Washington coach Jimmy Lake made an inexplicable decision to punt late in his Huskies’ 26-16 loss to Oregon on Saturday night in Seattle. Not only did his terrible decision backfire, but it also led to the same criticism from those watching the game.
Washington was down 24-16 with 1:58 left and had a 4th-and-10 from their 10-yard line. Most people realized it was probably Washington’s last chance to drive to tie the game and felt they should go for it. Lake felt otherwise and elected to punt. The decision made no sense.
Fittingly, the snap went over the punter’s head for a safety.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) November 7, 2021
Washington fans began chanting “f— Jimmy Lake” according to some in attendance. But there was something else people joked about.
People zinged Lake left and right about the punt decision by throwing his words back in his face.
During the week, Lake said Oregon was not a recruiting rival for Washington. Lake believes his Huskies compete with other schools with more “academic prowess.”
#Washington coach Jimmy Lake, asked today if #Oregon is a recruiting rival. Woo boy pic.twitter.com/7vHFQi96yp
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 1, 2021
Yes, you guessed it. Everyone questioned Lake’s “academic prowess” after his dumb decision.
Jimmy Lake decided to punt down eight points with two minutes left and two timeouts. His team snapped the ball over his punter’s head for a safety. The student section immediately headed for the exit, perhaps to study. #academicprowess https://t.co/7DlcyVwDQ3
— Bennett Conlin (@BennettConlin) November 7, 2021
Jimmy Lake choosing to punt there in the rain is not what you'd expect from an institution with academic prowess.
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) November 7, 2021
This is the funniest case of #NeverKick I have ever witnessed man 😂 how did Jimmy Lake diss Oregon’s academics meanwhile bruh can’t even count https://t.co/j9Vazq9mZ9
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) November 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/loganmg27/status/1457184974247919622
That safety was a super smart play. #AcademicProwess
— Justin Hopkins (@JHopkinsSD) November 7, 2021
How do you punt with less than two minutes left down eight? Fittingly, they botch the snap and take a safety. Game over. Jimmy Lake didn’t show much academic prowess with that decision.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) November 7, 2021
Jimmy Lake’s academic prowess on display tonight. #UOvsUW #GoDucks 🏈
— JB 🇺🇸 (@JBPro68) November 7, 2021
“Academic prowess” on full display here
— Ally Osborne (@allysosborne) November 7, 2021
Lake just wrote his own jokes with that decision. What was he thinking?
Photo: Oct 16, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake watches pregame warmups against the UCLA Bruins at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
