The Huskies’ head coach highlighted field position as a key factor in his offense’s struggles against Minnesota.
It’s not breaking news that the Washington Huskies’ offense is going to have to turn things around quickly in order to have any sort of success in the Big Ten.
With the Huskies heading to Southern California to take on USC this week, it presents an opportunity to gain momentum against a vulnerable defense. While putting points on the board is crucial for Jedd Fisch’s offense, UW’s loss to Minnesota showed an underlying issue with its ability to score points.
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It was hard enough for quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and the offense to find a rhythm in the loss, and starting field position didn’t help the cause. The Huskies seemed to be constantly in the shadow of their own end zone, especially during critical second-half possessions.
“The field position was tough; you don’t normally prepare for being in a backed-up situation as often as we were,” Fisch said on Monday. “I think we might have had four series inside the five-yard line; that becomes challenging because even if you get 20 yards or so, which is the goal anytime you’re backed up, now you’re still trying to flip the field on a punt. I thought we punted really well.”
While flipping the field is considered a strategic victory when a drive starts deep on your own side of the field, it’s not the same as putting points on the scoreboard. Washington had three drives that started inside its own 10-yard line; two resulted in a punt, and the other ended in an interception that the Golden Gophers turned into a touchdown on the ensuing play.
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As a whole, the Gophers’ average field position was their own 39-yard line, while Washington’s was the 23. Outside of the last play of the game, eight of UW’s twelve possessions were five plays or less, indicating they weren’t even able to move the ball far enough upfield to truly flip the field on the Minnesota offense.
Not only did the circumstances put UW’s offense between a rock and a hard place, but it also put pressure on a defense that showed signs of fatigue in the late stages of the game.
With the running game continuing to be almost a non-factor, Williams and his corps of young receivers will have to generate enough plays to move the sticks and stay ahead of the chains. If not, then they will be handing the ball to coach Lincoln Riley’s offense, which has no problem scoring.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Jedd Fisch Highlights Importance of Washington’s Field Position