Instant impressions from Washington’s sloppy loss against Rutgers
Well, no one said |A|
Washington’s first foray in |B|
the Big Ten would |C|
be easy. Following a choppy |D|
win in their first |E|
ever Big Ten conference |F|
game, the Huskies knew |G|
the degree of difficulty |H|
would increase starting with |J|
Friday’s night’s first road |K|
trip in their new |L|
league to face undefeated |M|
Rutgers. Beneath the SHI Stadium |O|
lights and against the |P|
blackout backdrop of a |Q|
sellout Scarlet Knights crowd, |R|
Washington fell behind early |S|
and never got much |U|
going offensively while suffering |V|
its first Big Ten |Y|
conference loss — a |Z|
21-18 defeat during an |A|
intermittent downpour. The Huskies had |B|
more yards (521 to |C|
299) and first downs |D|
(23 to 15) in |E|
a turnover-free game, but |F|
Rutgers (4-0) avoided the |G|
critical mistakes and made |H|
the big plays in |J|
a game that ended |K|
after UW kicker Grady |L|
Gross missed a potential |M|
game-tying 55-yard field goal |O|
as time expired. Washington, which |P|
fell to 3-2, hosts |Q|
No. 12 Michigan (3-1) |R|
next Saturday at Husky |S|
Stadium. Here are three take-aways |U|
from Friday’s UW-Rutgers game. During |Y|
a 24-19 loss to |Z|
the Washington State two |A|
weeks ago, the Huskies |B|
were penalized 16 times |C|
for 135 yards. On Friday |D|
night, UW was once |E|
again plagued by a |F|
few miscues that ultimately |G|
led to the loss. Freshman |H|
safety Vince Holmes inadvertently |J|
made the game’s biggest |K|
blunder when the Huskies |L|
blocked a field-goal attempt |M|
and he raced on |O|
the field in celebration |P|
before the play ended. After |Q|
a 5-yard penalty that |R|
allowed the Scarlett Knights |S|
to retain possession, Rutgers |U|
quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis burned |V|
the Huskies with a |Y|
15-yard throw into the |Z|
end zone in which |A|
receiver Ian Strong leapt |B|
over cornerback Elijah Jackson |C|
for a highlight touchdown |D|
and 14-3 lead just |E|
before halftime. Washington committed six |F|
penalties for 69 yards |G|
while Rutgers had three |H|
for 21 yards. Offensively, the Huskies had |L|
their chances early, but |M|
couldn’t cash in on |O|
profitable drives. On fourth and |P|
9 at the Rutgers |Q|
37 with 10:15 left |R|
in first quarter, UW |S|
quarterback Will Rogers threw |U|
to Denzel Boston and |V|
failed to connect with |Y|
the receiver who was |Z|
surrounded by two defenders. On |A|
their next possession, the |B|
Huskies had third and |C|
3 at the Rutgers |D|
4 when Rogers misfired |E|
on a short pass |F|
in the end zone |G|
that resulted in Gross’ |H|
22-yard field goal for |J|
a 3-0 lead. In the |K|
second quarter, Washington drove |L|
to the Rutgers 20 |M|
and appeared to have |O|
third and 2 before |P|
running back Cameron Davis |Q|
drew a 15-yard penalty |R|
for an illegal block. Two |S|
plays later, Gross missed |U|
a 42-yard field goal. The |V|
Huskies began the second |Y|
half with a dominant |Z|
march to the Rutgers |A|
2. On fourth and |B|
goal, Rogers’ pass to |C|
an open Giles Jackson |D|
in the end zone |E|
was tipped by a |F|
defender and fell woefully |G|
short. And finally midway in |H|
the fourth, Washington drove |J|
to the Rutgers 20 |K|
when the drive stalled |L|
and Gross missed a |M|
37-yard field. UW |P|
junior running back Jonah |Q|
Coleman battered Rutgers for |R|
a season-high 148 yards |S|
on 16 carries, which |U|
included a sensational 39-yard |V|
carry and a 35-yard |Y|
run. Coleman averaged 9.8 yards |Z|
per carry. Not to be |A|
outdone, Rutgers senior running |B|
back Kyle Monangai showed |C|
why he led the |D|
Big Ten in rushing |E|
last year. He zipped |F|
in and around the |G|
Huskies for 132 yards |H|
on 25 carries, including |J|
a 1-yard touchdown plunge.Penalties |V|
hurt Huskies once again
Five good |J|
drives result in three |K|
points
The running backs |O|
put on a show
