Through the first four games of the season, the Huskies have only mustered three points in the third quarter.
SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies football team has been plagued by slow starts on offense through the first four weeks of the season.
The Huskies won their first two games of the season, against the Pac-12's Washington State Cougars and Utah State Aggies, by a combined 16 points. UW suffered its first loss of the season, a 27-24 result against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, on Sept. 26 in its Big Ten opener.
Washington's slow starts on offense have also carried over to the opening 15 minutes of the second half.
The Huskies have only scored three points across its four games this season in the third quarter: a field-goal against Eastern Washington on Sept. 19.
Washington had four opportunities to add to that total against Minnesota on Sept. 26. The Huskies mustered just one first down in those four drives and the last one ended in an interception.
"I think we just have to be able to execute," Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. said in a weekly news conference Tuesday. "It just comes down to the details, the small stuff that we got to keep working on in practice. And really just practicing execution ... we talk about that a lot. Really just going into this week of practice with that mindset and trying to put our best foot forward for this game."
The defense has had the opposite fortunes on their end.
After giving up 21 first-half points against the Gophers, the defense held the visitors to just six points from two field goals in the second half.
The Huskies were able to find their stride on offense in the fourth quarter. They scored 14 of their 24 points in the final 15 minutes alone. However, the competition is going to be tougher as soon as this weekend. UW has already seen what can happen if the offense is slow-moving to execute to start the game or coming out of the second half against Minnesota.
Washington will take on the No. 18 Southern California (USC) Trojans at 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. And there will be more pressure for the Huskies to start fast against the athleticism USC boasts on offense.
"The biggest thing is just, making sure when we come out, take whatever adjustments we make at halftime," UW wide receivers Kevin Cumming said in a news conference Tuesday. "But then, getting out there in the second half, getting yourself warmed up, getting yourself mentally in a good spot to reset for the second half. I think (that's) the biggest thing that we're talking to our guys about. Whatever happened in the first half, whether you're up or whether you're down, really is irrelevant to what's gonna happen for the next 30 minutes of the game. ... (Be) able to match (the opposing team's) adjustments and come out with the right energy.
