In Tunuufi, Huskies Have Just One Utah Guy to Send Against Utes

Voi Tunuufi is all that's left on the University of Washington football roster.

Whereas the Chris Petersen and Jimmy Lake Husky coaching staffs once went heavy on Utah-produced talent, the 6-foot-1, 260-pound Tunuufi, a combo defensive tackle and edge rusher from the Salt Lake City area, is the only one who remains for Kalen DeBoer's team with the Utah Utes coming to town this weekend.

Defensive tackle Taki Taimani now plays for Oregon. Linebacker MJ Tafisi leads Utah State in tackles. Wide receiver Puka Nacua is an NFL rookie after transferring to BYU. Wide receiver Ty Jones finished up at Fresno State, at one time playing for DeBoer. Edge rusher Jordan Lolohea appears to have given up college football entirely.

Which leaves the quick, compact and vastly underrated Tunuufi as the only one among 120 players from 20 states on the roster with a Utah driver's license awaiting the 13th-ranked Utes (7-2 overall, 4-2 Pac-12) when they show up to face the fifth-ranked and unbeaten UW (9-0, 6-0) on Saturday at Husky Stadium.

Tunuufi comes off possibly his biggest play as a Husky football player — a 12-yard sack of USC quarterback Caleb Williams in the fourth quarter to force a punt and put an end to the back-and-forth offensive shootout involving the UW and Trojans.

"He's in the right place, a crafty guy and instinctual," DeBoer said.

On third-and-13 at the UW 30 with eight minutes remaining in the game, Tunuufi lined up as a down lineman and cut to the outside as senior edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui powered his way inside, in what amounted to a clever screen play for these Husky defenders. Tunuufi used his speed to avoid any blockers and grabbed USC's Williams by the jersey, spun him around and threw him down.

"There's obviously a game with him and the other guys up front, and seeing him come off you've got a lot of confidence when Voi is in that position to finish the play — and he did," DeBoer said. "He held on and it was a big moment for us."

For Tunuufi, this marked his 10th career sack, which ranks him third on the team and is nothing short of amazing considering the junior has started just two Husky games in the 33 he's appeared and plays two radically different positions.

Only ZTF, with 16 sacks in 44 games, and junior fellow edge rusher Bralen Trice, with 14 in 34 outings, have more for the UW.

The potential always has been there for Tunnufi to be a defensive play-maker. A lot of people knew it when he was coming out of East High School in Salt Lake City. He chose the Huskies over offers from hometown Utah, Utah State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia, Oklahoma State and others.

The Huskies tried hard to make Tunuufi an edge rusher only this season, with the idea he would take on a more prominent role on the outside once the much-decorated ZTF and Trice use up their eligibility, which still might happen in 2024.

However, the lingering injury to senior defensive tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa required Tunuufi to get back in a stance for the USC game and he did it seamlessly.

"That's the beauty of Voi," DeBoer said. "He'll do whatever you ask and he does it well, whether it's playing edge or interior, and that will change from week to week depending on our needs."

This week, the request simply will be for the Huskies' lone Utah guy to show up and play well against the Utah Utes.

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