Behind Enemy Lines: Washington Football

John from UW Dawg Pound got together quickly with us and answered some of our burning questions right before kick-off. Read below to learn more about the Huskies, who are coaching with an interim head coach this week:

1. So, Washington fired Jimmy Lake less than 12 games into his tenure. What went so horribly wrong?

Jimmy Lake has kind of a shitty personality, and he needs to work on that. He’s proven to be extremely stubborn, too. Also, he showed none of the qualities you look for in a leader, and his talk was cheap because his teams always looked discombobulated.

Bad hire, obvious signals had to be missed. AD Jen Cohen can’t screw up again or she’ll be gone too.

2. The offense for both UW and CU has been stagnant at best this year. Has this changed since the firing of John Donovan?

Not at all. It’s the same offense, being run without one who installed it, but you have the same playbook, etc. The problem with the offensive coaching is not unimaginative play calling or whatever sports-talk radio will have fans believe. It’s the poor execution by players who have not developed the ability to make the plays on a consistent basis. That is on the coaches who recruited and developed them.

3. UW, especially with Lake at DC, was known for having amazing defensive backfields. Who are the names to know this year?

Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon are as good as any corners in the Pac-12, and maybe as talented as any to come through UW of late. They are the unquestioned strength of the Washington Huskies in 2021. The safety play, however, has not been up to the standards of Budda Baker, Taylor Rapp, and others of past seasons. The safety tacking has been poor, but has been improving lately.

4. Who is the player to watch on offense? Defense?

On offense the player to watch is Rome Odunze (#16). He’s one of a trio of wide receivers who have shone at times this year, and the whole group would be having a great seasons if the quarterback play had not been so brutal for the Huskies. I’m not putting it all on QB Dylan Morris because he has not had a great running game to work with and his pass protection has only been average. But the WR and TE group is good, and if Morris can find them, I like Odunze and his size to cause problems for Colorado

On defense, keep your eye on #90 Voi Tunuufi. The true freshman from Utah has been a disruptive force for the Huskies. He has three sacks on the year and is one of five UW true freshman to draw playing time this season. Tunuufi is the only true freshman to start for UW this season. I like his future for sure.

5. Washington is about a touchdown favorite in this game. Is that how you see the game going?

Sure. A touchdown. That sounds about right.

Not a fun game to watch, that’s my main prediction.