How about some grades? Apple Cup edition.

[Seattle or Bust]

Offense:

Quarterback: C

Demond didn't trust his reads or he didn't see the field well at all. I can't remember maybe more than one or two plays where he hit on a throw going through his reads from the pocket. Now, it could be that the pass catchers weren't getting open... but I don't believe that's true. Not a good sign when Demond thinks to much on his feet. His clock on when to run has never really been great and if he's not going to throw it, he needs to take off. That said, we need to see him trusting that routes will get open and making throws the way the play is called. He made a lot of "just throw it up there" throws and his receivers made plays when he did... but more disciplined corner play might lead to some turnovers. He needs to be WAY better.

Running Backs: C-

The offensive line struggled to get push so like what was written for Demond, some of the performance is dependent on the play of those around them. That said, too much hesitation. Only a couple of decisive runs all game... one for Quaid, one for Limar. Neither player showed great vision or the ability to make a guy miss. Cooley was terrible too. The goal line running was probably the most concerning... and again showed the lack of the RB's abilities to put their foot in the ground and go. The coaching staff also clearly had little faith given the amount of pass calls in short-yardage situations. Good news is there's some depth here and with injuries... we could see other players emerge... Bonner and Sanoe come to mind.

Wide Receivers: B-

It sort of baffles me that the coaching staff seems to have gotten so many personnel choices in the skill groups wrong. Lawson, Rashid, and Roebuck are the clear starters here. Christian Moss needs to earn playing time. I am a little frustrated that Jordan Clay got nothing going. He's a borderline 5-star recruit who did nothing. Grade is lower because I do think for the most part they struggled to get separation against inferior talent. I also am a bit concerned at the lack of wiggle and speed in this group. Fly sweeps? Making plays in space? Not much to celebrate there. The play calling was pretty vanilla so maybe that's a culprit.

Tight Ends: B

Lots and lots of throws to tight ends on misdirections to the flat and not much to show for it. Particularly to DeGraaf who we know is far better than what he showed. Both tight ends made some nice plays here and there. But tbh, I expect more play making out of this group that wasn't really there. Neither were a good outlet when routes from WR's broke down and I'd like to see them become more of a focal point to take some eyes off the wideouts.

Offensive Line: C-

Not what was advertised at all. Demond had too many rushers in his face off 4 and 5 man rushes. A lot of Demond's decisions were impacted by the pocket breaking down and him having to adjust his body to make throws. The push generated in the running game was abysmal. That said, I again think Jedd ran a vanilla, predictable offensive gameplan which allowed WSU to pin their ears back a bit. When the Dawgs went to some tempo or varied their snap count (which was rare) the line held up a bit better. This group is perhaps the most concerning given the pedigree.

Defense:

Safeties: B+

I thought Allen and McLaughlin played a great game... just not as impactful as I figured they'd might be in the pass rush/run stopping game. That said, they didn't allow anything over the top so it appeared the coverage on the back end didn't allow for much.

Corners: A

Karnley was not a highly-rated transfer out of Virginia but I thought he was absolutely fantastic. Made some excellent tackles in space and a couple really nice passes defended. They didn't throw at Dylan Robinson hardly at all... he's a special talent. And true freshman Jeron Jones had a pick + played some sticky coverage himself. WSU picked up most of their yardage when UW went to prevent in the 4th Q... otherwise they were really damn good. I also don't think they were called for any penalties as a unit which is stellar given how penalized their secondary was last season.

Linebackers: A

It's pretty clear how much the Dawgs missed Jacob Manu at times last year. He is the clear tone setter on this defense and he was fucking awesome. Rainey Sale and Alexander finished with only 3 tackles to Manu's 11... but I thought the group played excellently as a whole. There was nothing open in the middle of the field for the Cougar pass game and they did an excellent job plugging holes/closing on runs to the sideline.

Defensive Line: A

A bit a surprising grade given a unit that is probably the most void of impact talent on the roster. They generated a lot of pressure all game and have given Caden Pinnick nightmares 2 years in a row. Freshman Ramzeck Fruen flashed (although removed for most of the second half due to a boneheaded personal foul penalty), Jacob Lane had 2x TFL's, Russell Davis had a sack after 1.5 years back from injury... and get this, they had 3x passes defended. They were a joy to watch.

Coaching:

Jedd Fisch: D+

He called a horrible game in my opinion. Overthinks too much on the offensive side of the ball. Didn't call much of anything under the 4th quarter to take some pressure off his offensive line. I mean change up the cadence of the snaps every once in a while... will ya? You have a QB with elite legs... run some tempo and read action. Many boneheaded personal foul penalties ultimately land on him and the culture he's setting. I just didn't like much of anything he did.

Ryan Walters: A+

Considering how often the offense gave WSU an advantage... I thought Walters called a wonderful game. This is going to be a really good unit.

[Seattle or Bust]

I'm gonna guess Carr and Limar are out for the year with their injuries.

Gonna be real, neither of them impressed me.

Fisch says Brian Bonner with split carries with Cooley as the feature back with Ansu Sanoe also getting some run.

Bonner is one of the highest rated RB recruits in UW history. He struggled a little in camp apparently... but who knows, maybe he's more of a gamer.

Sanoe is a 240lb locomotive. Glad he's going to get some play given the bullshit we saw on short yardage.

[Sibelius Hindemith]

Losing two RBs for the season in the opener against a team like WSU is seriously effed up.