Washington's Pass Rush Needs To Show Up Down The Stretch

The Washington Huskies have done a good job getting after the quarterback all season long, but it's time for the pressure to show up on the stat sheet.

The Arizona State Sun Devils had allowed 22 sacks coming into Saturday's game and the Huskies weren't able to drop quarterback Trenton Bourguet once. Coach Kenny Dillingham deserves credit for scheming ways to help his quarterback avoid pressure, but even on straight drop-backs the pass rush had trouble coming together.

Some of that trouble almost certainly came from the offense having its worst day in coach Kalen DeBoer's tenure, running just 55 plays and held below 300 yards, thanks in large part to 4 turnovers. Offensive issues will always play a role in a defense struggling, but the Huskies have recorded only 7 sacks this year.

As the Huskies stare down an extremely tough schedule in November — at USC, at home against Utah, at Oregon State and finishing up with Washington State at home — the pass rush could make or break the season.

Getting pressure on the quarterback can shorten drives, force turnovers and give the offense more opportunities to score. While the pressure has been there, junior edge rusher Bralen Trice's performance against Oregon is a microcosm of the issue at hand.

Trice, who lined up across from left tackle Josh Conerly Jr. for the majority of the Oregon game, had his way with the former 5-star recruit from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle. Conerly received a 13.4 grade in pass-blocking from Pro Football Focus, signifying sheer dominance by Trice in the game, but he didn't record a sack on quarterback Bo Nix.

While Washington's defensive line has had multiple performances this season, none showed against a much weaker Arizona State offensive line. As the Huskies shift their focus to Stanford, getting after the passer needs to be a bigger point of emphasis moving forward.

Game ball goes to none other than @meesh_powell 🙌🏈#USvsUS #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/J7JZzAe4du
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) October 22, 2023

The Huskies have all the pieces on the edge to field a quality pass rush, but haven't found the right formula just yet. Behind Trice, senior Zion Tupuola-Fetui and junior Voi Tunuufi have generated pressure at times but need to do it more consistently.

One way Washington could inject more life into the pass rush is by expanding the roles of two of its promising young edge players. Redshirt freshman Lance Holtzclaw and sophomore Maurice Heims have high ceilings but still await their turns behind the upperclassmen.

Giving Heims and Holtzclaw extra snaps would be beneficial to everyone at the position. The underclassmen can get some extra game reps under their belts and the leaders can stay fresh, which could help production.

If edge-rusher coach Eric Schmidt's group can find some pass-rush consistency, that could help further solidify Washington's defense which took a step in the right direction in most areas during its matchup with Arizona State.

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