UW Offensive Line Was at Its Best Against USC, But Depth Is Thin

It seems the University of Washington offensive line has never been in better shape than it was against USC, opening holes for Dillon Johnson to pile up 256 yards rushing in Los Angeles — the most by a Husky running back in 13 seasons.

However, looking closer at this group, this fifth-ranked UW team (9-0 overall, 6-0 Pac-12) finds itself down four scholarship linemen entering Saturday's matchup with the No. 13 Utah Utes (7-2, 4-2), a fairly significant hit to the depth for this position area.

Starting center Matteo Mele, a sixth-year senior, lasted just two games before he suffered a season-ending bicep injury against Tulsa.

Sophomore backup guard Gaard Memmelaar and sophomore reserve tackle Robert Wyrsch went down in practice with season-stopping injuries that required surgery and didn't play in any games.

In the lead-up to the USC matchup, sophomore guard Geirean Hatchett, who had started four games this season, suffered a significant ankle injury last week in practice, missed the L.A. trip and won't be available for the Utah game.

"I think other guys will just shuffle into different places," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said.

The No. 1 line remains solid with, from left to right, junior Troy Fautanu at tackle, junior Nate Kalepo at guard, redshirt freshman Parker Brailsford at center, junior Julius Buelow at guard and sophomore Roger Rosengarten at tackle.

All are season-long starters except for the 6-foot-9, 313-pound Buelow, who missed two games after getting injured at Michigan State and played in the past two outings. The towering Buelow, by the way, is listed at 6-foot-8 by the school, but insists he's an inch taller.

The only other Husky offensive lineman with significant game snaps is freshman Landon Hatchett, who's appeared in six games at both center and offensive guard, thus giving up his redshirt status.

Even with the thinned-down depth chart, the UW line provided enough of an escort against USC to generate a season-best 316 yards rushing — a massive improvement just two games after the Huskies struggled mightily and gained a paltry 13 yards on 13 carries in a 15-7 victory over Arizona State.

"Up front, specifically since the Arizona State game, we really put a challenge to the O-line out there that they needed to practice more physical and needed to practice harder, and they certainly have," Grubb said. "I think it's paid dividends. They're playing harder and practicing harder and it's showing up on Saturdays."

Behind the first-unit linemen are Jalen Klemm, a Kansas State transfer and a redshirt freshman tackle; Samuel Peacock, a sophomore tackle; Zach Henning, a freshman guard; and Landen Hatchett, again a fellow freshman guard and center. Klemm has appeared in five games, Peacock in four and Henning in two.

Behind them are freshmen in body-building development mode in Kahlee Tafai, Elishah Jackett and Soane Faasolo.

Of the first-teamers, Brailsford has been a breakout star this season, starting at both offensive guard and center, easily changing positions when a replacement player was needed when Mele went down.

Fautanu and Rosengarten entered the season as honors candidates at the tackles and have lived up to their billing, while Kalepo has firmly established himself on the interior.

The biggest setback for Huskies has been losing the 6-foot-6, 298-pound Mele, someone who had patiently waited a long time for his chance to start, earned the No. 1 assignment and didn't get much of a chance to savor it.

"We were watching the film the other day and I saw him on some cut-ups, and you just get bummed thinking where he'd be right now," Grubb said of Mele. "Parker's playing great, but having Parker and Teo in the lineup was just awesome."

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