Four Things About Husky Football That Needed Fixing

Since last season ended, Jedd Fisch continually has trumpeted the gains made by his University of Washington football team, how it finished 9-4, which was an increase of three wins over his first season in Montlake.

It wasn't until Big Ten Media Days last week that the third-year UW coach acknowledged that things could have been decidedly better for the Huskies.

"We won nine games, but there were some opportunities there we didn't take advantage of," Fisch said on the Big Ten Network. "We missed some that could have led to some special moments in our second year."

Clearly, the Huskies let one get away to an inferior opponent at Wisconsin, winner of just two of eight games coming in. Snow flurries and multiple injuries aside, they should have battered the Badgers that day in Madison.

Yet there were obvious reasons the UW lost each of those four games last season, stuff that for the most part can be rectified as the Huskies try to become much more competitive with the upper echelon of the conference.

The following is a breakdown of the 2025 breakdowns and what could be solutions for those four losses.

UW edge rusher Zach Durfee chases Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin before getting hurt in their 2025 game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

OHIO STATE 24, WASHINGTON 6

Face it, the Buckeyes came in to Husky Stadium as the nation's No. 1-ranked team and the UW has never beaten one of them. The Huskies are 0-15 against the top entry in the polls.

Yet in this match-up, the Huskies hung with Ohio State for a half, trailing just 7-3. What led to their demise was losing two physical starters, offensive tackle Carver Willis and edge rusher Zach Durfee, to second-quarter injuries.

Willis and Durfee each are now in the NFL. The UW could ill afford to lose two starters against the powerful Buckeyes, let alone two that were pro football bound.

While this game inevitably got away from Fisch's crew, it reminded everyone how much depth can distinguish the good from the great teams.

The Huskies probably weren't going to win this game no matter what, even if Willis and Durfee had finished it. Yet they stood a much better chance had they been able to turn to someone such as Sam Houston State transfer tackle Kolt Dieterich and then injured edge rusher Russell Davis II to pull replacement snaps.

Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) stands in the pocket against Michigan in their 2025 game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

MICHIGAN 24, WASHINGTON 7

For the second year in a row, the Wolverines were there for the taking. Unlike their rousing 27-17 victory in Seattle in 2024, the Huskies let this one get away in Ann Arbor, beginning late in the third quarter.

With the game tied 7-7, UW quarterback Demond Williams Jr. had a career meltdown. The then sophomore, making his ninth career start, served up interceptions rapid-fire on three of four possessions, throwing the ball behind Decker DeGraaf, right to a Michigan linebacker Cole Sullivan and off the hands of Denzel Boston.

The young signal-caller simply came unglued in front of a crowd of 110,701 against a two-loss Wolverines team that would fire its coach at the season's end.

The solution here is maturity. Hopefully for the Huskies, Williams had his one face-plant and he'll maintain his pocket cool from here on out.

Luke Dunne gets roughed up against Illinois on a punt-block try. | Dan Raley photo

WISCONSIN 13, WASHINGTON 10

The UW led 10-3 at halftime, then it began to snow. No big deal. As their name suggests, the Huskies are made for this weather.

While Jonah Coleman and Landen Hatchett were hurt and didn't play long, and the offense sort of floundered, what really hurt Fisch's team was the punting game.

This contest probably signaled the beginning of the end to Luke Dunne as the UW punter. Out of five kicks, he sent the ball 38, 33 and 26 yards, affecting field position in a close game. While he has a strong leg, Dunne simply didn't do well under pressure all season.

This probably played a big part in the offseason decision for the Huskies to find another punter in Hunter Greene from San Diego State, who was sixth in the nation with a 47-yard average.

OREGON 26, WASHINGTON 14

The Huskies were trailing 19-14 with 8:54 left to play in Montlake when Boston caught a 14-yard touchdown pass. With momentum, now all they needed was a stop to get the crowd really into it and maybe pull out an upset victory.

Instead, the Ducks responding by going after the most vulnerable link on the UW defense that day -- freshman cornerback Dylan Robinson. They sent a 64-yard touchdown pass to Malik Benson, who zipped past Robinson and others on his way to the end zone and a clinching score.

All game long, Oregon picked on Robinson, who was starting in place of injured senior Tacario Davis, and he received a career baptism the visitors seem to have scripted coming in. A healthy Davis, a third-round draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals, might have had a different outcome.

Maturity again is the answer, with the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Robinson likely considering this moment a one-off as he develops into an NFL defender. During spring ball, his coaches referred to him as a first-round draft pick in the making.

Both Robinson and Benson stand to meet again in Eugene two days after Thanksgiving.

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