It was a joyous scene in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night as the Huskies thrashed the 3-8 Bruins on their way to a 48-14 win, to improve to 8-3 on the year. Let’s get to what we learned!
Know Him From Adam
Coming into the game, the Huskies were known for faltering in the Rose Bowl, and there were reasons for that. In the PAC 10/12 era, this game was often played in the early season, sweltering Southern California heat, and the natural grass perhaps posed footing problems for the Husky running backs. However, nobody gave Adam Mohammed that message, as he and the offensive line propelled the offense for much of the game. Though he didn’t get into the end zone, 108 yards on 21 carries put the team in position to score often. And, as I said last week, though he needs development, he’s got something to his game, as his cuts looked sharp, and his power was solid, as he made good ground after the first hit several times. Though Demond Williams made the big plays, scoring 2 touchdowns on the ground and 2 through the air, it was Mohammed that was the bell cow back as he shouldered the load for an injured Jonah Coleman (who was put in during a goal line situation and got into the end zone for the 14th time, leading the conference). Though I do have questions about Jonah’s usage (why wasn’t he saved for Oregon next week, why are we stat padding ,Jedd?), I certainly don’t question the usage of either Mohammed or the speedster Jordan Washington (4 carries for 33 yards), as they again look to be the future of this program’s backfield, along with Demond Williams!
Wilted Roses
One of the quiet storylines of these past few games is how the defense has improved. Coach Walters has this defense working better than they have all year, and I think this game was one of their best of the year. Of course, Alex McLaughlin put on a show, with 8 tackles, 1 TFL and a fumble recovery for a touchdown on a botched fake field goal, for his second defensive TD this year. But there was also very good play from Jacob Manu, with 4 tackles, and Xe’ree Alexander, with 6 tackles of his own. Perhaps most impressively in my eyes, however is the rise of Deshawn Lynch’s pass defense. The big man has batted down 7 passes, pacing the nation, according to PFF. Though that isn’t an official stat, this speaks to the scheme and how it is supposed to be executed. This defense forces turnovers, swarms to the ball, and has DBs can beat you in man coverage. If Walters sticks around, the future is bright! The defense forced UCLA into mistakes, and never let Nico Iamaleava have time to get comfortable in the pocket, and took advantage of sloppy ball handling to force 3 fumbles on the day, their first game with 3 fumbles forced in 6 years. It was as though Jerry Neuheisel’s offense couldn’t get out of their own way, and on every UCLA miscue, points were scored by UW’s offense. That’s the sign of an improving football team, and one that I welcome, because as you all know, I’m tough on Jedd sometimes!
Break the Curse
There are road venues that some teams just have bad luck with. For the Huskies, it was Tempe, Tucson and Pasadena. For one reason or another, there was just bad juju hanging over the Rose Bowl before January for our Dawgs. Thankfully, Nico did not turn into DTR, nor did anybody channel Jake Bobo’s 6 catches for 142 and 2 touchdowns from 2022. And given the road record for Coach Fisch coming in, I wasn’t exactly confident in the Huskies’ chances. But give them credit, they hung in there, did what they came to do, and looked pretty good doing it! Other than maybe a slip on the natural grass and the interception by Demond, the team looked crisp and focused as they dismantled UCLA’s chances for an upset. That showed in the penalty battle, as the Huskies won for the second straight week, committing 5 for 50 yards, compared to UCLA’s 6 for 65. It was a very encouraging win, and one that finally broke the Huskies’ Rose Bowl funk. If this is truly it for the Bruins at the Rose Bowl, then it’s a sad farewell for Bruins fans.
To paraphrase the late, great John Thompson, the Rose Bowl is officially closed!
For regular season play anyway!
Extra Things
- Alex McLaughlin’s scoop and score was the first since Bralen Trice’s in 2021 against Arkansas State, which went 68 yards!
- Demond Williams is now fourth all time among UW quarterbacks in rushing yards in his career, with 850.
- Jonah Coleman is now 7th all time in single season rushing touchdowns at UW, with 14. Next closest is Rashaan Sheehee, with 15.
It’s officially rivalry week, and the Dawgs will clash with the Ducks of Oregon on Saturday afternoon in Husky Stadium!