SEATTLE — The task that faces University of Washington football head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt this week is a tall one.
They’ve got to find a way to inspire the nation’s 95th-ranked defense to rise up and challenge an Oregon offense that ranks fifth in the country.
It might be as simple as turning on the tape.
For almost three quarters of a game against the Ducks last November, UW played some of its finest defense of the entire season — only to fall apart over the final 21 minutes. The Huskies held Oregon, which came into that game as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, to 275 yards, 11 first downs and three touchdowns through the first 39 minutes of last year’s game.
While the Ducks’ final totals of 522 yards and 53 points in a blowout victory were nothing for UW defenders to put on their collective football resume, the Huskies did enough to find some semblance of confidence heading into this Saturday’s game.
“We were just doing our job, executing the game plan and we didn’t miss many tackles,” Holt said this week, as the Huskies prepared for a Saturday night rematch at Husky Stadium. “We were very consistent and made them work, and so that’s why it was good.
“As the game wore on, and the short field (position) wore on, our kids got frustrated. We kind of lost our focus in the fourth quarter, and after that we had some tired guys.”
Oregon’s spread, zone-read attack represents one of this season’s biggest challenges for Washington. Still, the struggling UW defense has a few factors working for it against the mighty Ducks. Defensive experience, speed and depth could the Huskies as they try to keep pace with Oregon on Saturday.
Under Sarkisian and Holt, UW’s defense has been built with smaller, faster players who may be more useful against offenses like the Oregon system that spreads opponents out and burns them with speed. Undersized players at the linebacker and defensive end positions seem more likely to have success against the Ducks than the XL-sized Stanford attack that ran through the Huskies two weeks ago.
“We’re just a fast defense,” said Princeton Fuimaono, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore outside linebacker. “With their system, you need to be fast. All of us running to the ball helps out.”
But there’s speed, and then there’s Oregon speed.
“Quite honestly,” Holt said this week, “I don’t know if we’re that fast. I mean, (the Ducks) are really, really fast.”
Holt also downplayed the spike in depth on UW’s defense, even though it’s an area that has been touted throughout the season. The Huskies go seven deep on the defensive line, rotate five linebackers every week and have four safeties with starting experience.
Nineteen different players have started on UW’s defense this season, while several others have seen significant action. Recent injuries to free safety Justin Glenn (foot), linebacker Jamaal Kearse (shoulder) and reserve cornerback Tony Gobern (concussion) have thinned the troops a bit, but UW still has more bodies than it did while wearing out in the fourth quarter of last year’s meeting.
“We’ve got a lot of depth on the D-line,” starting defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu said, “so we’re in better shape now.”
The Huskies also played some of their best defensive football the last time out, with a fourth quarter that included three turnovers and just three first downs to finish off Arizona.
But that might not be enough against an Oregon offense that seems to add a new weapon every week.
It says a lot about the Ducks that one-time Heisman Trophy frontrunner LaMichael James is only a small piece of what Oregon does offensively this season. Freshman tailback/receiver De’Anthony Thomas and backup quarterback Bryan Bennett have emerged as the latest weapons on an offense that already had James, quarterback Darron Thomas and lightning-fast tailback Kenjon Barner returning from the nearly unstoppable unit that led the Ducks to last year’s national championship game.
Oregon coach Chip Kelly won’t say whether Thomas or Bennett will start on Saturday, but it’s likely that both will play. When asked about Oregon’s quarterback situation on Monday, Sarkisian seemed less concerned with which weapon the Ducks would use than he was with how many they have.
“It doesn’t bother me either way,” he said. “They’re fast. I don’t care if it’s 21 (James), 24 (Barner) or 6 (De’Anthony Thomas) running the ball, they run really fast.”
The key to making sure the speedsters don’t run through the UW secondary is mainly gap integrity and being in the right position when caught in space. The Huskies defensive players have to stay in their roles and make sure they make the tackle when it’s there to be made.
“Just stay disciplined, don’t get caught daydreaming and know your assignments,” UW linebacker Johnny Timu said.
The Huskies also have to continually rotate players on defense in an effort to stay fresh. Their experience last season, when Oregon ran over UW in the second half, is actually pretty common for Ducks opponents. Oregon has outscored foes 171-89 after intermission.
“Eventually, they can wear you down to where you don’t do what you’re supposed to be doing. Then all of a sudden, you’re out of your gap, they break a tackle and they’re gone,” Holt said.
Since last season’s game, the Huskies have cut back on the number of defensive starters who work on kick coverage units — an obvious attempt to keep players fresh. They’re also deeper and faster.
But one thing this UW defense has in common with the 2010 unit is the astounding numbers opposing teams have piled up against it.
Last season’s game at Oregon provided hope and resulted in the turning point of a memorable season, so this year’s Huskies will use that as their ray of hope.
Notable
Linebacker Jamaal Kearse is expected to play against the Ducks despite having hurt his shoulder at Tuesday’s practice. … Wide receiver James Johnson appears to be doubtful for the game because of an ankle injury he suffered against Arizona.
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