UW Passing Game Doesn't Pass Muster Until End of Scrimmage

Kalen DeBoer indicated the scrimmage portions for previous University of Washington spring football practices were off limits because he wasn't ready to have the media and others critique them.

Well, the new Husky coach should have waited another week.

In controlled game-like conditions on Saturday, the UW struggled mightily to get its passing game going until the very end of the two-hour workout, which presented fans and reporters with a preview.

All three of DeBoer's quarterbacks either struggled to deliver the ball or the receivers couldn't hang on to their throws. For the longest time, play after play elicited only groans from the modest gathering of a couple hundred curious people who came out for a look.

At least the weather cooperated, providing ideal conditions.

In one agonizing stretch, Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. missed all four of his throws, returning starter Dylan Morris threw a pair of incompletions in as many attempts and redshirt freshman Sam Huard went 1-for-6 on his passes — his only completion coming on a 15-yarder to Taj Davis.

That's a painful 1 for 12. With witnesses.

That made the coaching staff impatient and the fans, media and invited high school coaches began to squirm as they sensed the frustration. In the attached video, Husky fan Mike Cowan offered his take on this.

It might have been only coincidence that the UW quarterbacks right away were ushered to a box-like contraption to work on their accuracy, throwing at an opening and a target on the front that altogether looked like it belonged at a county fair.

Finally in the final scrimmage segment, the UW seemed to iron things out as Penix threw a pair of touchdown passes to Giles Jackson and Morris supplied one of his own, while Huard finished with an interception to Julius Irvin and never got going.

Starting on his own 33, Penix drove the Huskies down the field, largely relying on a 38-yard toss to running back Jay'Veon Sunday, and finishing up with a 5-yard scoring pass to Jackson running open across the back of the end zone.

Morris matched him with a 67-yard drive that ended up with 46-yard TD pass to sophomore walk-on Nick Juran, beating cornerback Zakhari Spears, who walked away clapping his hands hard in frustration.

After Huard put a ball up for grabs on his first play and Irvin stole it, Penix took his group 67 yards for a 20-yard scoring pass to Jackson in the right corner, with defensive backs Makell Esteen and Dyson McCutcheon victimized on the play.

Counting their former schools, Penix to Jackson brought a Big Ten aerial connection — Indiana to Michigan — to the Huskies.

It was encouraging that Jackson was able to finish in a positive manner. A half hour earlier, he went down hard on the turf after Morris missed him with a pass and he didn't get up right away. He remained doubled over, then continually stretched own his leg, before a coach or trainer walked him off the field and DeBoer came over to check on him.

Cornerback Jacobe Covington, who ran with the first-unit defense in the scrimmage, came up limping badly on a pass play that he defended and was helped off. However, he returned to put a timely hit on Rome Odunze and break up a pass play from Huard.

Saturday's scrimmage segments were interspersed into a full slate of fast-paced drills. Hitting was controlled, with players wearing helmets, shoulder pads and shorts.

A dozen players missed the workout, with redshirt freshman guard Myles Murao the only new face on the sidelines. Wearing a brace, he presumably is dealing with a knee issue.

DeBoer wasn't available to assess Saturday's practice/scrimmage. Once it ended, he spoke to his team and hustled away to host his high school coaches clinic.

The Huskies have one more workout on Tuesday, followed by a light walk-through on Thursday and they then close out the spring with a final scrimmage on Saturday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. and televised by the Pac-12 Networks.

Hopefully, the UW can put on a better show with its passing game next weekend.

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