Washington Huskies Head Football coach Jimmy Lake.
Sunday night, Washington Huskies Head Coach Jimmy Lake received a one-week suspension from the university for putting his hands on player Ruberake Fuavai. This incident on its own doesn’t warrant his dismissal. But when added to other issues, it’s the final strike against him.
The Washington Huskies entered 2021 as a Top 20 team, and people were excited about this year’s games. That ended after the first game, a 13-7 loss to FCS school Montana. The Grizzlies ranked ninth in the latest FCS poll, but they lost two games and are fourth in the Big Sky Conference.
It’s been pretty much downhill from there. Since the opening day stunner, Washington is 4-4. They have three wins against FBS teams. Stanford, Cal, and Arizona have a combined 5-14 record. UW beat the Pac-12’s weakest teams, and not by more than a touchdown.
That isn’t much of a bragging point. Worse, at no point this season could anyone say UW looked good or played anything close to a good or complete game.
Washington’s offense is flat-out bad, and the numbers bear that out. In the Pac-12, they are 11th in passing yards per game (172.3), 10th in rushing yards per game (120.5), 11th in first downs (16.2), and 10th with 21.5 points per game. It’s almost unfathomable they produce such poor results with the amount of talent they have.
Blame for the offensive debacle goes to former offensive coordinator John Donovan. It was considered a small coup when Lake hired the Carolina Panthers assistant coach. Maybe he should have done his homework better. Donovan received heavy criticism when he was the OC at Penn State.
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.
Oregon came into Saturday’s game ranked fourth in the BCS poll. They are an excellent football team, and intentionally or not, antagonizing them is the wrong way to go.
Any hope the Ducks might get caught looking past UW went out the window when early in the week Lake said they recruit against “more academically prowess teams” than Oregon does. In effect, he slammed the school and said his players were more intelligent because that’s who he recruits.
Lake later backtracked, saying the media took his comment out of context. By then, the damage was done. He poked the bear, and the bear was even more focused on winning the game.
Sticking with Donovan for as long as he did was wrong. Loyalty is admirable, but it was apparent from the first game that Washington’s offense didn’t work. A change in play-callers should have been made earlier.
Don’t forget about Saturday’s incident. It looked like Lake was trying to move Fuavai away, not hit him in the facemask. Even so, it was overly aggressive, and Lake himself said it reflected poor judgment on his part. Athletic Director Jen Cohen reviewed the video and suspended the head coach for a week without pay.
He’s taking his one-week punishment as he should. The players say they support him, but by drawing the suspension, his credibility is damaged.
Finally, the Huskies 2020 season was cut way short due to COVID-19. Washington won the North Division with a 3-1 season, but a breakout forced them out of the Pac-12 Championship Game. The disappointment is understandable. But announcing they wouldn’t accept a bowl invitation was wrong. The team deserved a reward for sticking it out through very difficult circumstances.
Since taking over for Chris Peterson, Lake and his staff have vastly underwhelmed. According to 24/7 sports, for the 2021 recruiting cycle, the Huskies ranked 39th in the nation and 6th in the Pac-12. Their big prize was quarterback Sam Huard. He is a legacy and committed to UW well before Lake became the head coach.
This cycle, Washington is 8th in conference and 54th nationally so far. They have no five-star players and two four-star players, WR Germie Bernard and TE Ryan Otton, committed to to the program. Neither has a rank higher than 191 by 24/7, ESPN, or Rivals.
Bernard made a verbal commitment to UW in July of 2020, which was before Lake took over. Otton is a legacy and likely headed to the Huskies anyway.
Peterson did a good job with in-state recruiting; Lake has been much less successful. In the 2021 recruiting class, three of the top four in-state recruits went elsewhere, including five-star defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau (Ohio State). But at least they got numbers two, five, six, and seven. Among this year’s class, Otton is the highest ranked at number five. Two of the top four are committed to Oregon and Notre Dame, respectively, while the other two remain undecided.
One other consequence of Lake’s actions on Saturday will show up in recruiting. Coaches from other schools Washington is competing with for recruits will show the film of Lake and Fuavai and say, “Do you really want to play for a guy like that?”
To sum up, the Wahington Huskies football team is a disappointment on the field. They had a predictable and unproductive offense that Lake stood by for way too long. He made questionable decisions both on and off the field. Recruiting is in a tailspin.
If the Washington Huskies were winning to the tune of 8-1 or 7-2, most of this wouldn’t be an issue. But they are 4-5 and combined it’s bad.
Washington has a product that isn’t just bad but is also boring. Because of their poor recruiting, there isn’t much hope things get better any time soon. That’s a deadly combination for a college football team because it fosters apathy among the fans. Apathy means fans don’t come to games and don’t spend money to support the program. Cohen can’t let that happen.
People around the athletic department and most fans believe Lake is a good guy. He earned his appointment to the head coaching position when Chris Peterson left college football. Unfortunately, Lake wasn’t able to step up to the job.
Cohen needs a win, especially with the mega-decline of the men’s basketball team. Firing Jimmy Lake means a clean slate and something the fans need, hope. She needs a top-shelf hire who can fire up Huskies Nation with his arrival.
Washington is a good coaching job. There are many reasons why a top coach can win with the Huskies. UW is a Power 5 school, has first-class facilities (maybe not like Oregon, but that’s another story), a rabid fan base, good in-state football talent, and most importantly, money. Peterson showed that the right man could have success.
Do you think the Washington Huskies should fire Jimmy Lake? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.