Jedd Fisch Touches on Washington Football's Offensive Woes

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Through the first two weeks of the season, the Washington Huskies' offense has shown little to no signs of finding a rhythm. An offensive line that had Joe Moore Award aspirations has performed nowhere close to the level of those expectations; star quarterback Demond Williams Jr. has struggled to connect with his downfield targets, and the running game has been borderline nonexistent, as the third-year quarterback also leads the team in rushing.

Although sluggish offensive starts aren't out of the norm early in the season, many of Washington's struggles have come in areas that were expected to be among its strengths. Up front, the offensive line features five-star freshman Kodi Greene, Freshman All-American John Mills, seventh-year senior Geirean Hatchett, and three-year starter Drew Azzopardi. Despite receiving plenty of preseason praise from both the coaching staff and national media, the unit has struggled to establish dominance up front, as the Huskies are averaging 3.9 yards per carry over their first two contests.

Following a narrow 16-14 victory over Utah State, head coach and play caller Jedd Fisch addressed some of the issues on his offense.

"We've got to do things better," he said. "We've got to execute better. We had an opportunity on fourth-and-2 in the second drive of the game that we had a good chance to make a huge play. We had a chance on a scramble play to throw a ball for another touchdown. We're not scoring; we're not making those plays. And on top of that, we're just not getting into a rhythm, so we got to get into a rhythm, and I think that's on all of us to find a way to get into a rhythm."

Even with a few underwhelming performances up front, the offensive line isn't the only reason the Huskies haven't established an identity in the backfield. With Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar out for significant time, Washington was forced to turn to sixth-year transfer Trey Cooley, and freshmen Brian Bonner Jr. and Ansu Sanoe. The inexperience was on full display against the Aggies, as Cooley dropped an open fourth-down pass that likely would've resulted in a touchdown, while Bonner and Sanoe ran for a combined 27 yards.

Youth and injuries have plagued more than just the running backs, as the receiving corps has now lost two starters in just as many games. Transfer Christian Moss went down on his second snap against Washington State, and Rashid Williams left the game in the first half against Utah State. Both are expected to miss some time, but Fisch has not provided a specific timetable. Because of the circumstances, sophomore Chris Lawson and the freshman tandem of Trez Davis and Jordan Clay have stepped into substantial roles alongside Dezmen Roebuck.

Entering Week Three against Eastern Washington, Fisch and his team are once again heavy favorites. The question is, however: can it play up to the expectations set in the preseason? The matchup will mark the Huskies' last non-conference game before they enter Big Ten play against Minnesota.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Jedd Fisch Touches on Washington Football's Offensive Woes

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