SEATTLE — On Oct. 30 of last year, the University of Washington hosted a surprisingly competitive Stanford team and got knocked out with a roundhouse right. The Cardinal’s 41-0 victory at Husky Stadium left UW at one of those season crossroads, where the Huskies were one wrong turn from total disas
ter.
“It set a tone for the rest of the season,” senior linebacker Cort Dennison said this week. “We were just embarrassed with everything that happened, and we didn’t ever want to see that again on film.
“We watched that game on film, and it was embarrassing. We got called out and ch
allenged by the coaches, and by the end of the year, we really stepped up and got physical.”
After the blowout loss to Stanford, UW’s defense came together and played its best football of the season. The Huskies hung in with top-ranked Oregon, then allowed 13 points or fewer in three of their final four games to roll through a Holiday Bowl win and the program’s first winning record in eight years.
With Stanford on the schedule again this Saturday, the Huskies could use the motivation that came with last year’s loss. But they’re also hoping that a little deja vu is beginning to creep up on defense.
Over the past 10 quarters, UW has allowed 41 points and 787 yards — averages of 16.4 and 314.8, respectively, per four-quarter game. In the 31/2 games that led up to halftime of the Sept. 24 contest against Cal, the Huskies were allowing averages of 37.1 points and 462.0 yards per four-quarter game.
So, have the Huskies already turned things around on defense?
“Hope so,” defensive coordinator Nick Holt offered on Tuesday evening, his fingers practically crossed at the thought. “We need to play good at the end of the year because we’ve got some tough foes. We’re right where we need to be, and we need to play good football.”
UW’s first three opponents this season — Eastern Washington, Hawaii and Nebraska — ran up and down the field on the Huskies’ defense, while Cal was on the way to doing the same during a Sept. 24 game at Husky Stadium. But the UW defense tightened up in the third quarter of that game, and opponents have found yards hard to come by in the two games that followed.
Even though the Huskies lost three starters in defensive end Hau’oli Jamora (to a season-ending knee injury), free safety Nate Fellner (to a hamstring injury) and outside linebacker Johnny Timu (to a neck injury in the Cal game) in recent weeks, they have found their stride on defense — thanks in part to substitutes Josh Shirley, Justin Glenn and Jamaal Kearse.
Defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu said the return of once-injured defensive linemen Semisi Tokolahi and Everette Thompson have bolstered things up front, while Dennison said players are staying in their roles after trying to do too much earlier in the season.
The latter was a common theme to UW’s defensive turnaround late in 2010. Players said when everyone bought into the concept of doing one job for 60 minutes, it helped the whole defense thrive.
“We’ve given up less big plays,” said Holt, whose defense ranked in the bottom 10 of the nation for most of September but has since risen to a modest, middle-of-the-pack ranking of 73rd. “We’ve gotten turnovers in a couple of games, gotten some sacks. Just overall more consistent football, more consistent play.”
Glenn, who stepped in for Fellner in the Sept. 17 Nebraska game and has since remained in the starting lineup, said the UW defense is on the right path.
“I think we’ve definitely been making progress,” the Kamiak High School product said. “But we’ve got a long way to go. We have to keep getting better.”
Saturday’s game could be the Huskies’ biggest test yet. Stanford (6-0 overall, 3-0 in the Pac-12) ranks 16th in the country in yards per game, at 485.7. The Cardinal piled up 41 points and 470 yards in a meeting last season, and 424 yards in a 34-14 win at Stanford in 2009, so UW knows all too well how potent this offense can be.
“We know how physical they’re going to be,” Dennison said. “That’s why they’re one of the best teams in the country. We have to match their intensity and be just as physical.”
Based on how the game went when Stanford visited Husky Stadium last season, UW has plenty of motivation to keep playing hard on defense this week. And they have a string of solid quarters to back it up.
“We’re starting to click more,” cornerback Desmond Trufant said. “People are starting to understand where they’re supposed to be and where the coaches want us to be. Plays are just continuing to be made. So we’ve just got to continue doing that and go out and execute.”
Just how good is the UW defense? Tune in Saturday night, and you’ll find out for sure.
“It’ll be a challenge,” Dennison said, “but it’ll be a fun one.”
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