At least the University of Washington football team didn't wear its 1991 throwback uniforms against Montana.
That would have been blasphemous.
After mulling all that went wrong for the Huskies on Saturday night in their disturbing 13-7 loss to their upstart FCS opponent — the lack of offense, the turnovers, the missed tackles — one drawback stood out above the rest.
Unlike the UW national champions of 30 years ago, the big guys currently wearing purple and gold were incredibly soft.
All the big hits belonged to Montana. The loud pops that could be heard up in the pressbox. The remember-me love pats. The stack of pancakes.
The fierceness was all Grizzlies, all the time.
For whatever reason, the Huskies didn't bend anyone over backward, didn't scare anyone in a white jersey.
After weeks of trumpeting his offensive line as the best in the Pac-12, if not one of the most elite in the nation, Jimmy Lake's touted blockers made almost nothing happen.
They were supposed to resemble an illustrious USC O-line that was so big it was said that when those Trojans stood up, they could see Denver.
These Huskies couldn't spot the University Village.
Inside, they experienced interior problems galore.
Left guard newcomer Julius Buelow looked lost at times and didn't hit anybody.
Returning right-guard starter Henry Bainivalu was lifted in the third quarter in favor of Nate Kalepo, with the UW looking for someone, anyone, who could slow the Griz down coming up the middle.
Defensively, the problems that plagued the Huskies during the 2020 short season reappeared, beginning with freshman Xavier Harris snapping off a 38-yard gainer on Montana's first offensive series.
Harris brought back memories of Utah's late freshman sensation Ty Jordan repeatedly getting loose against the UW last season.
The Huskies opened with a pair of sophomores up front on defense in 6-foot-2, 300-pound Tuli Letuligasenoa and 6-foot-2, 330-pound Taki Taimani. Inserting redshirt freshman Faatui Tuilele, they often went with three down linemen. These guys chalked up a measly 1 tackle for loss among them. They forced no Montana turnovers.
Typical of the continual shuffle up front, the Huskies put 6-foot-3, 300-pound freshman Kuao Peihopa into the game early in the second quarter, replacing Taimani and teaming him with Letuligasenoa.
On the first play of his college career, Peihopa tried to fend off two Grizzlies who violently drove him 10 yards off the ball and then into the ground with a referee on top of the play, looking for any extracurriculars. Welcome to big-boy football, Kuao.
To his credit, the first-year Husky defensive tackle from Hawaii on the very next play badly beat a single blocker and forced Montana quarterback Cam Humphrey into a rushed and hurriedly thrown ball.
In the third quarter at Husky Stadium with darkness setting in, the UW replaced Taimani with 6-foot-2, 295-pound redshirt freshman Jacob Bandes, teaming him with Letuligaseno and Tuitele.
To open the fourth quarter, Letuligasenoa got yet another running mate on the defensive front in 6-foot-1, 275-pound freshman Voi Tuunifi, who replaced Taimani.
If you see a pattern evolving here, Taimani, a returning starter who can fill space but hasn't shown he can ring up any significant amount of tackles in the trenches, might be hard-pressed to start next Saturday against Michigan.
The Huskies have five practices to see if they can find a couple of guys who want to own the line of scrimmage. On each side of the ball. Shed the softness. Go into Big Ten country and display some nastiness.
It wasn't there against Montana. The upcoming game in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will turn ugly as well as embarrassing if somebody with an attitude doesn't show up in the Big House.
These Huskies shouldn't be allowed to wear those '91 throwback uniforms, the ones that conjure up images of Steve Emtman and Lincoln Kennedy, this season if they don't get mean and unforgiving. And soon.
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