5 Observations Good and Bad from a Flickering Friday Night Lights Defeat

The Huskies have a few areas to shore up as they proceed.

Now you didn't really think this University of Washington football team was going to run the table and go unbeaten, did you?

Over the past century — i.e., when they weren't called the Sun Dodgers, playing before a thousand or so fans in top hats bunched around a modest field, and beating high school or athletic clubs such as Gil Dobie's players did — that's happened just once.

Thank you Steve Emtman and friends in 1991.

No, Friday night's game at the Rose Bowl and on primetime TV revealed Kalen DeBoer's team as good but not great. Somebody to fear yet not run from. Scary on offense, oh so vulnerable on defense.

It's still a football team that can score at will, or did you not notice the Huskies put the ball in the end zone on every second-half possession and cut a 23-point deficit to eight, hoping against hope to get another drive going?

With that said, here are a few observations — good  and bad — following the UW's 40-32 road loss to the unbeaten Bruins in Pasadena:

1. Lack of Discipline

This might have been the biggest eye-opener, but it happens against a good opponent that's pressing the issue. DeBoer's Huskies, who have been coached to death because that's what he does and in order to offset some inherited weaknesses, were penalized 9 times for 98 yards and didn't tackle well. He expects better.

"The penalty thing, I think you saw it, those are things you control," DeBoer said. "The foolish penalties, whether it be an unsportsmanlike, and we overcame one at the end, but it takes more time to score and we needed more time at the end of the game."

As for missed tackles, here's a good bet Husky safety Kam Fabiculanan, who was turned into a human hurdle by UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, likely won't tackle with his head down in practice this week. You take out a quarterback in that instance, don't give him a chance to be a highlight reel.

DeBoer's answer to all of these shortcomings will be to get after it with coaching rather than let the drawbacks persist. 

Dorian Thompson-Robinson this season has 11 TD passes, 1 Int, 171.4 QB Rating and 31 carries for 223 yards while leading UCLA to a 5-0 record
pic.twitter.com/J5dzf76Ig2

— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) October 1, 2022

2. Good penalties

Some coaches might tell you there's no such thing as a positive penalty, but three Husky flags had some redeeming values.

Kicker Grady Gross got called for tripping on his first kickoff, sticking a foot out to take UCLA's Kazmeir Allen off his feet on a 40-yard return. The resourceful Gross, of course, saved a touchdown.

At the end of the first quarter, offensive tackle Troy Fautanu was penalized for holding. In this case, it was necessary because Fautanu prevented a UCLA rusher from getting a clear and dangerous shot on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who needs to be protected at all times, even if flags are involved.

In the fourth quarter, offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten drew an unsportsmanlike penalty for knocking Bruins linebacker Gabriel Murphy to the ground. While his timing was incredibly poor — second-and-goal at the UCLA 6 — Rosengarten, in standing up for Fautanu, who took a cheap shot from Murphy, was a welcome sight.

3. Secondary Issues

This is a primary concern. To begin with, the Huskies don't have an all-conference defensive back for the first time in a number of seasons at cornerback or safety. Injuries have piled up and have forced them to dig deep for replacements.

Consider that cornerback Mishael Powell and safety Asa Turner didn't play, and corner Jordan Perryman lasted only a few plays, with his lingering injury not permitting him to continue. The Huskies still are down three of their original five starters.

So you're using back-ups as starters, especially at cornerback. And if you considered that Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon had eligibility remaining when they entered the NFL draft last April, the UW, in the normal order of depth-chart changes, could be seen as using third-teamers in the coverage slots. The Huskies finished up with redshirt freshman Davon Banks and true freshman Jaivion Green on the field at the cornerbacks when the game ended. Any opposing offensive coordinator would try to exploit these young guys.

There aren't too many options left here other than to get players healthy. The UW defensive back recruits coming in next year can't get here soon enough.

4. Catch Us If You Can

Ignored throughout the preseason when it came to picking out the top pass-catchers, thanks to the lingering residue of John Donovan's ill-fated pro-style offense, the Husky receiving corps of Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja'Lynn Polk continues to show that it is one of the most talented on the West Coast, if not beyond. 

While Penix has considerable skill, these guys continue to make their quarterback look good, especially Odunze, the UW's DK Metcalf. Odunze averages a healthy 102.3 receiving yards per game. In five outings, each of these top three Husky receivers has 4 touchdown catches, with Odunze's total coming in four games.

5. Sizing Up the Schedule

While the fan base was disappointed with the Tinseltown loss, the Huskies remain right on schedule in their program renaissance. A 4-1 record is probably where they should be, especially with a new coaching staff. DeBoer missed a chance to become the first new Husky coach in program history to win his first five games. Yet that's hard to do because most new coaches are brought in to fix things not win big right away.

Looking at the games ahead, the UW should be favored to beat Arizona State on the road, defeat Arizona at home, topple California in Berkeley, take a week off and then handle Oregon State in another ESPN Friday night game in Husky Stadium.

That's 8-1 going into Oregon, where anything goes this year. 

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