What to know about Washington's 'dress rehearsal'

The mock game went according to Jedd Fisch's script.

SEATTLE — Washington’s Saturday night “mock game” brought to mind the sketch comedy show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and its famous slogan: “The show where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter.”

Never mind, for example, that Will Rogers completed a 20-something-yard pass to Denzel Boston; the ball advanced only five yards, according to script, with the next snap representing third-and-five. Public address announcer Eric Radovich called out the result of each play, estimating yardage gained or lost, and the scoreboard operator gamely updated the display with each new down and distance. But the 90-minute semi-scrimmage before a smattering of fans at Husky Stadium mostly functioned as one part of a dress rehearsal for the various machinations of a game weekend.

The team stayed at a hotel on Friday night, coach Jedd Fisch said, and woke up Saturday to a typical game-day breakfast and pre-game meal.

“We did everything we would normally do,” Fisch said, “because we wanted to make sure we were in a position that when it’s two weeks from now — this was a dress rehearsal, so to speak. Just like in anything, when you’re putting on a show, when you’re putting on a performance, when you’re getting ready to open things up, you’ve got to do that.

“We’ve used this script for years — at least the last four — and this script has been used in the NFL for a lot more years than that. We wanted to make sure we got all the situations practiced, and we were able to get that done.”

For that reason, personnel groupings and statistics from this event are relatively meaningless (and near impossible to calculate with much precision). Some plays featured live tackling, but many appeared to be “thud” tempo, which makes it difficult to gauge yardage. But I still have a notebook full of facts and observations, and soon, you will, too.