SEATTLE — Senior linebacker Mason Foster has been doing it all for the University of Washington football team this season.
Some might say too much.
“Realistically, you never like to have one guy with 18 tackles — although I think the world of Mason,” Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian said after Foster’s 18-tackle performance put him at a Pacific-10-Conference-best 100 for the season. “It’s unfortunate we are not playing better around Mason because he is a fantastic football player and deserving of any accolades he gets at the end of the year.”
Statistically, Foster has the numbers to be considered for All-America honors. He’s got 30 more tackles than any other defender in the conference and ranks third in the nation with an average of 12.5 per game. But the Huskies’ overall defensive struggles — they rank 100th out of 120 Bowl Subdivision teams in yards allowed per game — are likely to keep him off most postseason lists.
What’s even worse for UW (3-5 overall, 2-3 in the Pac-10) is the fact that Foster is having to make most of the tackles without much help. Only two other Huskies — safety Nate Williams (70) and linebacker Cort Dennison (60) — have more than 51 tackles this season.
“He’s playing his butt off, and he’s making his plays,” defensive coordinator Nick Holt said Tuesday. “Yeah, we’d like to see some other guys make some plays, but he’s doing a great job.”
Foster isn’t even that excited about his triple-digit total, even though has a remote chance of becoming only the fifth UW player in history to amass 200 tackles in a season.
“Really, it means nothing to me,” he said. “It feels great that I’ve made a lot of plays, but it really doesn’t mean anything. I’d rather have 50 tackles and win every game or have no tackles.
“It’s something that’s cool to look at, but at the same time, I’d trade all those tackles in for wins any day.”
What’s clear is that Foster’s ability to bring down ball carriers has prevented the UW defense from being one of the country’s worst units in recent memory.
“Mason is our savior, man,” defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu said. “If I mess up on my key, he can clean it up for me. Having someone with that much experience means a lot to our defense.”
Holt doesn’t even want to think about what the Huskies’ defense would be like without Foster.
“He’s played fantastic,” Holt said. “He’s just a heck of a football player. We’re lucky to have him. He’s a heck of a football player. He’s playing lights-out for us.”
On a defense that has been susceptible to missed tackles, Foster could serve as an example. While he’s whiffed on his share of would-be tackles, Foster rarely gets his hands on a player without bringing him down.
“He brings his feet, (and) he wraps up on everything,” Dennison said. “And when you do that, and then you have that ball-hawk mentality, good things will happen.
“There’s a reason why he’s so far in front of everybody else in our conference. He’s a good tackler, and I think he’s probably the best linebacker in the country.”
Said Ta’amu: “It’s crazy having him on our team. Last year, on the d-line, we were always dependant on (Daniel Te’o-Nesheim). It was like: ‘Oh, Te’o’s going to make this play.’ For me, now I’m thinking: Mason’s going to do something. It’s cool having him on the team.”
Even opponents have taken notice.
“He’s a great football player,” said Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson, who was on the sideline when Foster had a team-high 12 tackles against the Sun Devils 3 ½ weeks ago. “Great instincts. He stands out — on tape, and in person. He can run fast, very physical. He’s got all the attributes great players have.”
Foster’s spike in production — he had 85 tackles as a junior — has as much to do with two teammates who have moved on as it does his own rigorous offseason work. Senior middle linebacker Donald Butler, who was the biggest playmaker on last year’s unit, is now playing in the NFL. And E.J. Savannah has also moved on, paving the way for Foster to move to the weakside position that typically makes most of the tackles.
“You get a chance to run around more, definitely,” Foster said this week. “I worked hard in the offseason with (strength) coach Ivan (Lewis), got my endurance right, got stronger and got faster, and I’m starting to make a lot of plays.”
Foster has had double-digit tackles in every game this season and has led UW in all but three. Part of his key to success is how he approaches every game: like he’s got to make every tackle.
“That’s how I try to play,” he said. “My mindset going in is that I feel like I can make every play out there.
“I just want to do what I can to do to help the team win out there, whether it means getting three tackles or if it means getting a sack and 15 tackles. Whatever I can do to help the team, that’s what I want to do.”
It only seems like Mason Foster is in on every tackle. The truth is, he’s just in on a lot more than anyone else in this part of the country.
Of note
The Huskies unveiled a secret weapon during the early portion of practice, using a former All-America quarterback to run the scout team. Sarkisian played the part of Oregon’s Darron Thomas, taking snaps and running the Ducks’ read-option offense for about 15 minutes while wearing a windbreaker and shorts. For what it’s worth, he completed 11 of 19 passes and his favorite target was Din Kuses, a walk-on receiver from Edmonds-Woodway High School. Oh, and defensive end Everette Thompson and linebacker Matt Houston had clean shots at him on running plays but, not surprisingly, let up without making a hit. Said Ta’amu of Sarkisian’s role: “We told him to put on some pads before practice.” … Quarterback Keith Price continued to run the No. 1 offense while starter Jake Locker watched. Locker will sit out Saturday’s game at Oregon because of a broken rib. Freshman Nick Montana took a few snaps with the No. 1 offense at practice and could go into the game in an emergency situation. The Huskies would prefer to keep him inactive so that he can redshirt this season. … Tight end Chris Izbicki (foot) saw limited action Tuesday.
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