Welcome to Grading the Game. This year, I’m rolling out a new numbered grading system. I’ll try to anchor a “5” as a perfectly average score, considering opponent and overall circumstances. To the grades!
Passing Offense – 7/10
Quarterback – 7.5/10
Offensive line – 6/10
Receivers/tight ends – 6.5/10
Overall, QB Demond Williams was excellent executing the pass game, finishing 18/24 for 226 (9.4 yards per attempt) yards and a touchdown. He was accurate, even in the face of pressure, on nearly all of his throws. He did have a miss on a wheel route to Decker DeGraaf which could have resulted in a TD.
He also took three sacks, at least two of which were mostly his fault. But, remove that sack yardage and he finished the night with 10 rushes for 90 yards, most of it unscripted, including big chunk scrambles in the second half that resulted in a touchdown and field goal for the offense. He looked like a better and more polished version of his 2024 self.
Aside from the miscommunication/bad snap at the end of the first half, the offensive line was solid in pass protection. Denzel Boston certainly looks like a number one receiver, and had fives catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. However, it doesn’t feel like a consistent second receiving threat emerged. Other players had their moments – WR Rashid Williams and TE Decker DeGraaf each had four receptions – but it still felt like there was some explosiveness missing from the pass game.
Rushing Offense – 8/10
Running backs – 8.5/10
Offensive line – 7.5/10
Jonah Coleman was almost unstoppable on Saturday night, looking like a faster and quicker version of what we saw last year. He piled up 177 yards and two touchdowns, showing off his physicality, vision and nasty jump cut. Adam Mohammed scored the first touchdown of his career, in short yardage. Though, his best moment was converting a third down on a 33 yard catch-and-run on a screen pass. There isn’t much to complain about on a night where the Huskies ran for 283 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per rush. The rebuilt offensive line performed very well run blocking, with PFF assigning every member of the unit at least a 75 run blocking grade. LT Carver Willis, freshman LG John Mills, and RT Drew Azzopardi each graded in the 80s. It’s only one game, but Azz0pardi looks like he’s elevated his game.
Passing Defense – 7/10
Defensive backs – 7.5/10
Pass rush – 5/10
Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi had his moments, but was not a consistent threat downfield, averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt, and finishing with 180 yards and a touchdown. Out of seven targets between CBs Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock, Fowler-Nicolosi completed just two passes, though one was for a 27 yard touchdown, a play during which there was some clear miscommunication. Safeties Makell Esteen and Alex McLaughlin played well in coverage. Esteen’s interception was the turning point which allowed Washington to finally get get a two score lead and some breathing room. McLaughlin was all over the field, earning himself a PBU along with his eight tackles.
Despite pressuring Fowler-Nicolosi 17 times, it felt like the pass rush needed more splash plays. While six tackles-for-loss is a decent night, they only “sacked” Fowler-Nicolosi once, and it was because he was forced to run out of bounds. Many expected big things from Zach Durfee against a Mountain West front, but he was anonymous. Jacob Lane was the most effective edge player for the Huskies, with two TFLs and six tackles. But, Washington probably would like to pressure the quarterback more than they did Saturday night.
Rushing Defense – 6/10
The overall numbers don’t look bad at all for Washington’s run defense, but the eye test tells you otherwise. CSU finished with 27 rushes for 85 yards, which isn’t bad on paper. But situationally, they were not great. Colorado State RB Jalen Dupree had 85 of his 95 yard total on just 11 carries in the first half, before the Rams seemingly stopped giving him the ball in the second half. The crux of the rushing defense’s night was the 15 yard touchdown run to end the first half, where Makell Esteen had possibly the worst moment of anyone on the defense in the entire game. No one expected the Rams to run the football in that moment, and it certainly caught the Huskies off guard. DT Simote Pepe got the only decent PFF grade with a 71, and was credited with two tackles on just seven snaps, both of which were stops (PFF defines a stop as a play that constitutes a failure for the offense).
Special Teams – 7/10
Kick returns were blocked well, and Adam Mohammed averaged 29 yards per return. Punting did a good job of flipping the field, and Grady Gross nailed his one short field goal attempt. However, kick off coverage still looks like it needs improvement. Also worth mentioning DB Rashawn Clark who made a great special teams play, coming in quickly to sack QB Tahj Bullock 0n a fourth down fake field goal attempt.
Coaching – 7.5/10
The team had some miscues, but looked physically and mentally prepared to play a Mountain West opponent and won by 17.
