Husky Defensive Line No Longer Does Saturday Giveaways

The UW has tightened up its front wall in three outings.

The Michigan State Spartans entered Husky Stadium on Saturday as your typical hard-nosed Big Ten football team, churning out 228 yards rushing per game. They regularly hand the ball to Jalen Berger, who opened the season with a pair of 100-yard outings. They like to pound the rock.

They left town barely recognizable at all.

The 11th-ranked Spartans rushed 29 times for just 42 yards — or about 300 yards fewer than the neighboring rival Michigan Wolverines picked up at the expense of the University of Washington 12 months earlier.

Outside of losing a defensive tackle and adding one, the Huskies utilized the same personnel in Tuli Letuligasenoa, Faatui Tuitele, Jacob Bandes and Voi Tunuufi to stuff Michigan State and get run over by Michigan.

So what happened in the Husky trenches in dealing with one Midwest powerhouse to the other?

Improved physical fitness under new strength and conditioning coach Ron McKeefery, a crash course on technique from first-year line coach Inoke Breckterfield and, most importantly, a clean slate, according to co-defensive coordinator Willam Inge.

"Not knowing or understanding anything about what happened in the past, you know, we told them, 'When we come in and open the book, the book is brand new. Everybody has a new page. Your name hasn't changed, but we don't know anything about you. What you do from this moment forward, let's make sure we're working to be able to create excellence,' " Inge said of the introductory process. "And we're chasing it."

Against the Spartans, the Huskies opened with the 6-foot-1, 307-pound Letuligasenoa and the 6-foot-3, 302-pound Tuitele up front for the third consecutive game, with both instrumental in holding their ground in the gaps and redirecting Michigan State runners into the waiting arms of their teammates.

In a modest stat line, Tuitele knocked down a Payton Thorne pass. Letuligasenoa limited Thorne to a 1-yard gain. Tunuufi sacked the Spartans quarterback for a 12-yard loss. Bandes shared in a tackle of Berger. 

While largely forced to abandon the run after falling way behind the Huskies at the outset, Michigan State still didn't have a carry longer than 8 yards by any of it running backs. The Spartans turned one-dimensional in trying to get back in the game.

What's different about this Husky defensive line is it has converted offensive guard Ulumoo Ale as a huge presence now after former starter Taki Taimani fled in the offseason to rival Oregon, where he comes off the bench and hasn't registered a tackle yet in three outings.

The 6-foot-6, 340-pound Ale, with his extra-large frame, is much better suited for defense. He's just gets in everyone's way. Ale is now rounding into playing shape after injuring a knee in a fall camp practice that slowed his momentum but didn't require surgery. He's a massive and welcome sight.

"Being able to see him come in and play and hold up some gaps, you can tell," Inge said of the difference Ale makes. "Our linebackers love it when he's in the game because nobody's going to [move him ] and that allows those guys to play fast."

Opponents averaged 193 yards rushing against the Huskies throughout their lost season of 2021. It's 90 an outing now after three showings. 

Inge affectionately refers to his guys up front as stocking stuffers. They've made a huge difference in the new Husky defense, enabling the veteran edge rushers to have more freedom and the new cornerbacks to get comfortable behind them.

"Everybody did their job," Inge said of the defensive-line effort against Michigan State. "Most of the time, if you do your job, success should not surprise you."

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