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On black-out night, the Huskies are out at Rutgers

Posted on by Vanessa
On black-out night, the Huskies are out at Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – To the birthplace of college football, the University of Washington came with gifts.

On a Friday night of intermittent rain, the Huskies moved the ball confidently up and down SHI Stadium, then often faltered as they neared the end zone, losing to Rutgers 21-18.

In the Garden State, Jedd Fisch's team was his own worst enemy and was defeated.

Could someone say a few words before lowering the coffin?

It was a particularly disheartening loss because UW (3-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) could have used some momentum heading into next weekend's national championship rematch with Michigan in Seattle. Instead, this team will have to continually explain itself for what happened at Rutgers (4-0, 1-0).

On Black Out Night, the Huskies outgained Rutgers 521 to 299 yards but remained black and blue. Willl Rogers led all passers by completing 28 of 36 attempts for 306 yards and 2 touchdown passes to Denzel Boston, who led all receivers with 125 yards and 6 catches. Jonah Coleman topped all rushers with 148 yards on 16 carries.

Still, this UW team finished second.

Just like in the Apple Cup two weeks earlier, these guys did stupid things all the time to ruin any chance of an away win in this festive but humid Big Ten enclave.

“You can’t play against two teams – the opponent and ourselves,” Fisch said.

Rutgers wide receiver Dymere Miller (0) is tackled by Huskies cornerback Jordan Shaw (3) during the first half.

Rutgers wide receiver Dymere Miller (0) is tackled by Huskies cornerback Jordan Shaw (3) during the first half. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Typical of their staggering violations was Husky reserve safety Vincent Holmes running onto the field after the snap of a field goal attempt and being called for an illegal substitution – the same thing Weber State was guilty of in the opening game – and his actions have hurt his team in multiple ways.

Not only did the flag negate teammate Lance Holtzclaw's block on a 38-yard field goal attempt, it also allowed Rutgers to score on the very next play, with a 15-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis to Ian Strong on the 30th Seconds before the break came what was good for them. At halftime they were leading 14:3. Holmes apparently went out to celebrate and ran onto the field too early.

“I grabbed him and said, 'You're a freshman and you just had a freshman moment,'” Fisch said.

This game ended at 11:39 p.m. ET when Grady missed Gross' tying 55-yard field goal to the left side.

The Huskies took the first kickoff and were impressive early on, picking up three first downs and reaching the Rutgers 38.

Then they experienced their first mental breakdown – an exuberant UW center D'Angalo Titialii effectively nullified the opening drive with his moves.

After freshman running back Adam Mohammed caught a pass for a short gain, Titialii beat a Rutgers tackler and fell on top of him. The officials ruled a late hit on D'Angalo after reviewing the play for possible targeting and returned the ball to the UW 49. Fish's team ran out of downs on the Scarlet Knights' 37 and elected to play at throw a fourth throw into the end zone -and-9.

“That’s the difference between good teams and great teams,” senior linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala said of the mistakes made. “We just have to clean up on many fronts.”

After a Rutgers three-and-out, UW put renewed pressure on the Scarlet Knights defense. The Huskies shot from their own 27 to the home team's 4, but missed another chance, settling for Gross' 22-yard field with 4:10 left in the first quarter for the game's first points.

Rutgers finally settled in and got the offense going. The host team must have sensed that the Huskies were error-prone and vulnerable. The Scarlet Knights put together a laborious 15-play drive – their longest of the season – by gaining 75 yards for Kyle Monangai's 1-yard touchdown plunge to take a 7-3 lead for good at 11:26 of the second quarter . Monangai would finish with 132 yards rushing and 25 carries.

The huskies came back. On the first play of the new drive, Coleman went through a huge hole up the middle and broke through a 39-yard run to the Rutgers 39. Cam Davis followed with an 11-yard gainer to the 28-yard box. Maybe it was time for the UW to settle down and settle in.

It wouldn't happen.

Huskies running back Cameron Davis (22) is tackled by Rutgers linebacker Dariel Djabome and defensive back Flip Dixon.

Huskies running back Cameron Davis (22) is tackled by Rutgers linebacker Dariel Djabome (28) and defensive back Flip Dixon (10) in the first half. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

That UW push stalled when Davis was called for a low block, forcing another field goal attempt. Gross prepared the ball from 42 yards out, but missed it to the left.

After Holmes' brain freeze and Rutgers' touchdown catch, the teams headed to halftime with the Scarlet Knights leading by 11 points.

When play resumed in the second half, it was more of the same for the Huskies. They forced the home team to punt, flexed more muscles and got more than enough in return. Coleman broke off a 35-yard run on the first play of the drive and followed with an 11-yard run. He personally carried the ball to the Rutgers 2 on four runs, only to have UW run out of downs again as Rogers missed two passes in the end zone and the second was deflected.

“We said that and we’re almost halfway through the season,” Rogers said of eliminating the penalties and mental mistakes.

The Huskies finally used some of their pent-up frustration to make something happen. They gained 94 yards in six plays, with Boston catching one down the left side, breaking a tackle and scoring from 51 yards out.

No flags, no stupid plays, no excuses.

With 4:23 left in the third quarter, UW crept within 14-10.

However, the Huskies weren't done self-destructing yet. In the fourth quarter, they held Monangai scoreless for its 31st point, but defensive tackle Jayvon Parker called for a face mask penalty.

Later in the drive, after Parker was subbed with a leg injury and Rutgers faced a third-and-4 at the UW 37, Samuel Brown V went down the left side, made two tackles and scored the game-winning point in a standing shootout. It was the longest run of his career. The clock still read 10:57.

With 1:40 left, Boston caught its second scoring pass, a 12-yarder in the left corner of the end zone, and tight end Keleki Latu converted a two-point conversion throw, both by Rogers, with the UW trailing by three and still had a pulse.

The Huskies made things really interesting by getting the ball back to their 39 with 35 seconds left. They even moved into field goal range for Gross, but he had his third straight kick sail left after his first and it was over.

“It’s amazing to me how automatic Gross is in practice,” Fisch said.

In a place called Jersey, the uniform color that evening was black.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, visit si.com/college/washington

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