Jimmy Lake’s dumpster fire

There’s no other way to put it. This is a complete and total dumpster fire, and it falls squarely on the shoulders of Jimmy Lake. From the firing of John Donovan (which was long overdue), and his suspension for striking Ruperake Fuavai in the helmet, and then shoving him in the back to take him out of an altercation on the sidelines in Saturday’s loss to Oregon.

I’ve been trying to piece this together from a professional standpoint since Sunday morning, when I was first informed of Donovan’s firing and Lake’s impending suspension. I decided to make a switch at the last minute. You’re going to see enough of that from Mike Vorel, Christian Caple, Lars Hanson, etc. So I’ve decided to take a different approach here, I’m going to give my unfiltered opinions as someone who’s been a fan of this program since the day he was born.

When Lake was originally given the job in 2019 after the devastating news that Chris Petersen was stepping aside, I was overjoyed. All the hype of Lake, who turned down the defensive coordinator position at Alabama to stay on staff was the best possible move. It was very clearly Petersen’s idea to give him the job and not conduct a search, and it felt like the right decision. 23 months later, it’s very clear it was a disaster.

Before I get into the incident on Saturday, let’s talk about Donovan’s tenure at Washington. From the moment he got hired, the move was a head-scratcher. It did seem like Kellen Moore was going to take the job, until Jerry Jones opened up his checkbook, which nobody in the world of football can match. It seems like there was no plan B, and Lake ended up going with an assistant NFL running backs coach, who from the beginning seemed like nothing more than a pawn.

Donovan’s pro-style offense definitely seemed to work, if the year was 2001. He put no trust in his quarterback, and couldn’t even get his offense ranked in the top 100 nationally in terms of yards per game. His playcalling was the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen on a football field. It felt like he ran the same five or six plays over and over again, and if members of the media can tell what play is coming by the formation, it’s surprising that he’s leaving Washington with his offense ranked 112th in the nation in yards per game.

This team has had an opportunity to win every game they’ve played in this season, but thanks to horrible incompetence from Donovan when it came to calling plays, it felt like the second the Huskies were down in any game that the game was over. They’re built to play from ahead, but even against the two worst defenses in the conference, Arizona and Stanford, they could barely muster a sustainable drive. Even the 0-12 Ty Willingham team wasn’t this horribly mismanaged. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, this is the most talented Husky team I’ve ever seen. There are 25-30 players, probably more, on this team right now that have NFL potential. It’s on the coaching staff to get them there.

This coaching staff, specifically Lake and Donovan, haven’t done that, and it’s going to cost this team for years to come. It’ll be an issue on the recruiting trail, and it’ll probably end up causing players to transfer. Three-star defensive back recruit Jalon Peoples was scheduled to take a visit to campus this weekend, but it shouldn’t be a coincidence that as soon as news of the suspension came out, he announced he’s committed to Texas Tech.

Now… onto Saturday’s incident. Under no circumstances is it acceptable to put your hands on a player. What’s just as disgusting is that when asked about it in his press conference, Lake lied about it when the incident was caught on national television. The overarching issue is that it’s clear that Lake has lost his team, because that’s something that would’ve never happened under his predecessor.

Hopefully, the one-game suspension is just a formality while a buyout is agreed to between Lake and the university. His fate should be sealed. He’s come so close to destroying Chris Petersen’s legacy, and this nightmare of a season shouldn’t continue any further. The athletic department has already waited too long to act, especially after the statement regarding the results of their investigation, but again, hopefully it’s just a formality. If Lake is retained for next season, it feels like there will be major repercussions in terms of fan interest and revenue. They’ve already been pretty clear this season after the Montana loss, but the athletic department is dangerously close to another post-Neuheisel dark age.