UW Went Without TD For Just Second Time In Dozen Years

Washington not beating Ohio State on the football field was no surprise. The Buckeyes hold a hefty 10-3 advantage in the series between the two. The Huskies also have won just one game in 15 meetings against No. 1-ranked teams.

Yet the Huskies failing to score a touchdown -- for just the second time in 165 games and 13 years -- was a curious development, especially with the potent offensive unit they've put together for this season.

It wasn't necessarily Jonah Coleman's fault. He broke a 34-yard gainer against Ohio State and finished with 70 yards on 13 carries, for 5.4 yards a pop, showing he could run on those guys.

The rebuilt offensive line wasn't necessarily totally responsible either, as it might have been last season. While the UW was guilty of giving up six sacks, the guys up front largely gave Demond Williams Jr. a clean pocket to operate most of the time while he sometimes held onto the ball too long.

Demond Williams reacts to a positive play against Ohio State. | Dave Sizer photo

And Williams had his own successes, completing 14 consecutive passes in one highly accurate stretch. Conversely, maybe sometimes he tries to be a little too perfect and that can hurt the offensive unit with an unnecessary sack.

"I've got to help Demond understand an incompletion is OK sometimes," UW coach Jedd Fisch said.

Yet the offense largely didn't work against Ohio State, with the Huskies held to just a pair of field goals, which is all they could muster last year in a 35-6 loss at Penn State, their only other game without a TD since 2012.

On third down, the Huskies were abysmal, going 1-for-11 in advancing the football. Fisch said there might have been 10 different reasons for the breakdowns, from a protection lapse to facing an unexpected coverage to Williams hanging on to the ball.

"We're not accustomed to that," the coach said.

The Huskies likely will have to face going without offensive tackle Carver Willis, the Kansas State transfer, for some period of time after he suffered a knee injury against the Buckeyes. Fisch will update his health situation on Monday.

Running back Adam Mohammed turned his head into a Husky helmet. | Dave Sizer photo

That would be a substantial loss, considering the Huskies went into the transfer portal specifically looking for someone such as Willis to offer a veteran presence at left tackle and accelerate the rebuild process up front.

Willis is the second offensive starter to go down in the first four games, joining wide receiver Rashid Williams, who suffered a broken collarbone and had surgery but could return before the season ends.

Meantime, the Huskies will try to put a no-touchdown weekend behind them.

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