Huskies Have Been Sad Sacks In Dropping Opposing QBs

The UW has had ongoing issues in bringing down enemy signal-callers behind the line.

Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei got to the quarterback a tad late for a sack and to prevent the pass, and then drew a UW roughing call. | Dave Sizer photo

Stats for the University of Washington football team were fairly comprehensive coming out of the Illinois game.

Two touchdowns for Jonah Coleman. Two for Dezmen Roebuck. A touchdown pass thrown by receiver Denzel Boston. Four scoring throws by Demond Williams Jr.

A dozen tackles each by Xe'ree Alexander and Alex McLaughlin. Interceptions for Rahshawn Clark and Tacario Davis.

The Huskies' 42-25 victory over the Illini generated everything except one notable line item -- a UW sack.

"I think there were six almost sacks," Husky coach Jedd Fisch said. "The goal would be to take some of those almost sacks and make them sacks."

If these UW defensive linemen and edge rushers were grocery store shoppers, they'd continually punch in zero sacks when going through the self checkout line.

The talent level seems to fit for those in Montlake coming off the edge or up the middle, just not the production.

Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei (11) and Jacob Lane (48) have been pressed to come up with more sacks. | Dave Sizer photo

The Husky sack shutout was the team's second in four games, with these same defenders also pitching a shutout at Maryland.

For the season, the UW has 13 sacks, or a miserly 1.6 per game.

"There were three or four opportunities to sack the quarterback in the last game and we didn't get that done," Fisch said. "We were close. Elinneus [Davis] was close, Alex [McLaughlin] was close, Ti-Ti [Uiagalelei] was close once or twice, Jacob Lane was close, [Zach] Durfee was close -- but we've got to make those plays."

Anterio Thompson emerges from a pile after tackling Rutgers' Antwan Raymond. | Dave Sizer photo

Dropping the opposing quarterback behind the line of scrimmage has been an ongoing issue at Washington.

The Huskies came up with just 20 sacks last season compared to giving up 39 to the opposition, including 10 to Oregon.

In the run to the national championship game in 2023, the UW finished with a surprisingly limited 22 sacks over 15 games, or 1.4 per game, while permitting just a dozen.

In 2022, the Huskies were last at their aggressive best with a whopping 37 sacks in coach Kalen DeBoer's first season covering 13 games, just shy of 3 per game, while giving up a barely there 7 sacks of Michael Penix Jr.

HUSKY SACKS THIS SEASON
1. Rahshawn Clark, 14-yard loss, 4th qt.	Colorado State
2. Devin Hyde, 7 yard loss, 4th quarter	Colorado State
3. Jacob Lane, 8-yard loss, 1st quarter	UC Davis
4. Isaiah Ward, 8-yard loss, 1st quarter	UC Davis
5. Zach Durfee, 7-yard loss, 3rd quarter	UC Davis
6. Buddah Al-Uqdah and Makell Esteen, 1-yard loss, 2nd quarter	Washington State
7. Isaiah Ward and Jacob Lane, 11-yard loss, 4th quarter	Washington State
8. Armon Parker, 9-yard loss, 4th quarter	Washington State
9. Jacob Lane, 7-yard loss, 4th quarter	Ohio State
10. Bryce Butler, 3-yard loss, 2nd quarter	Rutgers
11. Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei, 3-yard loss, 2nd quarter	Rutgers
12. Bryce Butler, 3-yard loss, 4th quarter	Rutgers
13. Taiita'i Uiagalelei, 5-yard loss, 4th quarter	Michigan

In what was supposed to be an overstocked edge rusher group, the Huskies have struggled to keep guys healthy.

They lost junior Russell Davis II -- selected as a co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week following his 3-sack performance against UCLA a year ago -- to a knee injury in the offseason.

Senior Deshawn Lynch, a 6-foot-5, 295-pounder, missed the first two games this season with an unspecified injury, but he's back now, though still looking for his first sack.

The highly regarded Zach Durfee, a 6-foot-5, 258-pound senior edge, has started much of this season opposite junior Jacob Lane. He suffered an elbow injury against Ohio State and missed two and a half games before playing the past two.

Durfee has a solitary sack this season against UC Davis; he came up with 2.5 in a game against Eastern Michigan alone in 2024.

Junior Isaiah Ward, who has 2 sacks and started two games this season as a Durfee replacement, got hurt at Michigan, missed the Illinois outing and he's likely out for multiple games coming up.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Lane, the only UW edge to maintain good health without interruption, leads the team with just 2.5 sacks.

"I'd like to see us make more plays, make more havoc plays," Fisch said. "Punch the ball out while the running back is trying to go through the A gap. Make sure the run goes for one or two yards, not four or five. Let's get a sack."

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