I should have connected the dots as to why I knew it wasn't going to be the Huskies day. My Pumpkin Spice Latte tasted more burnt than they usually do, I got diarrhea after eating Chick-Fil-A, my girlfriend kept telling me she was out of sorts all day, stud Left Tackle Trey Adams was not going to play, and I had to leave for work after the game (and I never work on Saturdays). It's safe to say that the stars weren't aligned in the Huskies favor as they, once again hung with a quality opponent, only to come up short 21-16.
Out of the gate, Auburn set the tone by forcing the Dawgs to go three and out, then Auburn sped down the field for an incredible touchdown. Auburn's defense kept the Huskies offense relatively quiet for the majority of the day as I knew going int this game that this would show more about Auburn's D than the Huskies offensively. However, the Dawgs did show some flashes of brilliance, especially towards the end of the 1st Half when Jake Browning threw a TD to Quinten Pounds who brought it in one-handed.It could have been...
16-15 Huskies early in the 3rd quarter...but Andre Baccellia was called for PI on a pick play that would have been a UW touchdown for Aaron Fuller, which then backed up Peyton Henry's FG attempt to 40 yards...it was no good. Note: Had the Huskies not have committed that PI, they would've scored on their first play of the 2nd Half to give them the lead 20-15, and momentum would've stayed towards the purple and gold. Let's continue.
It could have then been...
23-15 Huskies late in the 3rd...but Auburn's Defense came swarming in on Browning's attempted Option play that not only caused a fumble, but caused the Huskies to blow their best chance at having Auburn right where they want them.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda...that's the biggest takeaway that I have from Washington's disappointing week 1 loss to Auburn. Although the Huskies defense came out flat and Auburn was storming down the field with ease throughout the day, the Defense did exactly what they needed to do, bend but don't break. The Huskies took control of the 2nd Half but couldn't get one play to go their way. Even when Auburn retook the lead 21-16, the Dawgs desperately hard to score but Browning was wrapped up by that vicious Auburn D-Line and eaten alive.
Who gets the blame?
It's so hard to point the finger at who was responsible for the loss. Let's get the obvious out of the way, it was not the Defense. Sure, on paper you could hint that it was defense, as Auburn gained 420 offensive yards, while converting 9/18 on 3rd downs and not coming up with a turnover. However, for how great Stidham and Auburn's offense is, the Huskies managed to keep the Tigers out of the endzone for most of the game.
My meter on the "who dunnit" scale beeped a little faster when I came across the Special Teams unit. I didn't know what to expect with Freshman Kicker Peyton Henry, and despite going 3 for 4 on FG attempts, the one kick he missed was the one that could've given us the lead. Auburn had a couple good punt returns which showed how mediocre the Huskies were on that area of special teams, too.
As much as I'd love to fully put this on the whole offense, I'm sorry Jake...my finger is slightly pointing at you. You're a fourth year QB, you've been on this big stage before, you're one of the main leaders on this team. Sure, was Trey Adams' absence worse than I'm admitting? Yes, and it's something Husky fans should keep on their mind. However, Jake looked rattled in the early stages of the game and that fact that he was unable to cap off beautiful offensive drives really makes me look at him slightly different for the remainder of the season. For those who disagree we can't blame it all on Jake, I can see where valid points could be made: McClatcher still wasn't 100% healthy, Salvon Ahmed didn't get as many touches as we'd have liked, the play-calling was subpar, blah blah. But still, c'mon Jake...
Final Verdict:
Thankfully the Huskies made it competitive enough to where they should still be respected around the nation and they'll continue to be talked about for the CFP. However, the Huskies left no room for error. The Pac-12 is already bashed enough by the mothership that is ESPN and even if the Huskies lose a close game to a tough, respectable Pac-12 team, another blemish on their schedule will leave them out of the Playoff. The season is not over, but the Huskies must win the remainder of their games and win the Pac-12 Championship (which I fully believe they still will) if they want to return to the CFP. I would've liked to have seen this team run the table and go 12-0, but if it means that this team doesn't lose another game and is respected around the country even after the close loss against Auburn, I'll take it. Was it the game I expected? Yes. Was it the result I wanted? Hell no! But even after their 21-16 loss against the Auburn Tigers, the Washington Huskies will continue to be a thorn in the side of every team they face and they should be favored in every game they play from here on out.
