Washington’s struggles continue in road loss to No. 13 Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It’s hard to imagine a more perfect day for football in Indiana.
Saturday was a beautiful autumn day. A slightly chilly morning gave way to clear skies near kickoff as a sea of crimson-and-cream clad fans waved rally towels in excitement. The remains of ESPN’s “College GameDay” set rested on Memorial Stadium’s south lawn while the changing colors of the trees provided a picturesque backdrop.
Above the stadium, the massive victory flag floated lazily in the wind, a testament to No. 13 Indiana’s magical season. There’s a hint of destiny on the breeze. For Washington fans, it’s a familiar sensation, vaguely reminiscent of the feelings evoked by the 2023 UW team.
Of course, Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti have a long way to go before they can think about replicating UW’s success from the past season, but it was also a reminder of just how far this UW team is from the heights that last year’s squad reached.
“Tough one today,” coach Jedd Fisch said. “I thought Indiana was a very good football team. They played well.”
After a season in the spotlight as a College Football Playoff contender, Washington was simply a side note during its 31-17 loss to undefeated Indiana in front of a sold-out crowd of 53,082 fans at Memorial Stadium. The Huskies are still winless on the road, despite outgaining their opponents in every game this season.
It’s also UW’s third loss in its past four games. The Huskies (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) haven’t scored at least 20 points since Sept. 21 when they beat Northwestern 24-5 in Seattle.
“When things don’t go our way, we have to find a way out of it,” said junior running back Jonah Coleman, who had 19 carries for 104 yards. “We’ve just got to keep going, find a way to finish.”
This was always going to be a difficult season for Washington after losing more than half its roster and returning zero starters along either the offensive or defensive lines. The Huskies were also missing junior left tackle Maximus McCree, out with a dislocated thumb, against the Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0).
Fisch chopped and changed the left side of UW’s line all game. Redshirt freshmen Soane Faasolo and Kahlee Tafai had opportunities at left tackle, while sophomore Landen Hatchett rotated with junior Gaard Memmelaar at left guard. UW’s lack of experience up front was evident from the start of the game.
Washington’s first drive of the game featured a sack by Indiana defensive back Shawn Asbury II, a false start on UW center D’Angalo Titialii. A sack by IU defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, including intentional grounding on UW’s fifth-year quarterback Will Rogers, ended the drive.
The Huskies’ second drive went even worse. After driving to the Hoosiers’ 31-yard line, Fisch called a double pass. On the snap, IU defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker got into the backfield untouched and hit Rogers’ arm as he attempted the first pass. The ball bounced off Tafai’s back and into the arms of IU defensive back D’Angelo Ponds, who raced 67 yards uncontested to the end zone to open the scoring.
Washington surrendered three sacks against Indiana, though Fisch said he felt the offensive line play improved during the second half. UW has allowed 11 sacks in its past three games.
“On that side of the line, we need to figure out ways to improve,” Fisch said.
Without consistent protection up front, Washington’s offense endured another stagnant performance. The Huskies got inside the Hoosiers’ 40-yard line four times in the first half, but only scored during one of those possessions – a 6-yard touchdown run by sixth-year wide receiver Giles Jackson.
Rogers completed 19 of 26 passes for 202 yards, but was intercepted twice by Ponds and had no touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. had the team’s other score, dashing to the end zone on an 8-yard score. Coleman said the Huskies simply haven’t finished drives, a recurring problem for the team.
“We always start the drive fast,” Coleman said. “We’ve got to figure out what we’ve got to do to get points on the board.”
Once again, Washington’s defense kept the team in the game while the offense sputtered. The Huskies forced the Hoosiers, who entered Saturday as the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense, to punt four times and turn the ball over on downs once. Sixth-year defensive tackle Jacob Bandes’ interception on the first play of the second half set up the touchdown run by Williams that made it 17-14 IU with 12:45 remaining in the third quarter.
The Huskies, however, were unable to get out of their own way again. A 65-yard punt return by Hoosier wide receiver Myles Price set up a two-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tayven Jackson, who went 11-for-19 for 124 yards and a touchdown in place of IU starter and Heisman candidate Kurtis Rourke, effectively ending any chance of a UW comeback.
“There were some plays in this game,” Fisch said, “that was just disappointing.”