Washington’s Physicality Gap Amplified in Iowa Loss

Elijah Brown’s second-half performance struck life into the Washington offense, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the hole it dug itself against Iowa in the first half. The Huskies began the game with five straight punts. In what Jedd Fisch called a measuring stick game against the Hawkeyes, his team failed to measure up to the physicality required to be competitive on both sides of the football in the 41-24 loss to Iowa Friday night in Seattle. 

“I’m pretty disappointed that we didn’t run the ball for a yard and we couldn’t stop the run,” Fisch said after the game. “So right now I’m not exceptionally happy with that aspect of it.” 

Washington’s Physicality Gap

And on defense, what was considered the strength of this team, the Huskies were pushed to their heels by the Hawkeye offensive line. The group missed 23 tackles and gave up 41 points to an Iowa offense that had averaged just 16.7 points against Power competition entering this game. The Iowa offense executed a balance of explosive passing and rushing plays, with 15 explosives total for 306 of its 465 offensive yards. 

Hawkeye Run Game

Washington missed four tackles on Kamari Moulton’s 56-yard touchdown run on the first play of Iowa’s fourth drive of the game late in the first quarter. All four defenders attempted shoves and arm tackles to bring down the 5’-9” and 211-pound running back, and he brushed them off with ease. With that touchdown run, Iowa’s rushing yardage eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time against a Power Four opponent all season. The touchdown put the Hawkeyes up 13-0 at the end of the first quarter, and it set the tone for the game. 

The Husky defense began the game with a three-linebacker set. The trio of Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, Jacob Manu, and Xe’ree Alexander filled the middle of the defense behind a four-man defensive front. But Iowa’s ability to execute at the line of scrimmage, most notably with its zone scheme, created lanes for the backfield right away in this contest. 

Ultimately, Moulton finished with 208 rushing yards on 26 carries (eight yards per carry). Washington had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season before the Iowa game. Despite the heavier personnel adjustments and increased presence in the box, the way Iowa ran the football through Washington’s front seven proved there is still a physicality gap separating it from where it needs to be in order to compete in the Big Ten Conference. 

Elijah Brown Spark

Stanford transfer quarterback Elijah Brown finished the game out for the Husky offense. On his first drive of the third quarter, he took the offense 75 yards for a touchdown on eight plays. The possession included passes of 22 and 18 yards, ending with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lawson. Brown went six for six on the drive with 64 of those yards and it provided the offense with some life in the third quarter. 

He followed that touchdown with another 75-yard touchdown drive in which he completed eight of 10 throws for 55 yards. It was aided by a couple of pass interference penalties in the red zone by Iowa.

“Just trusting in the process,” Brown said after the game regarding how he was able to start fast in the third quarter. “Trusting in the coaches’ plans. I feel like they prepare us very well.” Brown’s performance was one of the first things Fisch pointed to after the game during his press conference. “I felt that Elijah Brown came in in his role and did an outstanding job of managing the game, managing the offense, making really good decisions.”

Quarterback Situation

Brown’s decisiveness and his confidence in the pocket were vastly different from what Demond Williams had shown this year. Brown moved through his reads with a calm demeanor and executed his opportunities at a high level. As for Williams’ injury, Fisch did not have an update after the game. He will wait until Monday and until he hears from the doctors to make a decision on the quarterback for next week. 

Fisch said that Brown took just two first-team reps at practice in the week leading up to Iowa. But when his number was called late in the second quarter, he was ready. “I think just staying calm,” Brown said. “I think that’s the big thing. Every rep that Demond takes, that’s a mental rep for me. So, just staying locked in throughout the game, staying ready.”

The backup quarterback ultimately completed 28 of 39 in the game with 251 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Physicality Mis-Match

“I was surprised of the physical mismatch in a lot of ways,” Fisch said after the game. “We have three more offseasons or two more offseasons with [our players]… We were not strong enough and stout enough to be able to hold up at this point in time. And we need to be bigger, stronger to do that,” Fisch continued. 

“And the point of emphasis that I’ve made for three years, if you want to beat the Big Ten teams in the Big Ten, then you have to be physical, big, strong. You have to embrace the weight room. You have to embrace nutrition.”

The Last Word

Iowa’s 41-24 victory amplified the problems the Washington offense had experienced early in the season. But it also exposed the weakness of its run defense against a more physical group of linemen in the trenches. Brown’s performance showcased what a more traditional pocket passer looks like in a Fisch offense. It was solid, but not enough to overcome the first-half performance. 

Washington falls to 0-3 in the Big Ten and 3-3 overall as it looks ahead to Purdue next Friday night. It’s a three-time-zone road game that will again test a weakness of this Husky program under Fisch – road games across time zones.

Main Image: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images