Hands-On: Washington, Rutgers Engaged in Defensive Struggle, UW Leads 10-7
Dante Pettis must like playing against Rutgers, and more specifically the Scarlet Knight's special teams unit. The senior Washington wide receiver made it two consecutive years recording a punt return for a touchdown against Rutgers, his latest giving the Huskies a 10-7 lead late in the second half.
The Huskies punt returner covered an early bobble to notch a 60-yard touchdown return, tying him for No. 1 all-time with former UC Berkeley receiver DeSean Jackson with six.
Outside of the special teams touchdown the Huskies weren't able to muster much against the Scarlet Knights the first 30 minutes.
On both sides UW has struggled to relinquish the line of scrimmage control from the Scarlet Knights. Through the first quarter and much of the first half first-year Rutgers offensive coordinator Jerry Kill devised a game plan that former Louisville quarterback Kyle Bolin executed to perfection.
Rutgers opened its first drive with a run-pass mix that kept UW's defensive line at bay, resulting in a three-yard touchdown run by Janarion Grant to take a 7-0 lead.
In response, UW found little success outside of a 51-yard completion from junior quarterback Jake Browning to Pettis. The Huskies weren't able to turn the play into a touchdown, instead settling for a 24-yard field goal by Tristan Vizcaino to make it 7-3 with :56 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Browning, who finished with 5 of 11 for 81 yards in the first half, wasn't able to get in rhythm leading to second-and third-and-long situations that stalled the offense. UW failed to convert a third-down conversion in the first half (0 of 5) and averaged 9.6 yards per third down attempt.
Here are three hands-on takeaways from the first half between UW and Rutgers:
1. Byron Murphy gets his first career interception
A former top 50 player in 2016 Murphy recorded his first career interception in his first career start. The redshirt freshman cornerback picked off Bolin on the first play of the second quarter and returned the ball to the Rutgers 31-yard line.
Murphy also made a key play on special teams downing a punt at the one-yard line, helping UW pin the Scarlet Knights down inside their own end zone to flip the field position battle.
2. Pettis makes his mark (again)
Without John Ross in the WR room Dante Pettis is the veteran presence on and off the field. Pettis entered the 2017 season the all-time leader in punt returns for a touchdown in UW history with five, and adding his sixth to tie Jackson helps his case for being a legitimate NFL player even more.
Pettis has returned at least one punt return each season at UW, recording two each the previous two seasons after one in 2014. The odds favor the Huskies senior putting his name permanently at the top of the Pac-12 record books when all is said and done this season .
3. Huskies offensive line giving offense zero chance
Statistically, UW has only allowed one sack against Rutgers which also resulted in a Jake Browning fumble. But the key for OL coach Scott Huff is the fact that the run game has been equally ineffective against the Scarlet Knights.
With just 16 rush yards in the first half, compared to 79 for Rutgers, the Huskies need the run game to set up the down-field pass game (the Browning to Pettis deep ball being one example). UW has to come out in the second half and start on defense and take control of the line of scrimmage, and as a result tilting the time of possession toward a more even percentage.