Flash of the Future for Washington in Loss at Oregon<\/h2>\nEarly Game Red Zone<\/strong><\/h3>\nTwo of Washington’s first three possessions reached the red zone, but neither of which resulted in touchdowns. Red zone struggles have been a common theme this season for the Huskies, and they appeared early on in this one. Washington’s first red zone appearance was on the heels of a nine-play, 65-yard opening drive that reached the Oregon eight-yard line. But a three-yard loss on first down stifled the possession, and the offense had to settle for three points.<\/p>\n
Two drives later, the Washington defense created a turnover. Thaddeus Dixon<\/a> forced a fumble on Noah Whittington<\/a> to give the Huskies the football at the Oregon 23-yard line. With optimal field position, the offense had a great look at the end zone. But after two negative plays, it had to settle for another field goal on fourth down. These two red zone appearances were not the difference in the game, but two examples of a reoccurring issue for Washington in game 12 this season.<\/p>\nDucks’ Quick Separation<\/strong><\/h3>\nGrady Gross<\/a>‘ second red zone field goal cut the Husky deficit to just one point. But Oregon began its next possession with premiere field position after the kickoff. Twice in the first half, Washington\u2019s kickoff team executed a pooch kickoff. Gross has forced just 18 touchbacks this season. The lack of touchbacks has had the special teams unit looking for other ways to limit returns. They went to the pooch kick twice and as a result, Oregon\u2019s field position early on was advantageous. With a one-point lead, the Ducks began its ensuing drive at the 46-yard line. It took just four plays to reach the end zone. Jordan James<\/a> finished off that drive that lasted just 1:23 with a one-yard touchdown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOn Washington’s very next possession, Jonah Coleman<\/a> took the handoff from Williams and immediately fumbled. It was difficult to tell if it was an issue on the exchange between the true freshman quarterback and the veteran running back, but Oregon jumped on it. The Ducks took just two plays to go 19 yards and extend its lead to eight.<\/span><\/p>\nOregon regained possession after forcing a three-and-out on Washington’s next drive. This time, it took just three plays to go 45 yards and score its third straight touchdown. In the span of just 2:16 of game time, the score expanded from 7-6 to 28-6. From that point on, the game was out of reach for Washington.<\/span><\/p>\nPromising Response<\/strong><\/h3>\nThere was a point in the second quarter where the Washington offense began to look like it was at a stall. Back-to-back drives ended quickly. One was a one-play fumble, and the second was a three-and-out. This was the window where Oregon extended its lead, and it began to feel like the game was out of hand. But the response from Washington following these two negative drives was an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Williams completed four passes for more than 11 yards, including a 23-yard connection with Giles Jackson<\/a>. The Huskies reached the goal line with the assistance of a spectacular grab by the 6′-4″ Denzel Boston<\/a>. At full extension, he snagged a bullet pass from Williams and tapped his left toe at the one-yard line. Coleman punched it in for his 10th touchdown of the season, and a two-point conversion cut the deficit to just two scores.<\/p>\nUltimately, the Oregon defense was just too much for Washington’s offense. The stat line put up by the defense was substantial. Late in the game, the Huskies were out of juice. But the response that Williams and the offense put together after two disastrous drives in a hostile environment were promising signs of the confidence that this offense has.<\/p>\n
First Start for Demond Williams Jr.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Two of Washington’s first three possessions reached the red zone, but neither of which resulted in touchdowns. Red zone struggles have been a common theme this season for the Huskies, and they appeared early on in this one. Washington’s first red zone appearance was on the heels of a nine-play, 65-yard opening drive that reached the Oregon eight-yard line. But a three-yard loss on first down stifled the possession, and the offense had to settle for three points.<\/p>\n
Two drives later, the Washington defense created a turnover. Thaddeus Dixon<\/a> forced a fumble on Noah Whittington<\/a> to give the Huskies the football at the Oregon 23-yard line. With optimal field position, the offense had a great look at the end zone. But after two negative plays, it had to settle for another field goal on fourth down. These two red zone appearances were not the difference in the game, but two examples of a reoccurring issue for Washington in game 12 this season.<\/p>\n Grady Gross<\/a>‘ second red zone field goal cut the Husky deficit to just one point. But Oregon began its next possession with premiere field position after the kickoff. Twice in the first half, Washington\u2019s kickoff team executed a pooch kickoff. Gross has forced just 18 touchbacks this season. The lack of touchbacks has had the special teams unit looking for other ways to limit returns. They went to the pooch kick twice and as a result, Oregon\u2019s field position early on was advantageous. With a one-point lead, the Ducks began its ensuing drive at the 46-yard line. It took just four plays to reach the end zone. Jordan James<\/a> finished off that drive that lasted just 1:23 with a one-yard touchdown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On Washington’s very next possession, Jonah Coleman<\/a> took the handoff from Williams and immediately fumbled. It was difficult to tell if it was an issue on the exchange between the true freshman quarterback and the veteran running back, but Oregon jumped on it. The Ducks took just two plays to go 19 yards and extend its lead to eight.<\/span><\/p>\n Oregon regained possession after forcing a three-and-out on Washington’s next drive. This time, it took just three plays to go 45 yards and score its third straight touchdown. In the span of just 2:16 of game time, the score expanded from 7-6 to 28-6. From that point on, the game was out of reach for Washington.<\/span><\/p>\n There was a point in the second quarter where the Washington offense began to look like it was at a stall. Back-to-back drives ended quickly. One was a one-play fumble, and the second was a three-and-out. This was the window where Oregon extended its lead, and it began to feel like the game was out of hand. But the response from Washington following these two negative drives was an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Williams completed four passes for more than 11 yards, including a 23-yard connection with Giles Jackson<\/a>. The Huskies reached the goal line with the assistance of a spectacular grab by the 6′-4″ Denzel Boston<\/a>. At full extension, he snagged a bullet pass from Williams and tapped his left toe at the one-yard line. Coleman punched it in for his 10th touchdown of the season, and a two-point conversion cut the deficit to just two scores.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the Oregon defense was just too much for Washington’s offense. The stat line put up by the defense was substantial. Late in the game, the Huskies were out of juice. But the response that Williams and the offense put together after two disastrous drives in a hostile environment were promising signs of the confidence that this offense has.<\/p>\nDucks’ Quick Separation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Promising Response<\/strong><\/h3>\n
First Start for Demond Williams Jr.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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