SEATTLE — Speaking generally, Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch bemoaned “too many missed tackles on defense, too many missed third-down opportunities, and too many negative plays” after UW’s 27-24 loss to Minnesota on Saturday night.
Indeed, it was a multi-faceted disappointment, one that saw Minnesota take a 21-7 lead after scoring touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the first half.
The defeat came within rare big-picture circumstances: the Huskies were 14-2 at Husky Stadium under Fisch, and 28-2 dating to Kalen DeBoer’s tenure, and those two losses — both last season, to Ohio State and Oregon — came as underdogs against top-10 opponents (and both the Buckeyes and Ducks made the College Football Playoff). Washington was a 10-point favorite against the Gophers.
The nature of defeat, though, looked at least somewhat familiar: UW’s opponent tackled its quarterback behind the line of scrimmage a bunch, and used pressure to force two interceptions, the first of which turned the game in the first quarter.
This is sort of how it’s gone in games the Huskies lose. Dating to his first career start — at Oregon as a freshman in 2024 — Demond Williams Jr. has been sacked 39 times in seven UW losses, and was sacked at least four times in six of those games. (By comparison, UW’s opponents have sacked Williams 17 times in 12 victories.)
Last season, Pro Football Focus attributed only 12 of 34 total sacks by UW opponents to the Huskies’ protection, whether it be the offensive line, running backs or tight ends. This year, that number is four of 10, and against Minnesota, it was two of seven (maybe more like two of six, as one of Minnesota’s sacks came via intentional-grounding penalty).
Of course, PFF is but one data point, and its analysts are not infallible. Blame for any particular sack is open to interpretation — and often more nuanced than singling out one player — even if the offensive line typically wears most of it. And Williams no doubt turns other pressures into explosive plays, like when he spun away from a free runner on a chaotic fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Baron Naone.
The quarterback said himself after Saturday’s game, though, that some of the sacks were a result of holding the ball too long, so I wanted to know how coach Jedd Fisch saw it.