UW Defense Showed Up When It Mattered Most Against Utah

Afte Utah diced up the Washington defense for 238 passing yard in the first half alone from quarterback Bryson Barnes — a career high — with a pair of touchdown passes, it was evident the Huskies needed to make changes at halftime.

Sixth-year senior linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio rallied the players around him while the co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell made a few schematic adjustments to thwart the Utes offense in the second half.

It all worked as the UW held the visitors to 76 yards total offense, 29 passing, in the second half.

"I think the staff did a nice job," UW coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game. "Just really trying to narrow it down and get the guys back to where they're confident and getting out there very quickly, and you saw that happen in the third quarter."

UW gave up 162 passing yards on just three plays in the first half, one of which, a simple screen pass that Sione Vaki took 53 yards for a touchdown, gave Utah the lead back at 21-17 with 5:59 remaining in the first half.

In the final 30 minutes at Husky Stadium the Utes had just one play that went over 20 yards, a 23-yard completion to junior wide receiver Devaughn Vele against sophomore UW safety Vince Nunley.

The UW came up with a pair of interceptions in the second half, one from safety Dom Hampton to help close out the game and a 76-yarder from linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala that should have done so in the third quarter.

The junior made a perfect read to intercept a pass from Barnes and returned it one yard short of the end zone where he literally dropped the ball, possibly thinking he had scored.

As Tuputala celebrated his first career interception on the UW sideline with teammates, reality set in that he made an egregious mistake.

Before the Federal Way native crossed the goal line to make his pick-six count he let the football go from his hands at the Utah 2-yard line and it stopped dead on the 1.

Utah right guard Michael Mokfisi fell on the ball at the Utes after he had ran three-quarters down the field to chase after Tuputala.

Fortunately for Tuputala fellow linebacker Carson Bruener busted through the Utah's offensive line unblocked and tackled running back Ja'Quinden Jackson for a safety to push the UW lead to 35-28 with 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Those two points would be the last of the game as the Huskies held on in the fourth quarter to improve to 10-0 for the first time since 1991.

"Stuff happens in a game," Bruener said. "Everything's moving so fast. I know I had to go in and I'm called to make a play and that's exactly what I did. It's all love."

One of the major factors that brought momentum to the Huskies in the second half was third-down defense.

Utah converted four of six attempts on third down in the first half, but managed just one of five in the final 30 minutes. That came on a completion to Vele two plays before Tuputala picked off Barnes to end the drive.

"Coach Morrell made some hell of adjustments, a lot of adjustments that made us more comfortable and play more faster and more physical and it showed," UW cornerback Jabbar Muhammad said after the game.

Without junior safety safety Kamren Fabiculanan, who left the game with 4:46 remaining in the first quarter with a possible ankle injury and did not return, Hampton teamed up with Nunley to hold down the last line of defense for the Huskies.

Prior to the game, Barnes had thrown for 200-plus yards once in 21 career games. His previous high came three weeks ago against USC in which the junior finished with 235 passing yards and 3 touchdowns with a interception.

Barnes still had a career-high 267 yards passing against the Huskies, but his second interception ended Utah's last chance at a comeback.

Hampton sealed the game notching his second interception of the season with 52 seconds left, a lesson this team has relied on to the very end for each victory.

"I mean, DeBoer says all the time exactly what you just said, refuse to lose," Bruener said. "Find a way to win. Refuse to lose. And that's exactly what we did."

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