Jedd Fisch passes the buck as Washington's nightmare start worsens at Rutgers

Washington head coach Jedd Fisch took aim at his players after Friday's defeat at Rutgers despite many Huskies fans turning on him early in his tenure.

Fisch replaced Kalen Deboer in charge of the Huskies in the offseason, leaving behind an Arizona program where he had delivered a 10-3 season last year and an Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

But it has been a chastening start to life in the northwest for the 48-year-old, suffering a Week 2 defeat to rivals Washington State before slumping to 3-2 on the season at SHI Stadium on Friday.

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Washington dominated the stat line, with 521 total yards to Rutgers' 299, but they were made to pay for a series of sloppy errors and penalties, including a blocked field goal that was called back due to having 12 men on the field.

The Scarlet Knights claimed a 21-18 victory to move to 4-0 on the year, and their prospects this season look much brighter than the Huskies' – with the program in with a chance of being ranked for the first time in 12 years after the conclusion of this weekend's games.

For Washington, the vibes are very different. With Deboer now in charge of Alabama after leading the Huskies all the way to the national championship game last season, the team has slumped out of contention for a playoff berth.

Fisch drew the ire of fans in the aftermath of Friday's game, but he did not take responsibility for the many miscues committed by his team. Instead, he put the burden on his players.

“That was about as disappointing a game as I’ve ever been a part of," Fisch said. “It was a game that went 60 minutes. But I told the team, you can’t play two teams. You can’t play yourself and your opponent. When you have a penalty after a blocked field goal and when you miss three field goals, there were too many things that came back to get us.

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“Not to take anything away from Rutgers, but we didn’t handle our penalties and that’s the saddest part of the night. We’re continuing to talk about it. We’re clearly going to continue to make it a point of emphasis as we made the offsides and the false starts. That’s a disappointment.”

Things do not get any easier for the Huskies as they vie to rescue their season. They face a repeat of the national championship game next week when No. 12 Michigan – which romped to victory over Washington in January – travels to Husky Stadium.

Tough tests follow against Big 10 rivals and Indiana, with pressure growing on Fisch to draw better performances and results from his players.