The warning signs have been there since the second half vs. Boise State, way back in the second game of the year. UW wouldn't score in the third or fourth quarter that day, but due to some Boise State inexperience at QB, the Huskies held on for the victory. But they haven't won a game since, and now at 2-4, a promising 2-0 start is starting to evaporate. Saturday night's 44-20 blowout at unbeaten ASU was bit surprising in the final tally, but the way this one unfolded is really a microcosm of UW's 2007 season.
Once again, the Huskies played well for the first 30 minutes, leading 17-13. But once again, they folded in the second half and were basically run off the field. QB Jake Locker has been, well, he's been a redshirt frosh still trying to get his feet wet, and there are usually week's full of on-the-job lessons that have to be learned. He had a lousy night throwing the football vs. ASU, just 10-for-28, and his 48 rushing yards were actually a season-low. Louis Rankin was better, with 80 yards rushing, but that was the first time since the opening week that he was above 50 rushing yards in a game. The offense clearly has issues, but the troubling thing for UW is the defense of late, especially in the second half. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times pointed out just how bad they've been. Consider:
- In just the last four games, all losses, UW has been outscored 105-41 in the second half. Three of those games saw them give up at least 30 second-half points!
- In that same four-game stretch, UW's total defense has been abysmal, giving up an average of just north of 500 yards per game. Even worse is the fact that they are giving up 279 rushing yards on average in those four games, and wearing down big-time in the second half, giving up 158.75 rushing yards after halftime.
Brutal. So why the struggles? Is it a lack of quality depth that just flat-out gets tired against superior opponents? Is it the opponents making adjustments to a QB they've never seen before, and once they settle in they figure him out? Sort of like a young hard-throwing MLB pitcher that rolls through a lineup the first time, then they tee off on him and send him to the showers before the fifth inning? Or is there something bigger going on here? Is this what some Notre Dame fans used to point to about Ty Willingham and his lack of in-game adjustments? Or how he was always known as a good recruiter, but never a guy that's great at being a "game day" coach, whatever that means?
There are tons of questions as to why this is happening, but there is no denying it now - UW has a real problem on their hands with second-half collapses, and they need to figure it out, fast. Oregon comes to Seattle on Saturday with a lights-out offense that is rolling right now, and one shudders to think what Dennis Dixon could do against the Husky defense if they keep rolling over in the second half!