Have Washington Huskies’ special teams improved this season?

Washington kicker Grady Gross (95) reacts after missing a field goal attempt during a college football game against Rutgers on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Seattle. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)

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By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter

The recipe for a Big Ten victory, Jedd Fisch, said, is fairly clear. If a team can control two out of the three phases of a football game, they have a good chance to win the game. 

Against Wisconsin Nov. 8, Washington dominated defensively. The Huskies held the Badgers, who played their fourth quarterback of the season, to just 13 points and 205 total yards. Wisconsin gained more than 25 yards on two of its 13 drives. But Washington’s offense struggled mightily. The Huskies lost the turnover margin, failed to rush the ball effectively and struggled to pass the ball in difficult weather conditions. 

Yet Fisch said UW’s failures in the third phase of the game — special teams — might’ve been the difference between a gutsy road win and what became a disappointing upset. 

“It wasn’t good enough,” Fisch said Monday. 

Washington’s special teams units endured arguably its worst performance of 2025 against Wisconsin, despite blocking a punt to set up its only touchdown. The Huskies conceded a fake punt, had a field goal blocked, were penalized for an illegal block in the back during a punt return and made an invalid fair catch, all while its punting game remained inconsistent. 

“We just had a lot of mental errors,” said junior linebacker Xe’ree Alexander, who leads the Huskies in special teams snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. “But we always work, and we’ll always learn from our mistakes. That will never happen again.”

The Huskies (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) massively revamped their special teams units before the season started. 

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They allowed starting punter Jack McCallister and long snappers Caleb Johnston and Cameron Warchuck to enter the transfer portal. Senior kicker Grady Gross was the only specialist starter who returned from 2024. Jordan Paopao was relieved of his duties as special teams coordinator, allowing him to focus on tight ends, while special teams quality control coach Bailey McElwain departed for UCLA.  

Washington’s special teams overhaul was overdue. The Huskies ranked 76th in punt returns (7.15 yards per return), 81st in blocked punts allowed (1), 90th in kickoff return defense (21.51 yards per attempt against), 121st in punt return defense (14.33 yards per attempt against), 124th in blocked kicks allowed (4) and 131st in net punt yards (34.07 yards). 

Fisch hired special teams coordinator Chris Petrilli and special teams quality control coach Greg Froelich to run the unit during the offseason. Junior long snapper Ryan Kean transferred in from Utah Tech, while sophomore punter Luke Dunne joined from Oregon to round out the group’s specialists. 

And Petrilli, who previously coached with defensive coordinator Ryan Walters at Purdue, has generally improved Washington’s special teams. 

The Huskies rank 25th in punt returns (12.83 yards per return) and scored the first punt-return touchdown of Fisch’s tenure against FCS UC Davis Sept. 6. They haven’t had a punt blocked through nine games. They rank 44th in kickoff returns (21.86 yards per return), comparable to the 2024 season when they ranked 25th nationally averaging 22.56 yards per return. Gross hit a career-long 51-yard field goal and has converted 7 of his 10 attempts in limited opportunities. 

And the special teams unit started well against Wisconsin. With 8:55 remaining in the second quarter and the Badgers punting from their own 17-yard line, sixth-year linebacker Anthony Ward got to punter Sean West after being left unblocked and got both hands on the ball. 

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The Huskies recovered on the 1-yard line, setting up the goal-line fade to junior wide receiver Denzel Boston, their only touchdown of the game. It was Washington’s first punt block since Edefuan Ulofoshio achieved the feat against Texas in the 2022 Alamo Bowl. 

“When we were back at Arizona,” Fisch said, “he blocked the same punt against Utah. It just reminded me of a great moment.” 

But Washington’s special teams play only went downhill after Ward’s block. Wisconsin pulled off its fake punt with 12:15 remaining in the third quarter while facing fourth-and-10 from its own 35-yard line. West rolled right before floating a short pass to tight end Jackson Acker leaking forward from the punt shield. He caught the ball and rumbled 24 yards for the first down and Wisconsin’s longest pass play of the night. West was the Badgers’ leading passer. 

The Husky defense eventually got a stop, but on West’s ensuing punt, sophomore linebacker Hayden Moore was penalized for an illegal block in the back, negating freshman Dezmen Roebuck’s 5-yard return and putting Washington on its own 8-yard line. 

Roebuck was the third different Husky who returned a punt against the Badgers, stepping in after Boston (ankle) and redshirt freshman defensive back Rahshawn Clark (knee) were both injured on punt-return duty earlier in the game. Fisch, who has repeatedly stated Boston has been the team’s primary punt returner because of his sure hands, said the South Hill native will remain the team’s first option against Purdue Saturday if he’s available. 

“With Denzel, there’s been times that he’s been able to give us really good field position,” Fisch said. “There have been times he’s been able to score. There are times he’s been able to field some very difficult punts. But on the same token, we’ve got to make sure we protect him and do a good job blocking for him if we are going to take a return.”

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The mistakes only snowballed from there. Washington was called for an invalid fair catch with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter after kickoff returner Adam Mohammed extended his arms to make the T-bar signal, essentially signaling his intention to allow the kickoff to bounce into the end zone for a touchback. 

But the ball didn’t land near Mohammed. Instead, it went straight into the arms of senior Omari Evans, replacing the injured Jonah Coleman (knee), who tried to return the kickoff. New rules in 2025, however, treat the T-bar signal as a fair-catch indicator, meaning Mohammed’s signal immediately downed Evans where he caught the ball at the 5-yard line. 

Washington’s final special teams miscue came when Gross’ 50-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Wisconsin defensive lineman Ben Barten, preventing the Huskies from tying the game. 

Fisch, however, was most disappointed with his team’s punting. Dunne averaged just 38.6 yards on four punts. This season, Washington ranks 131st in net punting yards and 113th in punt-return defense. The Huskies punt struggles, Fisch said, played a large part in the team’s poor field position. And the Washington coach did not have many solutions for how to fix the punt unit. 

“We’re working to continue to speed up the operation, try to get the ball out quicker,” Fisch said Thursday. “But that is what it is right now. We are who we are when it comes to our punt team.”

It’s particularly notable given Washington’s opponent Saturday. McCallister transferred to Purdue this season. He’s averaging a career-best 44.8 yards per punt and 42.1% of his attempts are dropping inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The Boilermakers (2-8, 0-7) are 20th in punt-return defense this season, allowing just 3.93 yards per return. 

“We’ve got to be better at it,” Fisch said. “We’ve talked about it. They know it. We know it. But there’s really not much we can do in terms of improving our punt coverage right at this moment in time, because it hasn’t been based on covering. It’s been more based upon the kicks itself, the hang time and the direction.”

Extra point:

• Sixth-year safety Makell Esteen exited the Wisconsin game with a “severe” thigh bruise, but is expected to return Saturday against Purdue, Fisch announced Thursday.

Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.