3 Keys for Washington's Offense Against Tulsa
After an impressive showing in week one against the Boise State Broncos, Michael Penix and the Washington Huskies must figure out how to follow up their 56-point, 568-yard performance.
On Tuesday, wide receiver Rome Odunze said the offense "left a lot of chicken on the bone" in the first game of the year and a number of his teammates echoed his sentiment. Here's what they can do to rectify that.
Establish the Run
The Huskies struggled to run the ball in the season opener and should try to figure out their rushing game against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane permitted 102 yards on the ground in their season opener against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, but the combination of Will Nixon and Dillon Johnson will be a different challenge.
Nixon displayed an impressive burst while taking just six carries, recording a team-high 48 yards. Johnson struggled, picking up 12 yards on seven carries, but found his way into the end zone. The Huskies had 19 rushing attempts as a team against the Broncos and could end up with closer to 30 carries on the day.
Incorporate the Deep Ball
One of Michael Penix and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's favorite things to do is go deep and Tulsa doesn't have the personnel in the secondary to hang with Odunze, Jalen McMillan and the rest of the Washington receiver corps. Stretching out the defense also could help the Huskies open up more space for the run game, too.
Figure Out the Screen Game
Quick screens didn't work very well for the Huskies against Boise State. Giving the receivers opportunities to pick up yards after the catch and making plays in space is an extra threat that opposing defenses will have to contend with.
Washington's receivers struggled when they were asked to block Boise State's defensive backs on screens, giving Grubb and wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard something to emphasize while game planning.
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