So…
That was a wild one. After being down 20-3 going into the fourth, the Huskies responded with a lightning strike of 21 unanswered points in the final quarter of play. Let’s get to what we learned!
The Excellence of Execution
I was
otherwise indisposed for the second half, so I didn’t get to fully sit down and watch it until Sunday afternoon. I remember watching the first half and being dismayed because everything felt…off. Demond wasn’t making throws he usually makes, Jonah was bottled up, and the defense was frequently out of position, which meant that all Malik Washington had to do was find his receivers for big gains. Then, the Huskies became the team moving the ball down the field for long drives (something that Maryland did to great effect in the first half, with back to back 8 minute drives in the first and second quarter). Demond finally locked in to great effect, finding receivers in the short pass game with efficiency, and hitting the medium to deep balls with the frequency that we’re used to. What changed?
The execution changed, because I don’t think anything changed schematically, at least from what I noticed. We were still running that pro-style offense, taking what the defense gave us, and relying on our receivers to make plays after the catch. We just came out better adjusted, and better prepared while keeping contain on defense. Part of that was some stellar play by Alex McLaughlin, Deven Bryant and Jacob Manu (who gets a game ball from me). But part of that was also the play of some of the guys who have been underutilized to this point. Decker Degraaf had a season high 6 catches for 62 yards, as the 21 yard reception he had in the fourth may have been a catalyst for the momentum to swing in the Huskies’ favor. It was incredible to watch this back because, as Andrew Berg said in the UWDP Slack, it felt like a completely different game in the second half! But it felt different because we executed better and more crisply in the fourth quarter, and that was the difference.
Yellow Laundry
Penalties were also the defining factor throughout the game, for both teams. For the Huskies, the first half’s penalties felt like a symptom of a jet lagged team getting outcoached and frustrated. In the second half, though, it felt like the game could’ve swung either way on the outcome of those penalties. A 5 yard running into the kicker with 8:38 left in the game very easily could’ve been of the 15 yard roughing variety. The taunting penalty on Maryland DB Dontay Joyner, while I disagree with the call, definitely took his head out of the game, something that worked to the Huskies’ benefit as Joyner was seen on the sideline needing to be calmed down. If any one of these penalties went the other way, who knows what would’ve happened?
In any case, though the Huskies won the game, 7 penalties for 64 yards is not what you want on a regular basis, and penalties have unfortunately been a theme throughout the 2 years of the Fisch era. I don’t know what changes you have to make from a personnel or game planning standpoint to fix those, or even if there’s a fix, but it’s become noticeable enough for me and other fans to notice that it’s been a recurring problem. Sooner or later, that lack of discipline will cost us games. It’s good that we got the execution cleaned up schematically, but the penalties are a very concerning sign.
“Take The Monkey Off My Back”
By now, I’m assuming that you’ve all seen the Steve Young clip from Super Bowl 29. Young, of course, could never win the big one, until he went out and absolutely thrashed the Chargers, 49-26. In the postgame celebration, Young asked for somebody to take the monkey off his back. I imagine that’s how Coach Fisch felt after getting his first Big Ten road win. And to do it in this way, with their backs against the wall, with most people, myself included, already writing this one off, might just be his best win as head coach at UW. Not because it was a coaching masterclass, but because the entire team overcame almost impossible odds by tightening up on both offense and defense, and making the adjustments they needed to make to win the game. It could be a tone setting moment for the rest of the season, and this could be the moment we point to where we say “this is where the identity of this team came into focus. This is who we are as a team”. I’m impressed, but we need to sustain this momentum before we get too ahead of ourselves!
Extra Things
- Paki Finau and Maximus McCree played an abundance of snaps in place of John Mills and Carver Willis, respectively. It remains to be seen if McCree keeps his spot, but The Seattle Times quoted Jedd Fisch in saying that we’re sticking with Maximus for right now.
We’ve got Rutgers at home on Friday for homecoming! Go Dawgs!
