The Washington Huskies came up short on Friday night, falling to 3-2 on the season following a 21-18 loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. And for head coach Jedd Fisch, it was painful defeat — arguably one of the worst he’s ever experienced.
The frustration was evident on Fisch’s face and his tongue after the game.
“That was about as disappointing a game as I’ve ever been a part of,” Fisch told reporters, via Chris Fetters.
Washington dominated in nearly every aspect of the game, out-gaining Rutgers, 521 to 299. They also won time of possession, 30:34 to 29:26. But self-inflicted wounds were the story of the day.
The Huskies were penalized six times for 69 yards, including an illegal substitution that gave Rutgers a first down following a blocked field goal. The Scarlet Knights subsequently went on to score with 30 seconds remaining in the half, allowing them to take a 14-3 lead into the third quarter.
Still, Washington battled back and had an opportunity to win but three missed field goals by kicker Grady Gross — highlighted by a 55-yard miss as time expired — sealed the deal.
“It was a game that went 60 minutes,” Fisch said, via ESPN. “But I told the team, you can’t play two teams. You can’t play ourselves and our opponent. When you have a penalty after a blocked field goal and when you miss three field goals, there’s too many things that came back to get us.
“Not to take anything away from Rutgers, but we didn’t handle our penalties and that’s the saddest part of the night.”
What might have been.
Had Washington avoided that second quarter penalty and hit any of the three field goals that sailed wide, Fisch likely would have delivered a much more positive postgame speech.
