It's Rush Hour: To Beat Oregon, UW Needs to Slow the Run Game
Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff fixed a lot of stuff for the University of Washington football team during its turnaround 2022 season. Team morale. A flagging offense. The win column.
Yet while these rejuvenated Huskies beat Oregon for the first time in five seasons, they were still unable to shut down the Ducks' running attack — something that remains a continual concern heading into Saturday's game at Husky Stadium, especially after what happened in the past two meetings.
A year ago, the Huskies permitted a season-worst 312 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing on 51 carries but were able to pull out a 37-34 victory in Eugene. In 2021, they gave up an even more onerous 329 yards and 2 scores rushing on 56 carries and paid for it with a 26-16 setback at Husky Stadium.
"First off, they have tremendous running backs," Husky co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said this week. "I have to start with that. They're running the ball at a really efficient rate."
The Ducks simply choose to attack the belly of the Husky beast and see if anyone in a purple uniform can stop them. So far, it's been no.
Eleven months ago in Eugene, Oregon unleashed speedy running backs Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington, who both cracked the century mark, churning out 143 and 108 yards, respectively. The year before, workhorse Travis Dye got loose for 211 yards.
In the Husky trenches, not much has changed over that time. The faces largely remain the same.
Tuli Letuligasenoa and Taki Taimani, now an Oregon reserve, were the defensive-line starters two years ago, Letuligasenoa and Faatui Tuitele teamed up last year and likely a beat-up Letuligasenoa and Ulumoo Ale will pair up this coming weekend.
Against Arizona a week and a half ago, the 6-foot-1, 292-pound Letuligasenoa had to leave early with an unspecified injury and the coaches acknowledge the sixth-year senior likely would have sat out at least one game had the Huskies not had a bye week.
Bucky Irving, stiff-arming the UW's Alex Cook, had a game-high 143 yards rushing in the 2022 game.
Ben Lonergan/USA TODAY Sports
However, Letuligasenoa was spotted in full uniform coming out of Tuesday morning's practice, looking like he had his game face on, as he went from Dempsey Indoor to the locker room.
What's been baffling about the running of this Oregon 300 is the Huskies have put capable defenders out on the football field, even in 2021.
That year, the UW opened with Legtuligasenoa and Taimani up front, surrounded by Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Voi Tunuufi on the edges, Jackson Sirmon and Carson Bruener at the linebackers, and fielded a secondary that consisted of the NFL-bound Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon playing the corners, Dom Hampton and Cam Williams at the safeties and Bookie Radley-Hiles at nickeback.
McDuffie, Gordon, Sirmon and ZTF each have been a first-team All-Pac-12 selection at some point in their careers.
Oregon enters this matchup averaging a hefty 227.2 yards per game, including 7.7 each carry, with plenty of interchangeable parts. The Ducks keep everyone fresh by spreading the ball around to Irving, the one-time Minnesota transfer, who leads the team with 50 carries for 393 yards (7.9 per carry) and 4 touchdowns; followed by Jordan James, who has 34 carries for 297 yards (8.7) and 7 scores; and one-time Western Kentucky transfer Whittington, with his 20 carries for 146 yards (7.3) and a pair of TDs.
Overall, the Huskies will have a slightly different look on defense this time. They'll start sixth-year linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio against the Ducks for the first time in his long-winding career, which should help make things more difficult. Multiple injuries and the pandemic previously prevented Ulofoshio from opening games against Oregon.
Besides Letuligasenoa, senior safety Asa Turner has been practicing this week while wearing some sort club protection on a hand after missing all but one game and a solitary play in another outing with his injury.
To be sure, the UW needs to slow down the Oregon rushing attack or find itself in another close battle to the wire or even defeat. The Husky coaches have been stressing a better push, sure tackling and a lot more people around the ball at all times. They've done so with an urgent tone.
"It can't be a one-guy thing," Morrell said. "It's got to be multiple guys at the point of attack every single snap. It's relentless focus and it's relentless finishing. I think it's the key to the game."
Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published. Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.
Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12
Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 or @UWFanNation or @DanRaley3
Have a question, direct message me on Facebook or Twitter.
