Ulofoshio Exorcises His Playmaking Demons with TD Runback

Edefuan Ulofoshio entered the Washington-California football game with personal demons. Nothing that required intense therapy, maybe just a throwing machine and a good memory.

Two weeks ago, the sixth-year senior linebacker and team co-captain dropped what appeared to be a sure interception against Tulsa.

Naturally, he heard about it from his fellow Huskies. More than once. All the time.

"I love my teammates, but they can be a bit of a bully," Ulofoshio said.

Then there was his 39-yard fumble runback against Stanford in 2020, when he thought he was in the clear only to get tackled by the Cardinal quarterback.

On Saturday night, Ulofoshio had a total cleansing of the football soul against Cal. On the sixth play of the game, he drifted out to the right flat, intercepted Ben Finley's pass and very determinedly ran 45 yards to score the first points in the UW's 59-32 victory.

"I told myself if I ever got that chance again, I'm just going to cut back," he said. "If I'm finding a way, I'm cutting back."

Ulofoshio did just that, leaving Finley reaching for him and getting nothing as the Husky leader turned him around and left him behind.

"It was like pre-conceived, three years in the making, that I thought about cutting back," he said.

Against Tulsa, Ulofoshio dropped the pass ... on the sixth defensive play of the game.

To atone for that missed opportunity, the 6-foot-1, 236-pound defender from Las Vegas joined UW receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan and caught balls from the team throwing machine.

Ulofoshio endears himself to everyone, his coaches, teammates and fans alike, with his dedication to everything he does. He's not only a standout football player, he's going to be a doctor someday.

He's completely healthy again after missing half of each of the two previous seasons dealing with knee and bicep injuries.

UIlofoshio is the guy who caused a fumble on a Husky kickoff that was his first college play. He's a former walk-on who's earned a scholarship, a starting job and the universal respect of his team.

"You're just so happy for a guy like Eddie," UW coach Kalen DeBoer said. "He's so easy to root for. As long as he's been here, the things he's been through, just how hard he works, the person he is, if you could pick a guy to have those sorts of moments, he'd be right there at the top of the list."

Ulofoshio practiced for this moment, dreamed of having another opportunity and deserved the outcome.

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.