You need a plethora of things to go right when hunting for an upset over the nation’s top-ranked team. False starts, a fake field goal, a poorly executed blitz, and a roughing the passer call that puzzled just about everyone typically lead to the opposite. Ohio State would beat Washington nine times out of ten. But the collection of negative moments ensured Saturday would not be the magical one for the Huskies, falling 24-6 and snapping the nation’s second longest home winning streak.
Blaming officials for a loss is a sports fan’s favorite way to deflect from the ugly truths about their favorite team’s performance.
However, sometimes sports fans do have a point.
In a game where Washington faced a talent gap, it needed officials to be at their best. Instead, the Huskies were penalized for sideline interference, rather than receiving a warning. The flag took a first down off the board on the game’s opening drive. Jedd Fisch was then penalized for giving the officials an earful, which doesn’t happen if the previous flag isn’t thrown.
On Ohio State’s opening drive of the second half, Washington seemed to have forced a three-and-out after Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin threw an incompletion. Still, the drive continued after Washington was flagged for roughing the passer. Husky fans were livid, of course. The CBS broadcasting crew disagreed with the call; the majority of Ohio State media members also didn’t see the personal foul, according to their social media posts. The fresh set of downs eventually led to an Ohio State touchdown, giving it a commanding 14-3 lead.
Of course, it wasn’t all on the officiating. Washington’s red zone offense sputtered after great drives. It could’ve led 6-0 early, but opted for a fake field goal in a game where you needed to be aggressive, but not reckless. Washington needed to play clean to beat Ohio State, and it simply wasn’t clean enough.
All in all, Saturday marked a significant moment for Washington.
Aside from protecting the future of its athletic program, games like this, against a Big Ten titan, are why Washington joined the conference. The opportunity to compete against the best. Ohio State marched onto Montlake with the prestigious No. 1 next to its name, an undefeated record, and a roster that is as good a pick as any to capture back-to-back national championships. Washington – unranked, rostering perhaps the nation’s most underrated trio of offensive stars and an environment that never quite receives the love it deserves – welcomed the Buckeyes, itching for an upset.
At its core, a game like this is a reason why Washington joined the Big Ten. A win takes you from being viewed as an occasional Cinderella (2016, 2023) to an emerging force in one of the nation’s two premier conferences. A loss is representative of a measuring stick, showing just how far you need to go to get to conference championship status.
Saturday showed that the program is heading in the right direction, but still has a ways to go before it can compete with the Big Ten elite.
Huskies quarterback Demond Williams showed why the hype is legit. Despite facing an elite defense, he threw for 173 yards on 18-of-22 attempts with several impressive throws that had zip. As a runner, he was limited due to the poise of Ohio State’s spies. Huskies running back Jonah Coleman ran for 70 yards on 13 carries. He started fast, but eventually, running lanes vanished as Ohio State’s line began to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Speaking of poise, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin didn’t let Husky Nation fluster him. He threw for 208 yards on 22-of-28 attempts. Buckeyes superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had eight catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. On the surface, it looks like a monster game. But UW did a good job on him. 18 of those yards and the touchdown came when leaving him wide open on a blitz toward the end of the first half.
The takeaway from this game is that Washington could have a great season. To do that, the Huskies must seize an opportunity to pick up momentum by toppling Maryland (3-1) on the road next weekend.