It's no secret that Washington's inability to run the football this season has hindered Jedd Fisch's offense. The issues date back to April, when anticipated starting running back Jordan Washington suffered a neck injury in the third practice of the spring. Since then, the Huskies have continued to be plagued by injuries, resulting in an inexperienced backfield that has struggled to find consistency on the ground.
However, there have been signs of life in the running game entering the final month of the season.
In two of their last three games, Washington has posted its best and third-highest rushing totals of the season, carrying the ball for 186 yards in a 38-26 win over Purdue, and adding 134 in a 28-25 loss to Penn State. The pair of showings
were also season-highs against Power Four opponents, as the Huskies ran for 148 and 134 yards on Eastern Washington and Washington State, respectively.
"I think that a guy like Kolt (Dieterich) comes in and is new to the position; that takes some time to understand and run the whole process of the offensive line from the center position," offensive line coach Michael Switzer said of Washington's improvement on the ground.
"His ability to improve each week has given us a chance to do what we did on Saturday and improve in those ways. I think that, as an offensive line unit, as a group, unique in terms of position in football, you got five working together as one, you got six with a tight end, sometimes seven, you got your halfbacks in protection. There's a lot that goes into it, but those guys are getting more and more comfortable, and especially Kolt as well, him leading the group. But it's been good to see some positive work being done up front, but we clearly need to continue to improve each and every day, each and every game, and we got to do it again this week."
Last season, Washington had one of the more productive running games in the Big Ten, led by fourth-round draft pick Jonah Coleman. In 2025, the Huskies averaged 153 yards rushing per game. This season, it's a mere 93.3.
However, in their last three outings, the ground game has averaged 117 yards per contest on the ground, nearly 25 yards over their season average. The numbers aren't staggering, but certainly promising for a running back room that has been led by true freshman Brian Bonner Jr. and an offensive line that has started three underclassmen for the better part of the season.
While Bonner has led the depleted rushing attack, Washington has gotten several other important contributions. In the win over Purdue, sixth-year Trey Cooley had an explosive outing consisting of eight carries for 113 yards; Demond Williams led the team in rushing with just 28 yards against Nebraska, and transfer Jayden Limar led the charge against Penn State in limited action, taking nine carries for 66 yards.
With the former Duck Limar returning to action after missing seven games with an elbow injury, Washington's offense has already seen a promising boost in production out of their backfield.
Now set to hit the road to take on a vulnerable Michigan State defense, the offense will aim to build off recent performances in an attempt to pose a balanced attack against the Spartans. With both the offensive line and backfield as healthy as it's been all season, the young squad will look to prove that the future of the Huskies' run game is already in the building.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington's run game showing signs of improvement entering November
