TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN ‑ Man I haven’t seen a Husky football team this bad since Ty Willingham’s 2008 season coaching the team. That season the Huskies went 0-12, the first winless season in 119 years for the school. That 2008 team was bleeping awful. Just plain bad. I have been around football for most of my life, and that team takes the loser’s cake. The 2021 team isn’t nearly as bad. But it’s not very good. It lost to a good Montana team in a stunning upset and then got hammered by a tough Michigan team in the Big House, which is not a surprise. The Huskies offensive line, touted in the pre-season to one of its best ever, stinks to put it mildly. The line is a veteran one. Jaxson Kirkland, a 6-7, 310-pound redshirt senior, starts at the important left tackle, Julius Buelow, a 6-9, 330-pound redshirt sophomore, is at left guard, Luke Wattenberg, a 6-5, 300-pound redshirt senior is at center, Henry Bainivalu, a 6-6, 330-pound redshirt senior as at right guard and Victor Curne, a 6-3, 315-pound redshirt junior, is at right tackle. Throw in the two tight ends – 6-5, 250-pound Cade Otton, a redshirt senior, and 6-3, 250-pound Jake Westover, a redshirt junior, and you have a gigantic and imposing offensive line. Based on those first two games, however, the line is not imposing anything. The Huskies have scored just 17 points. In today’s high-flying offenses, 17 points is what some teams score in less than a quarter. Those 17 points is the least among all 130 FBS teams. What bothers me is coach Jimmy Lake starts and uses at running back that player who shows the most in practices. So Richard Newton has gotten almost all the snaps in the first two games. Lake’s philosophy limits the ability of the offense. Some guys are practice guys and some are game-day guys. Use all four of the top running backs, Newton, Cameron Davis, Kamari Pleasant and Sean McGrew. Unless one guy is going great, rotate them all in and give defenses a different look. Why limit yourself? And Lake’s press conferences are like watching grass grow. He comes back all the time to it’s all on him, or his coaches, why things aren’t going well. Well, why is that? Lake has had all spring and fall and two weeks into the season and all we get is a reminder how bad the Huskies were under Willingham, and maybe that is where this season is going. If Lake is responsible, and he is, then explain how you are going to turn it around. Yes, I know, here are some top receivers that have not played due to injury, but are they going to make all the difference? I think not. Something else is drastically wrong when a Goliath offensive line can’t punch a hole in a can of soup. Something is wrong when a defensive front can’t stop Michigan from running all over it. There is two future first round picks in the NFL draft at cornerback – Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon, both juniors, and linebackers Ryan Bowman and Edefuan Ulofoshio are not chicken soup. Either is nickleback Brendan Radley-Hiles. So something is rotten in Denmark that the Huskies can’t play the football we are all used to and get after people. But if it doesn’t happen this week against Arkansas State, which has an explosive offense, having scored 90 points while going 1-1 and shouldn’t be taken lightly, than Lake and the dogs are in big trouble. So far there doesn’t seem to be much bark in these dawgs. That’s it for today. Stay safe.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.