Since his arrival at Washington, one of Jedd Fisch's biggest downfalls has been his inability to win big games on the road. While it's certainly never an easy task to walk into a ranked opponent's territory and come away victorious, it's a necessary component of becoming a premier contender in the Big Ten, which the Huskies have struggled to do since joining the conference.
Before Saturday's loss to USC, the Huskies were 0-3 against ranked opponents on the road. While the trio of losses all came in the head coach's first year, when they played three College Football Playoff teams away from home, 10 of UW's 13 losses with Fisch at the helm have come on the road or in neutral-site contests.
Similar to previous road losses, this past weekend's loss to USC
brought inconsistent offensive play and untimely penalties. After taking a 7-3 lead in the first quarter on a drive that started on the Trojans' 41-yard line, Washington was held to just 14 points for the remainder of the contest. Demond Williams Jr. struggled to find any comfort in the pocket, as the junior was sacked five times, including a strip-sack that was returned for a 48-yard touchdown, giving USC the go-ahead score late in the third quarter.
SCOOP N' SCORE ! 🔥
— TBP College Football (@thebluepennant) October 4, 2026
DT Jahkeem Stewart récupère un ballon relâché par QB Desmond Williams Jr et file inscrire le TD défensif des Trojans.
USC repasse devant Washington. 22-21.
📺 NBCpic.twitter.com/daccV3op2Q
With the 25-21 loss in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum dropping Fisch to 0-4 in ranked road games at Washington, the common theme continues in these types of games: the defense provides opportunities to win, and the offense fails to take advantage.
Despite holding star quarterback Jayden Maiava and the USC offense under their season averages in every major statistic, including a season-low 19 points offensively, it still wasn't enough to pull off the upset. Trailing by four with five minutes to play, the Husky offense found a way to convert on a third-and-11 and two fourth downs on their final drive, before stalling out inside the red zone due to a costly third-down sack and a failed fourth-down attempt.
Hindsight is always 20-20, but if not for the strip-sack touchdown in the third period, the dynamics of Washington's final drive could've looked much different. Instead of needing a touchdown, the Huskies would've been able to chew the clock, set up for a chip-shot field goal, and potentially leave the Coliseum with a monumental win.
However, that didn't happen, as the Huskies are now 0-2 in Big Ten play entering a home game against No. 20 Iowa.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Jedd Fisch Still Searching for First Road Ranked Win at Washington
