After coming into the year with high expectations for themselves, proclaiming throughout the offseason that their goal was to win the Joe Moore Award, the Washington Huskies' offensive line has struggled through the first half of the 2026 season.
The Huskies are last in the Big Ten in rushing yards, averaging 90.33 yards per game on the ground, and sacks allowed, with 21. Although there are other factors at play in both circumstances, including a plethora of injuries at running back and quarterback Demond Williams Jr. holding the ball too long at some points, the offensive line has seen a significant amount of criticism thus far.
After a standout first season where he earned Freshman All-America honors, sophomore John Mills has stepped up as a vocal
leader of the unit as it looks to turn things around on Friday against a Purdue rushing defense that ranks No. 16 in the Big Ten, allowing 157.5 yards per game on the ground.
"Obviously, none of us on the team thought the season would be going this way," Mills said on Tuesday. "We put in all the offseason work...and you come, and you have back-to-back-to-back losses like this; it's very frustrating and angering, but we just have to push on, and that's what we're doing. I think we have a great mindset about that; we've got to get a win this Friday and just keep stacking them."
With veteran center Landen Hatchett back in the fold, the Huskies should see some more continuity up front moving forward after rotating in several different combinations along the offensive line in a 41-24 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Now, the message is about pushing on.
"Everyone knows that losses are part of life and a part of the football game, so it's nothing new to us or anyone," Mills continued. "It's not like no one's ever lost a game before, so we just keep going and keep pushing, and it's really a testament to how battle-tested we are; we've just got to keep going, and how bad we really want it."
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: John Mills urges Washington football OL to keep pushing forward
