The Washington Huskies' offensive struggles early in the season have looked uncharacteristic to some, including wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck.
After bursting onto the scene in fall camp before the 2025 campaign, where he earned Freshman All-American honors, Roebuck quickly established himself as one of Demond Williams Jr.'s most trustworthy targets. However, that didn't show up in Washington's 16-14 win over Utah State, even as he finished with 7 catches for 59 yards.
Roebuck had a pair of drops in key situations, first on third-and-goal in the fourth quarter, which would have extended Washington's lead to 17-7, and another on the Huskies' final offensive drive, which would have sealed the game with a first down. In a year where it feels like a lot
of things have gone wrong for Jedd Fisch's team on offense thus far, the head coach threw his support behind the former three-star recruit.
“Dez Roebuck has the best hands of any player I’ve ever been around other than (Tetairoa McMillan), and they’re equal," Fisch said. “I’ve never seen that happen. I think that was just a fluke...we think we’re going to be able to make that play, and you get excited because you see nobody around you, and you just look up too fast. I think that’s execution, but I don’t feel as if any of that has anything to do with the connection, nor do I think it had to do with…that they’re not capable of doing those things.”
Another killer drop on third down, this one by Dezmen Roebuck. It forces Huskies to settle for Tyler Robles' 26-yard field goal. The lead is 13-7 with 12:54 to play.
— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) September 12, 2026
Fisch added that he was quick to put his arm around the sophomore pass catcher, whose role in the offense will continue to grow after injuries to Christian Moss and Rashid Williams.
"He really didn't want to hug me. He did hug me, but I could tell it was a forced hug," Fisch continued. "He was more disappointed in himself than anything I could have told him in terms of how many good things he does," Fisch continued. "That is just a fluke day with weird things that happen. It just didn’t go his way, in terms of some of the balls. I hurt for him because he is so prideful, and he wants to do everything right, and he always feels as if he wants to put all the burden on his shoulders. So the fact that it didn't work out for him the way it could have, I think he’s taking it hard."
“The bottom line is this: Dez is an amazing human, an amazing player, an amazing teammate, and I’m not supposed to have favorites, but he’s one of them, if I did, and I will ride with Dez all day, every day.”
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Jedd Fisch shows support for Dezmen Roebuck after drops vs. Utah State
