Tepid on Offense Once More, Huskies Squeeze Out a Win

The UW has had two outings now with less than satisfying results.

Trey Cooley agonizes after dropping a wide-open, fourth-down pass, with Jedd Fisch equally distraught on the UW sideline. | Dave Sizer photo

For four quarters on Saturday, the University of Washington football team showed replays of the Apple Cup.

Wind and rewind.

Yawn and more yawns.

All of which meant the Husky offense was virtually a no-show for the second time in six days. Tied up and held hostage somewhere. Authorities are awaiting ransom demands.

For the second consecutive weekend, Jedd Fisch's team played like it was running in sand with the football where, even with the Lake Washington shoreline nearby, there was none to be found. This whole exercise was agonizing to watch.

On an overcast Saturday with plenty of seats available throughout Husky Stadium, the UW won 16-14 but struggled to put away a Utah State team that had lost its opener to a Big Sky opponent and was a near four-touchdown underdog.

That offensive struggles were evident on repeat weekends was extra disturbing for a team that entered this game ranked No. 19 in the nation and boasted a quarterback that everyone tried to bid for in the offseason.

"We need to do things better," Fisch said. "We need to find points."

Said UW quarterback Demond Williams Jr.: "We weren't very good."

DeSean Watts pulls down Utah State quarterback Grady Brosterhous. | Dan Raley photo

When this one was over, the Huskies' offensive coordinator was not given an in-season John Donovan pink slip for continuing offensive failures, but only because Fisch would have had to relieve himself of those duties.

Instead, he'll continue to try and sort this thing out that has put somewhat of a pall over the season so far even with a 2-0 start.

Making things awkward, Utah State outscored his Huskies two touchdowns to one.

Luckily, the UW won the field-goal competition 3-0, with Tyler Robles connecting on three-pointers from 30, 26 and 43 yards, the latter coming with 6:28 remaining in this one and proving to be the game-winner.

During this match-up the Huskies lost two starters in wide receiver Rashid Williams and cornerback Manny Karnley to injuries. Williams will be out for awhile, Fisch said. With Karnley, it's unknown.

In particular, Fisch needs to find a workhorse rusher. His top two running backs from Week 1, Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar, showed up for the game each wearing a sling to protect their respective hand and elbow injuries.

That left the Huskies to start freshman Brian Bonner Jr., who not only opened the game but made his college football debut. He finished with nine carries for just 22 yards.

Yet showing his youth, Bonner fumbled a second-quarter handoff at the opposing 11 that made the Huskies kick a field goal.

Transfer Trey Cooley, still shaking off the cobwebs after two lost years to injury at Georgia Tech and Troy, showed some possibilities as a lead back with his quickness. He had seven carries for only 22 yards.

Cooley likewise had his own slippery hands issues by getting wide open in the left flat in the opening quarter and dropping a fourth-and-3 pass at the opposing 35, with which he probably would have scored.

Freshman Ansu Sanoe made his Husky debut and scored his team's only touchdown. | Dave Sizer photo

It took a fifth running back already this season and another freshman in Ansu Sanoe to supply the Huskies with their lone first-half touchdown. He likewise was making his college debut.

With 6:14 left before intermission, the 6-foot, 240-pound Ansu from the Portland area took a handoff on the fourth play off his career, got hit at the knees and fell into the end zone to put the UW ahead 10-7 in a game that shouldn't have been that close.

Utah State initially scored the way the Huskies can only dream about right now when Virginia transfer quarterback Grady Brosterhous hooked up with Javon Robinson on a 78-yard scoring pass in the second quarter, this TD coming immediately following Robles' first field goal and putting the Aggies up 7-3.

That seemed to open things up slightly, with the UW responding with Sanoe's touchdown on a eight-play, 65-yard drive.

Both sides slogged through the third quarter and went scoreless. In the final period, the Huskies settled for two more field goals, missing out on another touchdown when the normally sure-handed Dezmen Roebuck dropped a ball on the Utah State 5.

Brian Bonner Jr. made his UW debut against Utah State. | Dave Sizer photo

The Aggies made it close with Brosterhous' 7-yard scoring pass to Eli Wood with 1:50 remaining in the game and even got the ball back, but nickelback Rahshawn Clark's interception on the final play put everyone out of their misery. Clark had one of three UW picks along with safety Alex McLaughlin and corner Dylan Robinson.

This was such a weird one that each quarterback led his team in rushing, with Brosterhous running 21 times for 81 yards and Williams coming up with 11 carries for 56 yards, with 36 coming on a lone scramble.

"We're not scoring," Fisch said. "We're not making those plays. On top of that, we're getting into a rhythm."

Everyone's been noticing.