First off - While individual games can be disappointing and discouraging, I will never (well at least in the next decade plus) be pissed off with an 8-4 or 9-3 season. A 10 win season followed by and 8 or 9 win season? Heaven. Didn't think it was possible. I don't need/demand national championships. All I've ever wanted was "gimme a bowl game 3 out of every 4 years."
I just want that stated upfront when I say the following. That was one of the most horribly coached games I've seen in a long long time. The defense was an abomination. Insane strategy. Poor execution. Bad discipline. UW dropped a 3rd down pass which would have been an easy first down. That was the only "stop" of the game. Henry coached scared. He didn't do anything to try and get pressure. Not once. He was scared of Williams running and he let him sit back and pick us apart. The worst part is the D looked disinterested. They looked like they were going through the motions. Just appalling how bad everything on that side of the ball was from top to bottom.
And look, I get it probably doesn't change anything, but 32 seconds, 3 timeouts at your 34 and you run out the half. You just furiously got back in the game, and you throw up the white flag because you're scared of making a mistake? I'm a judge the process not only the results guy. You can make the worst decision in the world and get lucky; you can make the best decision and fail. Either way, I'm still going to judge the decision first. And not meaningfully trying to at least get in FG range at the end of the half was a HORRIBLE decision.
Finally, the DL is a joke. This was supposed to be one of the strongest units coming in to the year, and they have been bad all year, but today was a new level of incompetence. They were absolutely invisible the entire game.
Finish 3-1 or 4-0 and I'll still be happy with the season. But today was a bad look, not simply because they lost, but because the coaching staff seemed inept and overmatched.