Husky Defense Lets Everyone Know It's There
The University of Washington defense was a little generous last season. While it's only spring football, this group appears to be a bit more territorial, if not a lot more animated.
On Saturday, with a smattering of fans let into Husky Stadium to watch the proceedings, they witnessed redshirt freshman tailback Jay'Veon Sunday come around the left end with the ball in hand, high-stepping and juking and being the center of attention.
While this was supposed to be a no-contact workout, Husky senior free safety Alex Cook came up and loudly smacked Sunday helmet to helmet, setting off a cascading roar among his teammates and along the nearby defensive sideline.
"Ain't doing that high-step!" someone in a white jersey shouted, while others let out a string of expletives directed at the showy tailback.
They weren't done with him yet.
On the next play, Sunday dropped a dump pass sent his way and practically the entire Husky defense, including those on the sideline, surrounded the young Texan on the field and howled and let him know that they saw it.
Tough crowd.
Just by chance, the music echoing through the stadium for the players' listening pleasure, if not practice motivation, broke into Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" and specifically the lyric that instructs, "Hold on to what we've got." And not long after that, Van Halen's "Runnin' with the Devil" blasted across the field.
It's safe to say the defense is feeling a sense of ownership when it comes to its side of the field and who goes there and what goes on.
"He's a young dude out there," junior cornerback Trent McDuffie said of Sunday, who the veteran knocked down the day before for a similar transgression. "We're going to try and bring him to that next level. Show him how U-Dub football is. Set the standard for what it's like to play on this team."
Well now.
The Husky defense has been operating mostly with familiar faces on the No. 1 unit. Outside linebackers Zion Fetui-Tupuola, who has bright orange hair visible when he has his helmet off, and Ryan Bowman flank junior down linemen Tuli Letuligasenoa and Taki Taimani, with sophomore Faatui Tuitele out there when the Huskies are in a five-man front.
Inside linebackers are returning starters and juniors Edefuan Ulofoshio and Jackson Sirmon.
The secondary is where things have been interesting so far and a lot of players have been rotating in and out.
For the most part, returning starters McDuffie and Kyler Gordon, also a junior, have pulled the most snaps at cornerback, while sophomore Kamren Fabiculanan goes in initially at nickelback. At safeties, Cook and junior Cameron Williams have drawn the first snaps.
Oklahoma transfer Bookie Radley-Hiles is still being schooled on the ways that Washington does things, and working his way onto the field, but he'll be in the mix soon.
"It's been great," McDuffie said of his new teammate from the Big 12. "He's really mature in understanding the playbook and asking questions. We spent hours last week, I swear, just going over film over and over and over. He's a great addition to the room and it's going to be really exciting."
Others looking for secondary minutes are returning starting free safety Asa Turner, fellow juniors Dom Hampton and Julius Irvin, plus promising redshirt freshmen Jacobe Covington,, James Smith, Makell Esteen and Eli Jackson.
What they need back there is a secondary leader on the order of Elijah Molden and Taylor Rapp and Budda Baker before him. McDuffie is working on it.
"I think it's leadership for me and to take over where Elijah Molden was last year," he said.
Saturday's practice, however, ended with that limelight-loving Jay'Veon Sunday scoring on a short run to close it out. Of course, he ran through the end zone with a finger raised high as the stadium siren wailed and then he did a chest bump with a teammate, followed by a swinging arms routine with yet another.
Moments later, Husky coach Jimmy Lake addressed the remaining fans and thanked them for coming. He also acknowledged that, "We're a little scrappy right now, a little chippy."
Lake had to like the enthusiasm, though. He even invited everyone back for next Saturday's practice, mentioning that his players will be wearing pads and it should be more entertaining.
