Washington Huskies: Latest incident should be final strike against Jimmy Lake
Game management questions
Lake’s in-game decision-making has been questionable. Forget about the failed fourth-down conversion in the first quarter, when a field goal would have put UW up by more than a touchdown on Saturday. Oregon’s defensive made a good play, and it turned the momentum. That’s football, and the failure to execute on one play doesn’t fall on Lake. What does come down on him is his late-game decision to punt.
As a refresher, behind 24-16 with the ball on their own 10-yard line and 1:57 on the clock, the Huskies had a fourth-and ten. Instead of trying to make a first down, Lake decided to punt. He was frustrated after three bad plays. Giving the ball back to Oregon meant putting his gassed defense on the field after a very short rest. Even ABC analyst Robert Griffin III was shocked by the call to punt.
This was a one-score game (with the two-point conversion) against a rival; Washington had to go for it. As it ended up, it didn’t matter. The snap sailed over the punter’s head and through the endzone for an Oregon safety which was the final nail in Washington’s coffin. Even if Peyton Henry got the punt off, how demoralizing was that decision?
Where was Kamari Pleasant? Even though Richard Newton is out for the season with an injury, Pleasant didn’t touch on Saturday. It didn’t matter that he leads UW running backs with 6.5 yards-per-carry and 6.4 yards-per-reception averages. Pleasant doesn’t have to supplant Sean McGrew as the starter, but give him the ball a few times, especially with the offense floundering the way it was.