In the first two weeks of the season, there has been no bigger frustration for the Washington Huskies than offensive line play. For a group that spent most of the offseason discussing its goals to win the Joe Moore Award, position coach Michael Switzer stated after a Week One win over Washington State that its level of play was disappointing.
Following another underwhelming performance in a 16-14 win over Utah State, left guard John Mills echoed that sentiment.
"The offensive line has got to be better, starting with me," the 2025 Freshman All-American said on Tuesday. "I think we're there, the talent's there, we've just got to finish the plays, finish the blocking. We got a little bit better against Utah State, but overall we need to be the dominant
o-line that we know we are."
Through two games, the physical dominance up front has not been evident against inferior competition. Washington's rushing offense has sputtered and ranks No. 15 in the conference, with just 241 yards to show over the first two games, 117 of which have come from quarterback Demond Williams Jr., as injuries have ravaged the running backs room.
However, the offensive line hasn't done much to open up holes for the young running backs early in the season, and the sophomore team captain took accountability for his role in the struggles up front and knows what he needs to do to get back on track.
"Personally, I've got to be better at finishing blocks and getting to the second level," Mills said. "It's sub-standard for me, and it's unacceptable, like, flat out. We need to be the strength of the team, the strength of this offense, and right now, we need to be better. I know that we will; we just gotta ID the front right and block them, that's it."
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: John Mills details Washington football's offensive line struggles
