SEATTLE – Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano doesn’t have the answer for it. Really, he can’t figure it out.
Why, when the Huskies’ game plan is perfectly in place the night before a game, does his team seem to come out flat week after week?
The Huskies, who play at Oregon at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, have scored just 30 first-quarter points this season when they should be taking advantage of their defense’s early game productivity: The UW defense has allowed 47 first-quarter points.
“I wish I knew,” Lappano said. “I don’t know why, I really don’t. All the plays are scripted well in advance. We know what we’re doing Friday night, we go over them. They know exactly what they’re getting on every down and distance. We just have to go out and execute and make plays.”
Things have gotten worse lately. The Huskies haven’t managed more than a field goal in the first quarter the past six weeks, which consistently leaves the UW playing from behind.
Washington can’t afford a slow start this week, playing in one of the more hostile environments in the Pac-10 against one of the Huskies’ top rivals. Oregon has allowed just 32 first-quarter points while putting up 78 itself, its second-highest-scoring quarter.
Both Willingham and Lappano say what it really comes down to is making plays. Against Arizona State last week, the only time the Huskies managed any kind of really big play was on trick plays. The passing game struggled with Carl Bonnell managing just 67 yards before leaving with a concussion. That was a big difference from his debut, when he had 284 yards against California.
“I thought our passing game took a step backwards everywhere,” Lappano said. “I was disappointed in the separation we got. We had some guys open and we didn’t hit them and we dropped a couple balls too. We have to make plays. When they’re there, it’s a quarterback’s job when the guy’s open, he’s got to hit them, he’s got to get them the ball. And when you have a chance to score a touchdown, you have to make the catch.”
Willingham said it isn’t enough to just move the ball, especially against a team that leads the Pac-10 in scoring at 36.6 points a game.
“We’ve got to be able to execute and get points,” Willingham said. “It does no good to move the ball down the field and get field goals. We’ve got to get touchdowns.”
Unfortunately for the Huskies, Oregon doesn’t give up much through the air. The Ducks lead the Pac-10 in pass defense, allowing just 144 yards a game, 5.4 yards a catch and a conference-low 53.8 completion percentage. But Oregon ranks ninth in rush defense, giving up 162 yards a game, which means a lot could come down to how well Louis Rankin, Kenny James and Bonnell run the ball.
“The front four is the strength of the defense,” Lappano said. “They’re big and pretty mobile in there. They can get around pretty good. And their ends are bigger than what we’ve seen the last couple weeks. … You’re going to have to work to get the big play on them. This is a game you have to be patient. They take their chances. They’re not a big blitz team, but they’ll take their chances. They attacked us more last year than anyone else.”
The Ducks are led by middle linebacker Blair Phillips, who ranks second in the Pac-10 with 9.9 tackles a game. Safety J.D. Nelson has 7.4 tackles a game and freshman cornerback Jairus Byrd is second in the league with four interceptions. Defensive end Darius Sanders leads Oregon with five sacks and is sure to come after Bonnell after seeing the problem the ASU pass rush gave Washington last week.
That means Bonnell, who has seven interceptions in his two starts, must show more poise in the pocket, Lappano said, adding Bonnell is still making some poor decisions on where and when to throw the ball. He doesn’t think that Bonnell will become gun shy in putting the ball in the air despite the turnovers.
“The penetration (by Arizona State) up the field bothered him a little bit,” Lappano said. “You have to have poise back there. It’s not always going to be blocked perfect. You have to stand back there and stand in there and let it go. And sometimes you’re going to get hit in the mouth.”
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