Washington seeks faster start against Montana

Sep 5, 2017 - 3:30 AM Washington coach Chris Petersen knows the club's season-opening victory over Rutgers wasn't aesthetically pleasing.

No way to dispute that when the team possessed the ball fewer than 22 minutes during the 30-14 victory.

That's fine," Petersen said at his Monday press conference. "We'll win close, low-scoring games, but from our side of it we've got to be more efficient on offense -- start faster."

The Huskies will strive to have fewer kinks and issues when they host Montana (1-0) this Saturday. Once again, Washington will be forecasted to have few troubles handling the Grizzlies.

Yet how did that work out against Rutgers?

"We won. That is what we are here for," Petersen said. "We got that done, but I do think that it was a little bit of a wake-up call."

Junior quarterback Jake Browning can hear the alarm ringing. The player that finished sixth in last season's Heisman Trophy balloting wasn't the least bit impressed with the offensive performance despite passing for 284 yards and two touchdowns.

"We've got a standard we try to play to, and that's not the standard at all," Browning said.

Washington will look to get its running game going against the Grizzlies after junior Myles Gaskin received just seven carries in the opener.

Defensively, the Huskies will get senior All-American inside linebacker Azeem Victor back after he missed the opener due to a violation of team rules. Sophomore cornerback Austin Joyner will miss his second straight game due to suspension.

Having Victor back should help Washington get off the field quicker.

The Huskies have had high expectations placed on them and that made the opening result seem disappointing, despite a 16-point margin of victory.

Washington trailed until senior Dante Pettis returned a punt for touchdown with less than four minutes remaining in the first half. This against a team they clobbered 48-13 last season.

"We've still got a ton to clean up," Petersen said. "We've got to start faster, we've got to tackle better, but I think it was a good start out of the gate."

Washington cornerback Austin Joyner, a sophomore, will miss his second straight game due to a violation of team rules.