Trent McDuffie, Washington Huskies.
Head Coach Jimmy Lake, Washington Huskies football.
I’m sure all Washington Huskies football fans are excited that there will be a 2020 season after all. This year won’t have as many games as other years. However, seeing UW take the field at Husky Stadium is a sight for sore eyes.
It would have been great to have fans in the stands to support the UW players. That won’t happen because of COVID-19 protocols. However, it will be nice to have something to do on a Saturday besides home remodeling or running errands. I am sure most Husky fans are Seahawks fans, but seeing college football on a Saturday is good. The Pac-12 can’t leave it to the Big Ten, SEC, and anyone else playing football to occupy our game days.
Jimmy Lake begins his first year as the Washington Huskies Head Coach, after taking over for Chris Petersen last December. UW promoted Pete Kwiatkowski, who came from Boise State with Petersen, to assume Lake’s defensive coordinator job.
We started our UW 2020 preview on Monday with the offense. Today it’s the defense’s turn. A cornerstone of Washington Huskies football throughout the years is their commitment to defense. That tradition continues in 2020 with a very talented group.
UW lost two key ingredients to the team after the Pac-12 originally postponed the season. Outside linebacker Joe Tryon, a junior, and senior defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike opted out of the Huskies next season. Both are getting ready for the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Washington Huskies defensive alignment is a bit unusual, at least on paper. They play with two defensive tackles plugging up the middle, a pair of outside linebackers who act like defensive ends. Washington rounds out the defense with two inside linebackers, two cornerbacks, two safeties, and a hybrid nickelback.
In 2019 pass-heavy teams such as Hawaii, WSU, and Boise State, had trouble against the Huskies defense. Only Oregon found enough firepower to beat Washington last year at Husky Stadium, 35-31. Then again, UO had more of a balanced attack. What put the Ducks over the top that day was 188 yards rushing on 34 carries.
Washington Huskies defense.
Tuli Letuligasenoa, a redshirt sophomore, played in all the games last season except one against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Letuligasenoa starts at the position vacated by Onwuzurike. Senior Josiah Bronson, a senior, holds down the other defensive tackle spot. Bronson comes into this year with some history of success after making 23 tackles with two sacks in 2019.
Redshirt freshman Jacob Bandes is the backup to Bronson. It wouldn’t be surprising for him to see him also sub in for Letuligasenoa. Faatui Tuitele and Noa Ngalu, both redshirt freshmen and sophomore Taki Taimani will also be part of the rotation.
Aside from Ryan Bowman Jr., the Huskies are very young at outside linebacker. In his three seasons, Bowman played in every game for the Huskies, so he is one of U-Dub’s most experienced defensive players. Last year he earned All Pac-12 second-team honors. This season he is also asked to provide leadership. Playing behind the senior is redshirt soph Zion Tupuola-Fetui.
Sophomore Laiatu Latu has big shoes to fill. He inherited Tryon’s vacated OLB position. However, Latu showed promise last year in a reserve role. As a freshman in 2019, he played in eight games for the Huskies, making 15 stops.
Freshman Sav’ell Smalls, a standout at Seattle’s Kennedy Catholic, is expected to backup Latu. He was named all-state by the Seattle Times and the Tacoma News Tribune as a high school senior. We could see a lot of Smalls in his freshman season.
Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington Huskies.
Jackson Sirmon, who played in every Husky game last year as a redshirt freshman, starts at one of the inside linebacker spots. Sirmon had 28 tackles on the season and recovered a fumble against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Washington lists Josh Calvert, a redshirt freshman, as Sirmon’s backup. He missed last year after an injury sustained during camp.
Edefuan Ulofoshio, another redshirt sophomore, played in nine games last season. He was very active, as shown by his 47 tackles. The Anchorage, Alaska native’s highlight game was against WSU in the Apple Cup. Ulofoshio had 12 tackles, including one-and-a-half sacks.
The Huskies list MJ Tafisi, another redshirt sophomore, as Ulofoshio’s backup. Last year he played in Washington’s first seven games. Unfortunately, his season was cut short because of an injury.
The Washington Huskies have plenty of depth and flexibility at safety. Expect to see a deep rotation at the free and strong safety positions. Many of the players will see time at both spots, depending on the matchup. For now, sophomore Asa Turner and redshirt junior Alex Cook earned starting jobs to open the season.
Cook, a special teams standout last year, moves to the starting lineup ahead of sophomores Cameron Williams and Julius Irvin. Impressive considering Williams was one of the top freshman defensive backs in the country last year.
Brandon McKinney doesn’t have a spot on the depth chart at this time. Nevertheless, expect the senior to play in a variety of roles this year. He has plenty of talent and experience, which adds to Washington’s depth.
Elijah Molden, Washington Huskies.
Keith Taylor, another senior, starts at cornerback. As a junior, Taylor had 59 tackles, including nine against instate rival WSU in the Apple Cup. Sophomore Dominique Hampton is expected to be Taylor’s backup. He played in five games last season as a redshirt freshman.
Trent McDuffie made a huge splash as a freshman in 2019. Due to his 59 tackles and tight pass coverage, he earned several postseason accolades. McDuffie was a runnerup to Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux for Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, and Pro Football Focus selected him as second-team Freshman All American. He’s back in 2020 as a sophomore to start opposite Taylor.
On most football teams in the country, Kyler Gordon is an undisputed starter. In fact, he started four games for the Washington Huskies in 2019. The redshirt sophomore even earned All Pac-12 Honorable Mention. For 2020 he’ll see plenty of action but will do so as McDuffie’s backup to begin the year.
Senior Elijah Molden is the most recognized name among the defensive backs. Last year, the 5-10, 195-pound cornerback made 75 tackles, with 5.5 for loss. Molden also added four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
It’s no wonder Pro Football Focus named Molden as a first-team All Pac-12 and second-team All-American selection. Molden is on several 2020 pre-season award watch lists, including the Jim Thorpe Award given annually to the nation’s top defensive back. At this point, his understudy looks to be redshirt freshman Kamren Fabiculanan from Camarillo, California.
Defensive back is the strength of this defense. In an era of wide-open offenses, a team can never have enough quality pass defenders.
Going into this season, the Huskies defense will be a mix of players with experience and those without. We will see how their opponents will try to take advantage of the inexperienced areas. It will be tough on those teams who throw the ball to gain big chunks against this D. Washington Huskies football fans can expect a strong defense once again in 2020. Go Dawgs!