UW Slows Down OL Shuffle Yet Uses Henning as Extra Blocker

Quentin Moore's injury absence forced moving the Husky offensive guard to tight end.

Huskies quarterback Will Rogers (7) prepares to take a first-half snap against Eastern Michigan. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

There was no Trading Places the motion-picture sequel for a University of Washington offensive line, no musical chairs for the big boys up front, during the Huskies' second outing against Eastern Michigan.

On Saturday, Jedd Fisch's staff preferred only subtle tweaks along the all-new contingent of UW blockers, slowing down what had been a series of in-game tryouts from the season opener against Weber State.

After having multiple players man up to three different positions each in that first game, the Huskies largely went with the same starting five, used sophomore Landen Hatchett as frequently as possible coming off the bench and early on inserted redshirt freshman Zach Henning as a sixth blocker against Eastern Michigan.

Normally an offensive guard or a center, the 6-foot-5, 299-pound Henning from Centennial, Colorado, lined up as a tight end out of necessity following the injury to Quentin Moore that forced him to miss Saturday's game and maybe a few more. Moore was spotted walking the sideline during the Eastern Michigan game, a towel around his neck and not limping noticeably.

"It had everything to do with Quentin being out," Fisch said. "We lost an extremely good blocking tight end."

Moore sustained what appeared to be a knee injury in the opener after catching a 14-yard pass and then getting blindsided by a Weber State player who came off the sideline illegeally to take the tight end's legs out from under him.

Henning provided an extra blocker to the offensive line much like the departed offensive guard Geirean Hatchett did in 2022 when Kalen DeBoer's team came up short of healthy offensive linemen. The older Hatchett now plays for Oklahoma.

"That's a critical loss," Fish said of Moore. "That' a really, really good football player who brings great value in the running game and in pass protection. We feel that's one of the things we can do to keep our schemes going."

The Huskies also used offensive tackle Maximus McCree, the Maryland and JC transfer, for the first time in Saturday's outing. The 6-foot-6, 272-pound junior hadn't played on game day since 2022 when he made a couple of appearances for the Terps.

The UW also used freshman offensive guard Paki Fina and redshirt freshman offensive tackle Kahlee Tafai late in the game against Eastern Michigan for the second consecutive week.

According to Fisch, the Husky line remains a work in progress.

"We're still working the ground," he said. "We're stil moving our offensive line around trying to get the right combination."

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington