With Saturday creeping closer and closer it’s time to reach out to my fellow SB Nation bloggers and get some answers to the pertinent questions before kickoff. Today, I’m sharing a Q&A from UW Dawg Pound
courtesy of Mark Schafer. Feel free to hop over there and say hi.
How would you describe Washington’s season so far?
I would say that it’s been an improvement over last year, but the frustrating part is that the same issues keep cropping up for Fisch. Poor play calling when the gameplan gets thrown off, a tendency to commit silly penalties and mediocre-to bad special teams have continued with this team. Last week was by far the most frustrating loss of the season and it shows that Fisch’s teams don’t get up to play on the road, which is a shame because we have talent on the roster! We have good, young players who can make an impact. But what kills the Huskies is the same as what killed them last year!
Washington hired Ryan Walters in the offseason after he was fired by Purdue. How has he done with the defense?
Walters was sold to Husky fans as being an elite DC and a developer of pro talent, based on his years at Illinois. So far, I would say he’s been just okay. There’s been an improvement week to week but I’m not sure he’s got the guys to fit the scheme he wants to run here at UW, which is similar to the one he’s run everywhere. Not yet
anyway, and that has resulted in some growing pains, allowing big plays on 3rd and long, plus tackling issues. So I would say that he has been just okay and if he stays, this season is something to build upon.
Speaking of the defense, what units are the strengths of weaknesses of the Washington defense?
This defense has a lot of talent, particularly in the secondary. Corners Ephesians Prysock and Tacario Davis are both 6’4” and are nightmares in man coverage. Safety Alex McLaughlin is an all around weapon. He can fly to the ball and make tackles (he’s the team leader with 68), and force turnovers(he’s got 2 interceptions, including a pick 6!). There’s also 6th year starter Makell Esteen, giving the Huskies experience in that regard. Esteen also has 2 interceptions. The young guys on this unit also have a ton of potential, with Rahshawn Clark and Rylon Dillard-Allen seen as the future of the program on defense. The weakest unit, I would say, would be the defensive line or
linebacker positions. There’s talent there (Edges Zach Durfee and Jacob Lane, IDL Anterio Thompson), but the sack numbers are really low and, even though we get pressure, they were low last year as well. The defense as a whole has also been marred by penalty issues, turning 3rd and longs into 3rd and manageable. This is a solid defense, not elite, and there is room to improve in the future. But it remains to be seen whether or not they can get back to that elite level of the Death Row Dawgs from a decade ago!
The Washington offense managed just 10 points against moribound Wisconsin last week. What happened there and it is emblematic of a bigger problem or was that an aberration?
What happened was an amalgamation of all the shortcomings of Jedd Fisch as a whole. He calls the plays on offense, and that was probably his worst effort in that regard. Sure, there was also the weather and the injuries piling up (particularly to Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston, but also along the offensive line), but it starts with the man at the top, especially when he’s in charge of the offense. It’s like when the gameplan gets thrown off, he panics and doesn’t know how to adjust. And at this point, it’s a pattern. If you’re 2-8 on the road in your tenure and lose in the exact same way, it gets extra frustrating. I don’t know what can be done to fix it, but hiring more experienced support staff on the offensive side of the ball is a start.
Who on the offensive side of the football will Purdue need to look out for?
The number one player to watch is Demond Williams, the electric quarterback who really provides an extra dimension with both his arm and his speed running the ball. He can make the tough throws, and has also shown great elusiveness to evade sacks, something that has made him an exciting player to watch. Assuming they’re healthy enough to go, Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston are also the main weapons on offense. Coleman boasts great power, good cut moves, and excellent vision to avoid getting tackled, and even when tackled, Coleman is extremely tough to bring down with just one guy, falling forward to gain the extra yards. Denzel Boston has followed through on the promise he’d shown as a young up and comer, sitting behind the likes of Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan. He shows great route running, acceleration and hands, looking exceptionally smooth catching the ball. His 6’4” frame allows him to excel at getting those 50/50 balls away from defenders and he shows deceptive speed after the catch. Aside from him, the young receiver duo of Dezmen Roebuck and Raiden Vines-Bright have shown promise this year, and have seen their playing time increase as a result. Roebuck is especially sure handed and a great route runner, and should be a nice successor to Boston in that WR1 spot provided he sticks with the program. Decker Degraaf is a great, athletic tight end, and Adam Mohammed is a good backup running back, complimenting Coleman with his straight ahead power!
If you couldn’t watch the game and wake up to see Purdue won, what would be your best guess as to how it happened?
I would first reason that Coach Fisch didn’t call a good enough game, somebody had gotten hurt or the Huskies just came out flat at home. I’d look at Demond’s stats, and see if he was still as efficient as he has been for most of the year. If not, if he had a game like he did at Michigan for example, there’s answer number one. I’d also look at the penalties. If they were a high enough number that would also be another possibility. But, if I saw a large yardage discrepancy, I would assume that coach Fisch didn’t call a good game, or mix up his scheme, or the defense took advantage of an offensive line that was down to their second string guys. One thing’s for sure, if
Coach Fisch lost this game, the noise around whether he will stay committed to UW will continue to grow louder.
What’s your prediction for Saturday?
This is a Husky team fresh off an embarrassing loss, and one who is looking to get right, because if they don’t, all the positive momentum they had from the Illinois game will crumble. I hope that they will, even if they are shorthanded. Expect a still rebuilding Purdue team to keep it close in the first half, before Demond works his magic and shuts the door in the second half, with the defense giving up a garbage time touchdown. Washington-35, Purdue-24
