Monday marked the start of a new week for the Washington Huskies, and as the team enters Week Three, Jedd Fisch's team is still in search of putting together an offensive performance relative to the standards the head coach set coming into the season.
In the preseason, the Huskies were a popular dark-horse candidate to take a step forward in the Big Ten thanks to one of the most highly-touted offenses in the conference, headlined by second-year starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and an offensive line littered with talent and experience.
However, things haven't gone as smoothly as anticipated through the first two weeks, scoring just 40 combined points over the two games and struggling to create a push up front. Despite a rotation of young
and inexperienced running backs in the backfield, opportunities for explosive plays on the ground have been few and far between.
"I think it's all 11 plus coaching...I think we need to take responsibility for the running game"
— Roman Tomashoff (@rtomashoff34) September 14, 2026
Jedd Fisch said of its struggles over the first two weeks
While expectations were sky-high for the Huskies' front five entering the season, Fisch discussed some reasons behind a few underwhelming showings.
"The offensive line of last year is different at multiple positions, so we need to settle in a little bit as an offensive line group. We didn't have Geirean really all training camp until the very last week. Landen (Hatchett) hasn't participated yet; Kolt (Dieterich) is playing all center right now. And then, we got to make sure that the other three guys, Kodi (Greene), John Mills, and Drew (Azzopardi), all settle in in their spots as well."
While the raw talent up front certainly is not the issue, Fisch suggests that the unit might be more inexperienced than some think. Greene is a true freshman and has started just two games at the college level, both at left tackle; left guard John Mills is a true sophomore, Dieterich is playing center for the first time in his career, and right guard Champ Taulealea has made just one start in his career, after playing in five games as a true freshman in 2025.
Although Azzopardi, center Landen Hatchett, and his brother Geirean provide veteran leadership in the room, it's evident that the on-field chemistry is still a work in progress.
While it's alarming to struggle in the trenches against inferior defensive fronts like Washington State and Utah State, last weekend showed that Washington isn't the only program in the country still trying to find a rhythm on offense. No. 6 Oregon and No. 11 Oklahoma both suffered upsets on the road, as the Ducks fell to Oklahoma State while the Sooners posted just 10 points in the Big House against Michigan.
Fortunately for the Huskies, they have held onto their "0" in the loss column despite the poor play.
Fisch's front five will have one last non-conference game to clean things up, as the Huskies welcome Eastern Washington to town Saturday afternoon, followed by Minnesota in their Big Ten season opener. In a conference that emphasizes the importance of strong offensive line play, Washington will have to right the ship sooner rather than later in order to find an offensive groove, and their head coach believes they are more than capable of doing so.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Jedd Fisch Analyzes Washington Football's Offensive Line Miscues
