When a coach gets in his feelings

I don’t blame Jedd Fisch for how close Saturday’s game against Utah State was.

He wasn’t the one dropping passes.

I do blame him entirely for the fact that Washington almost lost, however.

That’s because there’s a difference between execution and strategy.

The game was close because Washington’s offense is sputtering amidst a rash of injuries.

The reason the Huskies nearly lost, though, was because Fisch decided to call a pass after Washington recovered Utah State’s onside kick with 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter.

I’m getting mad again as I recount this.

Not because it was risky. Football coaches constantly take risks. There should be a significant upside when they do this, however. Or at least a manageable downside.

There was a minimal upside in this case, and a massive downside.

Time: 1:49 left in the fourth quarter
Score: Washington 16, Utah State 14
Situation: Huskies have the ball 1st-and-10 at their own 43. Utah State has one timeout remaining.

Two facts you need to know before we scrutinize Fisch’s decision:

Passing on first down increases the chances of gaining that first down. It also creates a significant risk because if the pass is incomplete, the clock stops, essentially gifting Utah State a timeout. If the Huskies fail to gain a first down on the next two plays, they’ll be punting the ball back to Utah State with around 50 seconds to play as opposed to 15.

What Fisch did: Called a bootleg with Williams rolling to his right with receiver Dezmen Roebuck in front of him.

The play should have worked. Roebuck has some of the surest hands on the team. There wasn’t a defender anywhere near him. If he catches that ball it very likely is a first down and the Huskies can kneel out the clock.

Spoiler alert: He did not catch the ball.

He dropped it. No one was more disappointed by this than Roebuck.

This was about more than a matter of execution, though.

I believe it was pride on the part of the guy calling the plays.

His offense has been thoroughly underwhelming through two games this season, and he wanted his offense to end the game. So he called a play that he thought would win it without adequately considering the potential downsides.

If Utah State had the ball at its own 15 with 7 seconds left, it would be hard to get into field-goal position in a single play before time expired, let alone actually attempt the kick.

But because of that incompletion Utah State got the ball back at its own 15 with 47 seconds left.

That was more than enough time for Utah State to move the ball into the Huskies half of the field. In fact, if a Utah State receiver doesn’t drop an imminently catchable pass with 15 seconds remaining, it’s very likely the Huskies would have been staring down the barrel of Utah State’s attempt at a game-winning field goal.

Washington is lucky it didn’t come to that.

More specifically, Fisch is lucky it didn’t come to that.

Now I’m not as gloomy about the rest of the season as some people. I don’t believe Washington is doomed this season.

I don’t think Washington’s offense has played very well, but that’s not necessarily an accurate forecast of what lies ahead.

The Huskies have been hit by a wave of injuries.

The top three tailbacks were out for the Utah State game, if you remember to include Jordan Washington. By the end of the game, it was missing two starting receivers in Christian Moss and Rashid Williams.

I think Washington’s offense will improve. The fact that Williams has remained steady and not committed any turnovers amidst all this gear-grinding is encouraging. He remains a playmaker.

And honestly, I hope Fisch learns from this.

I believe there was some ego behind that first-down pass he called. He wanted to show how gutsy he was, and I suppose that’s exactly what he did.

It almost cost the Huskies, though.