Grading the Game: Iowa

Last week I wrote that I wondered what this offense would be able to accomplish against the first truly good defense it faced. Now we know: three points in the first half and zero run game to speak of. Somehow that wasn’t even the worst part. The defense, the one unit I’d been willing to call good, got pushed around by an Iowa offense that was not all that great to begin with and starting its backup quarterback. Washington was a three-point favorite at home. They lost 41-24, and it was 27-3 at halftime. The Huskies are 3-3 and on a three-game losing streak reminiscent of the Sarkisian era. To the grades (ratings).

Passing Offense: 3.5/10

Demond Williams: 3.5/10

Elijah Brown: 7/1o
Offensive line: 2/10
Receivers/tight ends: 6.5/10

In the first half, Demond Williams went 6 of 11 for 69 yards and was sacked four times before leaving with an injury late in the second quarter. It was more of the same that we’ve seen all season. He was too panicky and indecisive when he had a clean pocket, inaccurate when he did throw the ball, and he was generally under pressure a lot of the time.

Then Elijah Brown came in and went 28 of 39 for 251 yards and three touchdowns. He stood in the pocket, went through his progressions, and got the ball out on time, which is exactly what this offense has been missing all season. It was extremely noticeable that with competent QB play the offense suddenly started working. I don’t think Fisch is an offensive guru, but the offense can move the ball when operated effectively.

There are caveats: Iowa was up 24 and likely playing softer coverage, the stakes were low, and Brown’s last touchdown came on the final play of a blowout. But he looked composed, and with this offense ranking near the bottom of the country in almost everything, Washington has nothing to lose by handing him the reigns.

Chris Lawson (8 catches, 86 yards, TD) and Rashid Williams (5 catches, 66 yards) both came alive once Brown was in. That’s the most encouraging part of this game, that there are receivers who can make plays when the ball shows up on time.

The offensive line got Landen Hatchett back at center and kept John Mills at left tackle, but it didn’t matter. There was a lot of rotation and they tried many combinations: Hatchett and Kolt Dieterich at center, Dieterich at left guard, Kodi Greene back at left tackle, Geirean Hatchett and Champ Taulealea splitting right guard. None of it worked. Washington has now allowed 21 sacks, more than any other Power 4 team. That number is the season in a nutshell. It’s important to remember this isn’t the first complete disaster of an offensive line UW has had under Jedd Fisch.

Rushing Offense: 1/10

Running backs: 1/10
Offensive line: 1/10

Nineteen yards on 12 carries for the running backs. Minus-3 yards if you include sacks. At a certain point, it’s no longer about running back injuries or a young offensive line, but about the type of attitude and toughness you instill in your football team. Washington is now 132nd in FBS in yards per carry.

Passing Defense: 2.5/10

Pass rush: 3/10
Secondary: 2/10

Jeremy Hecklinski threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns, and all three went to receivers with no defenders in the same ZIP code. They weren’t getting beat by a great throw or a great route, but busted coverage, guys out of position, or getting fooled by play action. Three separate times. He completed his final 12 passes over the last three quarters. Iowa came in having scored 16, 20 and 14 points in its three Power 4 games, and its offensive coordinator called a game that had this defense guessing all night. The pass rush wasn’t fast enough to disrupt him either, and Hecklinski looked comfortable in the pocket from start to finish.

Rushing Defense: 1/10

Kamari Moulton ran 26 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns, coming into the game for a rushing attack that hadn’t gotten going all season. His 56-yard score late in the first quarter made it 13-0 and showed some embarrassing tackling efforts from the Husky defense, particularly the secondary. Iowa’s line moved the line of scrimmage wherever it wanted, and the tackling that was an issue at USC got worse. Before Friday, Washington hadn’t allowed more than 27 points in any of 18 games under Ryan Walters. Iowa scored 41 points at 8.2 yards per play, the most any team has scored at Husky Stadium since Washington State in 2021. This was the most physical team Washington has faced, and the defense wilted.

Special Teams: 5/10

Hunter McKee sent two more kickoffs out of bounds and lost the job to Hunter Green, who is quickly becoming the most reliable player on the roster. With Grady Gross no longer eligible, it makes sense to leave kickoffs to Green for the rest of the season. There wasn’t much else of note.

Coaching: 2/10

This team looked unprepared on both sides of the ball. Iowa’s physicality wasn’t a surprise. This is the same game that played out two seasons ago at Iowa, in Fisch’s first season. The youth argument holds some water (11 first or second year players started), but at some point a team that was ranked 17th in the preseason has to look like it belongs on the field with a Big Ten opponent at home, and this one didn’t. It seems like Fisch coached Washington teams disintegrate against any opponent that is perceived to be physical, well drilled and disciplined, whether they are actually good or not (see last year’s Wisconsin game).

Then there was the moment late in the game, which says everything about the culture right now. On one of Iowa’s final drives, multiple Huskies threw an Hawkeye player to the ground well after the play, seemingly injuring him. After they got manhandled for four quarters, they then decided to play tough guy once the game was over. A stupid play like that during a late game pile on — borne purely of frustration — is a bad look for the team and inditement of the head coach.

Up next is a trip to Purdue, a team that has now won two Big Ten games in a row after a 19-game conference losing streak, and thet are the betting favorites. They are playing confident and absolutely smell blood in the water with this version of the Huskies coming to their stadium. Maybe Elijah Brown really is the answer. Even if he has a low ceiling, and Demond is healthy, they need basic competence at the QB position to have any shot at bowl eligibility. Brown should start.

If they can’t win in West Lafayette on Friday, it’s hard to find any more wins on the schedule.