How deep has Washington sunk after their last National Championship game against Michigan in January? This Week 5 game against Rutgers is bringing out their shortcomings on the field. Friday’s Big Ten showdown between the Huskies and the Scarlet Knights just gave off a play that left fans disillusioned. 

In what is an “absolutely soul crushing” play as described by one fan, the mistake of a freshman cost them a touchdown. Unnecessary Roughness posted a highlight of the play on X on September 28 with the caption, “Washington blocked a field goal but a freshman ran into the field before the play was dead… Rutgers scored a touchdown the very next play.” 

What happened was that UW DE Lance Holtzclaw made a huge block on Rutgers’ field goal but there was a penalty flag down. Freshman safety Vince Holmes couldn’t contain his celebratory mode and ran into the field before the ball was recovered. This led to an illegal substitution, wiping out the blocked field goal by Holtzclaw. 

This mistake proved to be costly for the Huskies as Athan Kaliakmanis took the opportunity. With 0:30 remaining before halftime, Rutgers’ new QB found WR Ian Strong for a 15-yard jump-ball touchdown to lead 14-3 in their first conference game of the season. You can almost hear the disappointment of the Huskies fans screaming from the words they wrote on social media following this expensive blunder. 

X fans slam Washington’s costly mistake

Fans aren’t entertaining the bad plays by Washington. An exasperated fan wrote, “This is the type of stuff I have to deal with on a weekly basis.” Washington hasn’t been playing particularly well this season, especially in their Week 3 loss against Washington State. 

One fan can’t get over the unexpected twists this game is bringing. They wrote, “Get those clowns out of my conference 😂” And this blunder has paved the way to attack Washington per last season’s performance. 

This particular fan voiced everyone’s with his utter disbelief. They wrote, “This team was in the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME LAST YEAR.” Under Kalen DeBoer, the Huskies played in the national championship game against Michigan undefeated except for the final loss. 

Still, the blame is mostly on the freshman who didn’t do his homework about college football rules. This frustrated person wrote, “Freaking freshman ruin everything.” Is it a lack of awareness or a usual mistake that freshman players make? But no matter where the blame is directed, Washington is falling behind. Could the crowd’s prediction of Rutgers winning the game come true? 

If you wish to let the intensity of the game subside, you can cool off with the information in this exclusive interview with Doug Sanders.