Depth Dossier: Washington Huskies (Week 10)

Show Notes

Washington's Second Half Was Great. Its First Half Made That Not Matter. The Depth Dossier breaks down what Washington's Week 10 game against Penn State changed on the depth chart: injuries, snap shares and who is moving up or down.

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This is the Depth Dossier: the Washington Huskies, Week 10.

Washington's second half was about as good as a half of football gets. The problem is the first half buried them so deep it didn't matter, and Penn State escaped with a 28 to 25 win.

The Huskies fell behind 28 to 6 at the break, getting nothing from the passing game while Penn State hit three big touchdown plays. Then everything flipped. Quarterback Demond Williams Junior, who'd started brutally, threw two touchdowns and converted both two-point tries, and the defense didn't allow a single point after halftime. It still wasn't enough. With under four minutes left, Washington got a third and five stop that would have all but sealed things, but a 12 men on the field penalty wiped it out. Penn State took the new set of downs and bled the clock for the final seven minutes and forty seconds. Wide receiver Chris Lawson, five catches for 89 yards, and running back Jayden Limar, 66 yards rushing, were the steadiest hands on offense all day.

The split between the two halves is almost hard to believe. Washington had six points and 36 passing yards before the break, with Williams going two for ten to start and going nearly a full 19 minutes of game time between completions. After halftime, Washington scored 19 unanswered points and shut Penn State out completely. Penn State actually scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions, then got nothing on its final five.

The loss really traces back to a handful of big plays rather than a yardage battle. Washington kept things close on total yards, but three of Penn State's four touchdowns came on plays of 24 yards or longer, including a 46-yard score from running back Cam Wallace.

Then there's that penalty. Head coach Jedd Fisch had just called a timeout to get the defense organized, Washington got the stop it needed, and the flag erased it. Fisch called the communication breakdown disappointing, and it's hard to argue, since Penn State turned that new life into 14 plays and 70 yards to run out the clock.

Third down was a problem all game, with Washington converting just four of 13 chances. Special teams kept this one winnable, though, as kicker Tyler Robles hit three field goals including a 47-yarder, and both two-point conversions connected. This is now Washington's third straight home loss, its longest home skid since 2021, dropping the Huskies to 5 and 4 overall and 2 and 4 in Big Ten play.

Now to the depth chart, where the big story is at quarterback. No injuries were reported, which matters because Williams is still working back from the rib injury that cost him time before his return last week. His final line, two touchdowns, 43 rushing yards, and both two-point conversions, after starting the game eight incompletions deep, should settle the question of who's under center going forward. Back-to-back games now point toward Williams being the full-time starter, not just a change of pace.

At receiver, Lawson's 89-yard day keeps him at the top of the target list after his big game against Nebraska, though Washington's own coaches want him more involved earlier instead of mostly after halftime. Tight end Dezmen Roebuck's fourth-quarter touchdown and receiver Baron Naone's toe-tap score and conversion catch both suggest expanded roles ahead, and Naone in particular looks like someone the staff should be scheming for more often. Limar's work on the ground, averaging better than seven yards a carry with a long run of 27, makes him the back to watch given how quiet the run game has otherwise been.

The thing to track next week is whether Fisch and his staff can get Williams, Lawson and Naone all clicking from the opening snap, instead of waiting until the second half to find their rhythm again.

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