Skip to main content
Inside The Huskies

Washington's Defense Out to Build On Stellar Outing

The Huskies can continue their defensive improvement against Stanford.
Roman Tomashoff|
Washington's Defense Out to Build On Stellar Outing
Washington's Defense Out to Build On Stellar Outing

In this story:

Washington Huskies

The Washington Huskies had arguably their best defensive performance of the season against Arizona State and have an opportunity to build on it this week. Next up for the Huskies is a road game against the Stanford Cardinal, who have the second-lowest scoring average (21.3) in the Pac-12.

The Huskies, after holding the Sun Devils to a touchdown in their recent 15-7 victory, could build more confidence defensively with another strong outing. 

Washington's secondary has taken a big step forward in terms of forcing turnovers and is tied for the conference lead in interceptions with 9. 

Stanford averages 234.4 yards per game through the air but could have some trouble throwing the ball against the Huskies.

Co-defensive coordinators Chuck Morrell and William Inge seem confident in their pass defense, which could enable them to commit extra bodies to stopping the run. 

While Stanford's rushing attack isn't anything special — averaging 127.4 yards per game — the Huskies have been a little soft at times in stopping the run.

The UW defense could get a key piece back in the rotation on Saturday if defensive tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa gets cleared to play. He missed the ASU game with an unspecified injury.

Staring at a difficult schedule in November, the Huskies will need to be at their best on defense. After Stanford, Washington will travel to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans and a talented offense that presents a different set of challenges.

The fifth-ranked Huskies have an offense that can compete with anybody in the nation. If the defense can do just enough to keep games close, Washington could achieve its goals of playing in the Pac-12 championship game and beyond.

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 Roman Tomashoff of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @rtomashoff34 or @UWFanNation

Subscribe to the Locked On Huskies Podcast on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question? Message me on Twitter!

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

Share on XFollow RTomashoff34
Home/Football