STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- After Will Rogers lofted an ill-advised rainbow that Jaylen Reed intercepted, the rickety press box swayed inside Beaver Stadium. It danced to the tune of 110,233 voices, a chorus of white-clad carolers. They shook their poms for punctuation and shouted the same four words:
WE
ARE
PENN
STATE
They were, indeed, Penn State -- bestowers of big boy football, a hard-charging reality check, a litmus test providing proof of just how far the mighty have fallen.
When Reed ripped away that interception with 7:31 left in the second quarter, Washington (5-5) was already facing a 14-0 deficit. It was 21-0 less than five minutes later and 28-0 at halftime. It was 35-6 by the end of the chorus' four-quarter concert.
And, frankly, Saturday's specifics are unnecessary -- Grady Gross' game-opening 45-yard field goal attempt that banged off the right upright, Penn State tight end/wildcat Tyler Warren's pair of 2-yard touchdown runs, another rolling blooper reel in a Big Ten road loss.
Instead, here are the numbers you need to know.
UW: 74 rushing yards, 2.2 yards per carry, 5 sacks allowed, 9 tackles for loss allowed
Penn State: 266 rushing yards, 6.7 yards per carry, 0 sacks allowed, 0 tackles for loss allowed
As the press box swayed, and the Huskies swooned, a larger point could be both seen and felt:
This team is ill-equipped.
When it comes to competing against the Big Ten's best, the Huskies are not close. They're not formidable enough on either line of scrimmage to trade punches and tell the tale.
At least, not yet.
"I think this whole year is going to help us moving forward," UW coach Jedd Fisch said after his team's fourth consecutive road loss. "This is the epitome of year one in so many ways -- year one of a coaching staff, year one of a team, year one in a new conference. We're on the road against the No. 6 team in the country [Penn State], and then in two weeks on the road against the No. 1 team in the country [Oregon]. These are all experiences that are new.
"We're just learning a lot about being in a new conference. It's the double whammy. ... We only had 40 scholarship players, or whatever it was when we got here, and then we're in a new conference. So we're going to build and create it the way we know it's going to take to win in the Big Ten. That's size. You need size in the Big Ten if you're going to beat teams like Penn State and Ohio State and Michigan on a consistent level."
Granted, there have been siren songs masquerading as signature wins. When fans stormed Husky Stadium after the 27-17 win over Michigan, that must have felt like the start of something -- not a maize and blue mirage. Like Washington, the 5-5 Wolverines have since settled into the Big Ten's mediocre middle.
Likewise, USC (4-5) -- which UW outlasted for a 26-21 win -- is neck-deep in a deflating Big Ten debut. The five teams UW has bested have recorded a combined record of 21-26 (.446).
You know that old coaching cliché, "You are what your record says you are"?
At 5-5, UW is better than some, worse than others -- aggressively average.
And it's not because the Huskies' skill talent can't compete with Penn State. Rogers, running back Jonah Coleman, wide receivers Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson, etc., are all clearly capable of succeeding on this stage.
But without size, depth and physicality, fireworks fizzle out.
Take the 21-18 loss to equally average Rutgers -- which rushed for 184 yards, 5.6 yards per carry and two touchdowns. Or the 40-16 ransacking at Iowa -- which amassed 220 rushing yards, 5.9 yards per carry and two more touchdowns, while turning in four sacks. Take the 31-17 faceplant at undefeated Indiana, which held the Huskies to 116 rushing yards and 3.7 yards per carry.
Though we love to rip on quarterbacks, Rogers is not the problem. Same with UW's deluge of running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs.
But can UW recruit and develop difference-makers on both lines of scrimmage?
Fisch's success or failure depends on the answer.
"Do I know if we can go on the road next year and beat this team in one offseason? I don't know that," Fisch said after Penn State's annual white-out game. "I know when we go on the road next year, whomever we play, we're going to be a lot better than we were this year. We're going to continue to build it. We're going to continue to grow. I really believe we're building this foundation so in one offseason we're able to make a big jump, and then in another offseason make an enormous jump.
"We're sitting here at 5-5 with two to play. We've got to go out there and win this week to become bowl eligible. But I like where we are in terms of what we were going into the season with, not knowing the names of players. I know next offseason, when we have a full year with these guys, how good we can be, which I believe will be a big jump."
By now, Fisch knows another name.
THEY
ARE
PENN
STATE
To be a similar Big Ten bully, UW has work to do.