For UW – the perpetual rebuilding begins anew

Fig Jam

Entering your 4th season as head coach of any D1 football team, you’d better be able to put a competitive team out on the field.  If nothing else – competitive. Teams with 4th year head coaches should not lose any conference game by more than 30 points.

I have gone on record time and time again stating that I thought Ty Willingham deserved a  4th year at UW.  Based on the size of the mess that was here when he arrived – I felt like it was only fair.  In recent weeks Willingham has tested my resolve on this issue, as he has chosen to shut out UW fans and boosters from every aspect of UW football that he possibly could.  It made no sense to me why a coach would do this.  Perhaps now I understand – he didn’t want anyone to see the state of the program.

The debacle at Oregon shows everything that they have become that UW has not.  Illustrates every shortcoming of Willingham’s tenure at UW.  As I told my friends with whom I watching the game, it was the last time that I was going to accept being embarassed by a Tyrone Willingham coached team.  Enough is enough.

The Huskies not only looked young – they looked sloppy.  Not only did their inexperienced players fail to rise to the occasion, but the stalwarts did as well.  They were outplayed, outschemed, and outcoached  (again, again, and again).  Once more I watched another team’s questions get answered at UW’s expense.  Oregon’s inexperienced players – it’s backups – all answered the bell.  UW’s did not.

And the coaching.  The miserable coaching.  With an experienced and talented offensive line, UW chose to line up in the shotgun time and time again – and call option running plays.  Why?  If you are bigger, meaner, and stronger than the other team  up front – line up in the “I” formation and shove the ball down their throat.  The misdirection and sleight of hand is all well and good if you know how to execute it  (and then actually execute it), but UW does not and cannot run the spread at a level that justifies it being the base set.  On defense – no pressure, no run stuffing, nothing (again, again, and again).  Grabbing at air – per usual.

The bottom line is: I don’t get it.  Why can’t UW rebuild it’s football program?  It doesn’t appear to be any farther along than when in Ty’s second game as UW’s coach – Cal dismantled the Huskies 56-17.  Now in year 4 of ‘rebuilding,’ UW has freshmen all over the field, ridiculous deficiencies in major areas of the game, and cannot compete with conference opponents playing their 3rd and 4th string Quarterbacks (again, again, and again).  What stage of rebuilding is that?