There’s no other way to put this, as bad as the Montana game was to open the 2021 season, this has to be the low point for Jimmy Lake and his squad. A shorthanded Husky squad marched down into Tucson on Friday night and barely escaped with a win against an Arizona team that hasn’t won a game since October of 2019. As tough as that is to read and try to comprehend for fans that such high hopes for this team coming into the year, words can’t do that statement justice.
Rumors had been swirling all week that Sam Huard was going to see some playing time during this game, yet the only time he saw the field was when Dylan Morris had to leave the game with a bloody nose on Washington’s second drive. Huard, the former five-star recruit, threw the ball once and didn’t see the field after that. In the first half, Washington ran the ball 17 times and threw it just six, and somehow still gained more yards through the air on Arizona’s defense that came in allowing over 200 yards per game on the ground.
Morris stepped up big time in the second half, connecting with Terrell Bynum for a 16-yard touchdown, and two different 51-yard deep shots, that set up touchdowns for Cameron Davis and Rome Odunze. There was a clear change in Morris’ demeanor and plan of attack in the second half, almost as if Jimmy Lake told him he would be on a short leash. He was way more decisive, didn’t hold the ball as long, and was able to connect on those two deep balls to Bynum, none of which were apparent in the first half.
The defense was able to step up in the second half and stop the run on early downs, and after the Huskies took the lead, they were able to get after the quarterback. A late sack from the defensive star of the game Tuli Letuligasenoa sealed the win for the Huskies. The big defensive tackle, who was without his running mate Taki Taimani, who missed the game with an injury, recorded both a sack and an interception. Zion Tupuola-Fetui also recorded his first sack of the year after missing the team’s first five games due to a ruptured Achilles tendon back in April.
No matter which way you slice it, while the team should be happy that they’re coming out of this game with a win, this was not pretty. All the preseason takes that were shared about the talent on this team were not mistaken, and there has been no bigger detriment to this team than the play calling on both sides of the ball, especially offensively.
It shouldn’t take the better part of three quarters of football to open up the playbook and give this team a spark. Rome Odunze and Cade Otton saw a combined six targets, and the team gained most of their 217 passing yards in the second half. Husky fans can breathe a sigh of relief for now, but the dreaded Stanford game is next…
