Huskies Make No Excuses for Lackluster O-Line Debut

The offensive line was supposed to be a hallmark for this University of Washington football team.

Four starters back. John Mills as the showpiece player. Drew Azzopardi as a fourth-year starter. Hatchetts everywhere. One of the heaviest lines found anywhere in Power 4 football.

Reality was it sort of bombed in its first outing while slightly reconfigured for the Apple Cup against Washington State.

On Tuesday, Husky offensive-line coach Michael Switzer got in his own stance and took issue with his players' physicality.

"Real discouraging when you look back at it," he said. "Throughout that game, the way we played physically was not to our standard."

That was a fairly tame observation when considering how he viewed the final play of the first half, where the Huskies went for it on fourth-and-1 at the WSU 1 and got stuffed.

"It was very, very disappointing -- it's embarrassing," Switzer said.

While the physicality was lacking, the accountability was refreshingly full on, especially in regards to that mano-on-mano standoff at the goal line.

"I've watched that countless times since Sunday and it makes you sick," the coach said.

Overall, the UW rushed 29 times for 134 yards, but the running backs were responsible for just 22 carries and 76 yards.

Kodi Greene listens to the snap count before colliding with the Cougars. | Dave Sizer phot

So what happened to the vaunted Husky O-line coming in?

Rather than have four returning starters, the UW opened with just two, with center Landen Hatchett still in recovery from a broken wrist suffered last season and his brother Geirean, an offensive guard, coming off a torn biceps muscle in spring ball.

With so many new guys, nerves likely played into the performance. Job familiarity, too.

Landen Hatchett, recovering from a broken wrist, watches the Huskies play without him. | Dave Sizer photo

Freshman Kodi Greene made his first college start at left tackle. Second-year player Champ Taulealea made his first UW start at right offensive guard. Sam Houston State transfer Kolt Dieterich played center in a game for the first time.

While there's some leeway to be expected for all of that newness, there's not much.

"The expectation is the position," Switzer said. "So to sit there and make excuses for it, we will not. We've got to improve greatly. The guys understand that."

On that ill-fated goal-line plunge, Cougars defender Linus Zunk got around Taulealea and made contact with running back Jayden Limar, enabling his teammates to swarm and finish off the play.

Kolt Dieterich had played only tackle before transferring to the UW and stepping in at center. | Dave Sizer phot

Moving forward, the Huskies are counting on the offensive line to push aside all of the bad opening reviews and settle in.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Geirean Hatchett split time at right guard thereafter with the 6-foot-5, 340-pound Taulealea, who was called for three holding penalties, and sharing the job will be their arrangement in the near future.

Dieterich, at 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds, gets high marks for learning the center position in a month's time during fall camp, but his coaches will be on him to master it until the younger Hatchett is medically cleared this month and reclaims the job.

Greene, who goes 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, needs work on pass protection, but he's still an impressive figure for stepping into left tackle, the NFL money position, as a teenager.

The good thing about all of this is the Huskies have a month of home games to get the offensive line in sync before it costs them a game.

Both Hatchetts will play a big role in making that happen.

And Switzer, with his bluntness, will insist that Husky high expectations are met.

Add us as a preferred source on Google