# The best hands in football went cold

> Washington's most reliable receiver dropped two passes in the fourth quarter, and it said everything about a team out of sync.
- Title: The best hands in football went cold | Shortify
- Summary: Washington's most reliable receiver dropped two passes in the fourth quarter, and it said everything about a team out of sync. Slumps spread. When a team…
- Keywords: college football, washington huskies, wide receivers, jedd fisch, slumps, sports, best, hands, football, went, cold, Washington Huskies On SI
- Source: Washington Huskies On SI — https://si.com/college/washington/football/in-weird-times-always-sure-handed-roebuck-dropped-2-passes-01m2e1b2ya8k
- Published: 2026-09-14T15:34:53+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: college football, washington huskies, wide receivers, jedd fisch, slumps, sports
## When a team gets sick
Washington is out of sync right now, and that kind of dysfunction spreads through a roster like the flu. Nobody gets a pass, not even the best player on the field.

> it can affect even the best player like a debilitating strain of influenza shooting through the roster
## Roebuck catches everything
The second-year receiver from Marana, Arizona has built a reputation on hands that never fail. Conventional grabs, acrobatic ones, it does not matter.
## Except last Saturday
Against Utah State he dropped two passes. One came at the 5-yard line with a touchdown sitting right in front of him.

> It was like the stadium power went out without explanation.
## The numbers say star
Through two games he has 14 catches for 100 yards, seven receptions in each. Both totals lead the team.
## He only sees the two
Ask him about the production and he would skip past it. The drops are what he would want to talk about.
## His coach calls it a fluke
Jedd Fisch put Roebuck's hands on the same level as Tetairoa McMillan, his old Arizona receiver now in the NFL. He had never seen anything like this.

> Dez Roebuck has the best hands of any player I've ever been around other than T-Mac
## Third and goal, wide open
Early in the fourth, Washington faced third-and-goal from the 9. Roebuck slid into the flat with nobody near him and let it go, then grabbed his helmet with both hands.
## Again with two minutes left
First down at the Utah State 43, a chance to bleed the clock and end it. The ball went through his hands, the Huskies went three-and-out, and the punt team came on.

> The ball and his hands were not a good match.
## The forced hug
Washington survived 16-14, but Roebuck was inconsolable. Fisch went in for a hug after the game and got one he could tell his receiver did not want.

> He did hug me, but I could tell it was a forced hug.
## Fix him, fix the team
The Huskies need Roebuck back to his old self. If the surest player on the roster steadies, the rest of them may follow.
## Key takeaway

Slumps spread. When a team presses, even the surest hands start to shake, and recovery usually starts with the best player on the field.