Washington Huskies lose at ASU – 4 takeaways sum up Lake as head coach
The Washington Huskies lost to another good Pac-12 team. It was a game that summed up Jimmy Lake’s entire head coaching tenure at UW, and he wasn’t even there. Here are our four biggest takeaways from the 35-30 loss to Arizona State.
The Washington Huskies came out on fire, scoring twice in the first quarter, then went back to old ways in the second. That was enough for Arizona State to wear down UW before seizing control in the second half. Washington rallied late but came on the wrong side of a 35-30 score. Here are our top four takeaways.
On A Short Leash
Dylan Morris led Washington to touchdowns the first two times UW had the ball. Heralded freshman quarterback Sam Huard came in for the Huskies’ third possession. He threw some good passes, going 3-of-5 for 17 yards before Washington had to punt.
The Huskies planned to give Huard a few possessions to see which QB was doing a better job. They weren’t happy with what they saw, as that was the extent of Huard’s day. Morris came back for the next series wasn’t the same confident passer he was earlier, and it cost the Huskies.
Despite Arizona State adapting to the Huskies run game, UW’s offense became more conservative after Morris’ return. On the first two drives, Morris was 6-of-7 for 59 yards. For the rest of the game, he threw for only 92 yards. Why the Huskies got away from what worked early on is confusing.
Speaking of a short leash, why isn’t Kamari Pleasant getting regular snaps with the offense?
Tread on us
The Washington Husky’s defense again had their Achilles heel exposed again. They couldn’t stop Arizona State’s rushing attack. ASU ran the ball down Washington’s throats (57 times) to the tune of 298 yards and 3 TDs. Sun Devils running back Rashaad White and quarterback Jayden Daniels ate UW’s defense up.
White had 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 38 carries for two touchdowns (plus five catches for another 54 yards). Daniels only threw for 90 yards but really didn’t need to pass very often. He was ASU’s second-leading rusher with 53 yards and a touchdown.
Special Teams Race
Washingon punter Race Porter had five punts after the Huskies offensive sputtered. He put ASU in a poor position several times. Porter finished the game with 260 punt yards, including a 73-yard, field position-changing, boomer.
In the third quarter, Porter made his only mistake of the day when he came up just short of a first down on an eight-yard run. And the play call was more of an error than it’s execution. That gave Arizona State in good field position. The Huskies were lucky a) Porter wasn’t decapitated, and b) Daniels threw an interception a few plays later.
Lake in a Nutshell
This game summed up Jimmy Lake’s time as the Washington Huskies Head Coach, and he wasn’t even there on Saturday. Washington got away from a productive offense to play smash-mouth football. It didn’t work. Something Huskies fans could count on for years was a solid offensive line, but despite their talent, they once again couldn’t get the job dob done. UW averaged 3.2 yards per carry and gave up four sacks.
Another hallmark of Washington football is a hard-hitting defense that gives no quarter. ASU quarterback only threw for 90 yards. He didn’t have put it in the air because his team ran all over the Huskies D, just like Oregon did the week before. Granted, there are some injuries, but it looked bad. In the end, UW didn’t have enough athletes to compete with one of the Pac-12’s better teams.
The Huskies have to rebound next week against Colorado. To qualify for a bowl game, Washington needs to win their remaining games. Go Dawgs!