With 7:40 left to play in the fourth quarter, Washington's coaching staff assumed it would get another offensive possession, and rightfully so. The Huskies had ripped off 19 unanswered points to cut the Penn State lead to three, and the Nittany Lions had yet to have a second-half drive that lasted more than seven plays. Despite the momentum lying in the hands of the home team, a miscommunication from the coaching staff hindered the Huskies' chance at victory, ultimately preventing Washington's offense from having an opportunity to cap off the second-half surge.
With 3:51 remaining, Jedd Fisch elected to call a timeout in order to set up his defense for a make-or-break down. The Penn State offense was facing a third-and-5 from the UW 17-yard line,
meaning a stop would give the Husky offense a chance to go down and score a go-ahead touchdown, just like they did the week before at Nebraska. With Husky Stadium the loudest it had been all day, the Huskies were able to get a crucial third-down stop, or so it seemed.
Washington was penalized for an illegal substitution, as they had 12 players on the field. The penalty granted Penn State a first down, allowing the Nittany Lions to run out the clock after picking up an additional first down a few plays later. During his Tuesday press conference, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters gave an in-depth answer to the mishap.
"The team goes out there, and (cornerback) Dylan (Robinson) is out there. Now, if I'm Dylan, I would be out there too, because the entire game he's been matched up with a tight end because they've been going 13 personnel (3 tight ends on the field) and 12 personnel (two tight ends), all those things. And you're not thinking on a third-and-5 to be in a goal-line type defense, so I don't put any blame on him at all, and he's out there, and it's (Benjamin Brahmer) that he's lined up on. He's been covering number 18 all game, so there's no indication from his standpoint that he should not be on the field."
"That's on us, that's not on any player," Jedd Fisch on the 12 men on the field penalty after the timeout with 3:51 in the game vs. PSU.
— Nick Lemkau (@nicklemkaucfb) November 9, 2026
"So that's why, as a staff, we have to make sure that we have all the guys on our sideline, get the personnel from the offense, and then send out our 11 together; it can't be assumptions; it can't be anything. Whenever there is a stoppage of the clock, or a change of possession, we can't take the field early, and that is on me, being the organizer. That is on our staff for being more disciplined, more detailed; it is not on Dylan, but that is exactly what happened."
For context, Robinson had been lined up against Brahmer for the majority of the game, hence the reason Robinson felt the need to be on the field for the play. As for coach-to-player communication via headset and helmet, Walters was only able to talk to linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, who the defensive coordinator mentioned was unable to hear him due to the crowd noise before the play. That said, the fact that Washington burned a timeout to get into the right defense, and still had issues doing so, is flat-out unacceptable, and the second-year defensive coordinator will be the first to tell you that.
While it may be nice to see the staff take responsibility rather than place the blame on players, as Jedd Fisch also mentioned, the staff couldn't get the attention of any of the players from the sideline, it doesn't change the fact that the miscue contributed to another tally in the loss column, and the Huskies' third straight in Seattle. Take into consideration the overall experience of the defensive staff and how far along into the regular season this mistake comes, and it only amplifies it.
At home, the crowd level is supposed to play in your favor. Somehow, it turned out to be the opposite on Saturday, and Washington dropped its fourth-straight Big Ten contest at Husky Stadium. Following yet another frustrating outing, Walters and his unit will look to bounce back against a lackluster Michigan State offense.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Ryan Walters Shares Insight on Crucial Illegal Substitution Penalty
