> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Disappointed, Not Discouraged: Huskies Move on From Ohio State Loss to Maryland Matchup - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/huskies-moves-on-from-ohio-state-loss-to-maryland-matchup/ - Published: 2025-09-30T01:05:22.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:58:00.000Z - Author: Aaron Coe - Tags: Huskies, Washington Football, Jedd Fisch, Carver Willis, Zach Durfee, Tacario Davis, Jacob Manu, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, Buddah Al-Uqdah [Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2237784083?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) SEATTLE, Wash. — There’s no time for the Washington Huskies to hang their heads after Saturday’s 24-6 loss to Ohio State. It’s on to Maryland, where Jedd Fisch will attempt to accomplish something he has yet to do so far as the head football coach at UW — win a Big Ten road game. “We talked to the team that there’s a difference between disappointment and discouragement,” Fisch said Monday. “We’re not discouraged — we’re disappointed. And when you’re disappointed, you just refocus and you move forward, and that’s what we’re going to do.” The re-focusing for the 3-1 Huskies will be important Saturday at 4-0 Maryland (12:30 p.m. PDT, Big Ten Network). The 2024 Huskies went 0-5 in conference games away from home during Fisch’s first season at Washington, losing by a combined score of 176-77\. Washington opened as a 5 1/2-point favorite over the Terrapins, who won 27-10 at Wisconsin on Sept. 20 before last week’s bye. The Huskies will depart for the East Coast on Thursday and get in a Friday practice with the hopes of acclimating to the three-hour time difference. The task this week is to fix some mistakes and buck the disappointment from the loss to the Buckeyes. “We’ll learn from it, and hopefully we’ll have an opportunity to play better on Saturday than we did this past one,” Fisch said. Third down and red zone woes hampered UW against the Buckeyes, according to Fisch. The Huskies had been dominant in both areas against Colorado State, UC Davis and Washington State, but were unable to pass the Ohio State test in those areas. Washington went 1-for-11 on third down, and three trips into the red zone yielded just a pair of Grady Gross field goals. Here’s what Fisch said about the third down fizzles when asked by the Emerald City Spectrum: ### Injury Updates Fisch sounded optimistic about the return of cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Rahshawn Clark for the Maryland game. Both missed the Ohio State game. He did not offer updates on starting left tackle Carver Willis (knee) or edge Zach Durfee (elbow), who both left Saturday’s game with injuries. Maximus McCree, a senior who played in two games for Maryland in 2022, would be an option to start for the Huskies against his former team. McCree started the first four of Washington’s conference games last season before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. If Willis is unable to return, Fisch said McCree would battle fellow backup tackle Soane Faasolo. Bumping true freshman starting left guard John Mills out to tackle and plugging in redshirt freshman Paki Finau or true freshman Champ Taulealea are also among the options coaches could consider, Fisch said, along with flipping Drew Azzopardi from right tackle to the left side. “I feel that we’re in a much different position than we were a year ago with our offensive line,” Fisch said. “We have much more flexibility in terms of personnel.” McCree played 25 snaps against Ohio State, earning a Pro Football Focus grade of 55.8\. Willis (28 snaps) received a 65.6 grade. Safety CJ Christian remains out with a turf toe injury. He did not update the status of starting middle linebacker Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah, who appears to be out for an extended period. ### True Freshmen Contributing Washington started four true freshmen on Saturday, and non-starting safety Rylon Dillard-Allen played 43 of 64 defensive snaps. All seemed to fare well in their first action against a big-time opponent. Dylan Robinson, playing in place of senior cornerback Tacario Davis, received a solid 69.5 PFF grade, good enough for third-best for Washington’s defense against Ohio State. Receiver Dezmen Roebuck (69.8, third best on offense), John Mills (66.3), and Raiden Vines-Bright (56.5) all performed well, Fisch said. “These are true freshmen going out there and playing against a lot of older players on Ohio State’s team that have been doing it for a while, and those guys didn’t flinch,” Fisch said. ### Middle Linebacker Shuffle Though the team will be without Al-Uqdah for a period of time, Washington saw the return of senior Jacob Manu, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury while playing for Arizona last season. Manu was cleared to play last week, though the discussion about redshirting continues. Manu could play an additional season if he plays in four or fewer regular-season games this season. A difficult decision became even more complex with the team’s need for his services becoming more dire with Al-Uqdah’s injury. Manu, who was on a 30-snap limit as he works his way back in, was in for 29 plays against Ohio State. Linebacker Deven Bryant played all 64 snaps, while Xe’ree Alexander was on the field for 31 plays. Washington could look to another true freshman in Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, who was the team’s highest-rated Class of 2025 recruit. Rainey-Sale is also returning from an ACL injury, which he suffered while playing his senior season at Bethel High School last year. With eight regular-season games remaining, the UW coaching staff and the players will have to sort out who plays and who redshirts this season. Rainey-Sale was cleared to practice fully this week, though Fisch didn't indicate whether or not he would play against Maryland.