The offensive line has been a strength for Washington, but the Huskies could be without two of their starting offensive linemen this week against the UCLA Bruins, according to Huskies Wire.
Roman Tomashoff of Huskies Wire wrote an article discussing what Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch had to say about five of Washington’s injured offensive players. The list included Fisch’s comments on junior center Landen Hatchett and junior offensive right tackle Drew Azzopardi.
“Hatchett’s available to play, we’re just not playing him at this moment…He would have to, right now, block with a ball cast on,” Huskies Wire reported Fisch saying. “That’s a little bit more challenging than we want it to be.”
Tomashoff wrote that freshman offensive tackle John Mills will take over for Azzopardi in his second consecutive missed game. On top of that, redshirt freshman Paki Finau will move to left guard against the Bruins.
Both Hatchett and Azzopardi started the season for the first nine games, but missed the Huskies’ game last week against the Purdue Boilermakers.
According to ESPN, the Huskies’ offensive line has allowed 24 sacks this season, so the loss of talent on the offensive line could cause some struggles against the Bruins.
On the other hand, the Bruins’ defense has struggled getting into the backfield with only seven sacks, according to ESPN. Will the Bruins take advantage if the offensive change is indeed a weakness for Washington? History says no, but maybe the Bruins have one more trick up their sleeves this season.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Washington could be without two offensive linemen against UCLA
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
