Jedd Fisch has consistently emphasized that improvement is key for this Washington team. But what does improvement truly entail? Washington secured a dominant season-opening win against FCS opponent Weber State late Saturday night, yet there’s still much to address before the next game. Fisch expressed a desire for quicker starts on both offense and defense and noted some special teams issues, including a snap that bounced but was skillfully handled by punter Jack McCallister. He also pointed out some obvious mistakes that need correction.
“Offensively, not getting a holding call that negates a touchdown,” Fisch said. “It would be great to put ourselves in a position to score on the opening drive.”
Fisch spoke to the media at Husky Stadium on Monday as Washington prepared to face Eastern Michigan in a more reasonable 12:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. Fisch mentioned that the Eagles, led by 11th-year coach and Roosevelt High School alum Chris Creighton, have earned a reputation as one of the toughest Group of Five teams in the nation.
Eastern Michigan has defeated teams like Rutgers, Purdue, Illinois, and Arizona State since 2017. UW’s tight end situation could be increasingly important against a notoriously physical team like Eastern Michigan.
Fisch said he was waiting to hear from the medical staff about starting tight end Quentin Moore, who left the Weber State game with an apparent left leg or knee injury after a hit in the second quarter. However, Fisch was optimistic about Moore’s recovery, suggesting he might miss “maybe a couple weeks.”
“We’ll see if it’s week-to-week or a day-to-day thing,” Fisch said. “It’s not going to be any longer than that.”
Moore’s potential return, whether against Eastern Michigan or a later opponent, would be a significant boost for Fisch and the Huskies. After the sixth-year senior was helped off the field by teammates, the Huskies were left with only two scholarship tight ends: senior Keleki Latu and freshman Decker DeGraaf.
Washington began the season with five scholarship tight ends, but freshman Charlie Crowell suffered a season-ending knee injury in a “fluky play” and will be out for about nine months, Fisch said Monday. Crowell had appeared on the availability report before the Weber State game.
“We always tell our guys that if you have an upper-body injury, you should focus on strengthening your lower body and getting in great shape,” Fisch said. “When you have a lower-body injury, you should come back stronger than ever. This is an opportunity for him to build up his upper body, redshirt, and learn the offense so when it’s his time, he won’t miss a beat.”
Sophomore Ryan Otton, who was injured throughout fall camp, has played in just two games since joining Washington before the 2022 season. Fisch mentioned that Otton is about three weeks away from returning to practice.
If Moore is unavailable, Fisch said that Owen Coutts, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound walk-on tight end from Ballard High School, would be the Huskies’ third tight end behind Latu and DeGraaf. Coutts, who was a standout sprinter in high school, dealt with a hamstring injury during fall camp but is now fully healthy, according to Fisch.
Fisch expressed confidence in the tight ends available to him, whether Moore can play or not. He praised Latu’s performance against Weber State, noting that while the Nevada transfer didn’t have a catch or a target, his blocking was strong despite being recruited primarily for his pass-catching skills.
Fisch was also pleased with DeGraaf’s development, mentioning that there were more opportunities to get the freshman the ball that the quarterbacks either missed or opted for other options. He said it will be exciting to watch DeGraaf continue to grow.
“As training camp progressed, we incorporated more and more pass plays for him, and he continued to excel in that area,” Fisch said. “I just felt really good about giving him a shot on the play we called.”
**Extra points:**
– Fisch said that junior edge rusher Russell Davis II is on a similar recovery timeline as Otton. The Arizona transfer was injured for almost all of fall camp, but Fisch suggested that Davis could return by the Michigan game on Oct. 5.
– Fisch mentioned that rotating the offensive line against Weber State was always part of the game plan. He and offensive line coach Brennan Carroll wanted the five starters—left tackle Soane Faasolo, left guard Gaard Memmelaar, center D’Angalo Titialii, right guard Enokk Vimahi, and right tackle Drew Azzopardi—along with guard Landen Hatchett and tackle Kahlee Tafai, to get repetitions.
Leave a Reply