Husky LB Edefuan Ulofoshio on Facing the Ducks: 'It's Just Personal'
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Odd as it may seem, the University of Washington's Edefuan Ulofoshio has never played against Oregon on defense. Special teams for sure, but never from his gilded inside linebacker spot.
The pandemic prevented him and everyone else on the roster from dealing with the Ducks in 2020 and a season-ending arm injury forced him to be a spectator against them a year ago. Prior to that, it was just a kickoff return here and there.
That will change in a hurry on Saturday afternoon in Eugene, Oregon, when the 24th-ranked Huskies (7-2 overall, 4-2 Pac-12) square off in a huge showdown against the No. 6 Ducks (8-1, 6-0) that will be nationally televised by FOX.
Ulofoshio, after missing 14 consecutive games over two seasons because of injuries, finally has reclaimed his health.
Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff couldn't be happier to have him for the first time, sending him out for seven plays against Oregon State and teasing everyone that that he might start again at Autzen Stadium.
The Huskies have been sorely lacking a defensive playmaker, giving up way too many points and yards. In Ulofoshio, they have one of the accredited top linebackers in the country.
Even better than his reputation is his mindset — this 6-foot-1, 235-pound junior from Las Vegas understands the full gravity of this game and the need for him to step up and give his team a needed boost.
"It's just personal," Ulofoshio said. "It's important because both of us as teams made it important."
The Huskies and the Ducks have made it a hate-fest, a rivalry bordering on one of the top five emotional college football intersectional battles, similar to a Texas-Oklahoma, Ohio State-Michigan or Georgia-Florida knockdown drag-out.
"I would 100 percent agree, man," Ulofoshio said. "They don't hold nothing back. When they come here, they can definitely feel the hate. When we're over there, we can definitely feel that hate, too. It doesn't take a genius to understand we don't like each other."
For this one-time second-team All-Pac-12 selection, it's been a long road back. He hurt his arm at the end of last year's UCLA game and had surgery, and then tore up a knee during winter workouts and had another surgical procedure.
Ulofoshio has had to watch as everyone else has embraced the DeBoer coaching staff, with him the last inherited piece to get healthy.
"They were making plays and I excited, but I was, 'Dang it, I wish it was me," he said. "I want my share."
Ulofoshio was grateful to draw some time against Oregon State last weekend just to knock off the rust and the cobwebs. He needed that as a test run. He wants to be at his best come Saturday.
"I didn't want my first game to be Oregon because I knew the magnitude of it," he said. "If I had nerves, I didn't want it to be against Oregon."
Besides, it's personal.
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