hanging over the result. [Read more 🡒]
Washingtons International Class Suddenly Has A Roster Problem
Washingtons international recruiting class, which looked like a potentially useful source of depth and skill, has already hit an early snag. Boris Tisma, one of the Huskies overseas commits, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA because of prior professional experience, and he has since signed with Spanish club CB Estudiantes. For a program trying to piece together its backcourt and wing depth, the loss is more than a footnote, especially with roster construction still very much in motion.
The opening created by Tismas exit is one reason Washington was able to add transfer point guard Tayshawn Comer, a move that gives the Huskies another ball-handler to work with. Even so, the broader picture around the class is still unsettled, because the eligibility status of Wini Braga and Tristan Devers remains unclear under NCAA rules tied to their different backgrounds. For a team hoping to get the most out of its international pipeline, the next few decisions could shape how useful that class actually ends up being. [Read more 🡒]