Hardluck Mele Reduced to Spectator for This Husky Trip Home

The Tucson native twice got to play in front of friends and family members, but was denied a third outing.

TUCSON, Arizona — Not much has gone wrong for the University of Washington football team during this unbeaten season.

Matteo Mele is one of the notable exceptions.

As the Huskies (5-0) beat Arizona 31-24 on Saturday night, Mele was on the sidelines in street clothes, his left arm in a sling following surgery, for this Pac-12 game in his hometown, but he wasn't in uniform. 

What was supposed to be a glorious return became a bittersweet moment for the 6-foot-6, 298-pound sixth-year senior center, whose UW football career ended abruptly three weeks earlier when he suffered a torn bicep in a 43-10 victory over Tulsa.

"It's tough seeing a guy who's given so much to the program be in that position," Husky offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. "He finally gets his opportunity to be the guy and he was doing a great job."

After five dedicated seasons as a reserve, Mele was named the starter for what has become the top offense in the nation, opened two non-conference games and then met the cruelest of football fates against the Golden Hurricane leaving the field while holding his limp left arm.

Everyone knew it was bad by the way a cluster of medical personnel surrounded Mele and attended to him, and he sat on the bench for the longest time, alone with his head down.

Mele came to the UW from Tucson's Salpointe Catholic High School, the local powerhouse, rated as one of the nation's top offensive tackles by ESPN.

As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Mele returned to his hometown in glorious fashion, in the manner in which he had hoped for this weekend — as the Huskies' starting center, replacing an injured Nick Harris.

It went well. In a 51-27 victory, Mele helped open enough holes for the Huskies to rush for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns by Salvon Ahmed. He provided enough pass protection for quarterback Jacob Eason to throw 3 times to current NFL sensation Puka Nacua for a game-high 97 yards. He watched as linebacker Ariel Ngata, whose brother Daniyel is now a UW running back, led the team with 8 tackles.

Two years ago, Mele made a second trip home with the Huskies, pulled game time on special teams and shared in a 21-16 victory over Arizona.

As he watched his team play on without him this weekend, Mele was left to consider a UW career in which he appeared in 31 games and started three times. Things seemed so promising this season, he was named to the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which honors the country's top center.

In his final outing against Tulsa, he was named offensive lineman of the game by the coaching staff, going out on a successful yet painful note. 

More than anyone, Mele can tell you that football doesn't always treat you right.

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