Washington Huskies: 4 takeaways from 24–21 win over Utah
Herb Nightengale
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1 ZTF
What can you say about Huskies outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui? For the third game in a row, he was a force for UW’s defense. In the opening game against Oregon State, ZTF was named the Pac-12’s Defensive Lineman of the Week with two sacks. Last week, Tupuola-Fetui added another pair of sacks against Arizona. He did even better against Utah on Saturday night.
The Pearl City, Hawaii native, took down Utes QB Jake Bentley three times. If that wasn’t enough, he was part of two turnovers.
Good morning. Zion Tupuola-Fetui ranks tied for 11th nationally with seven sacks. He has played three games. Only one player ahead of him has played fewer than NINE games.
— Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) November 29, 2020
His first sack came on Utah’s opening possession. ZTF forced Bently to cough up the football, stopping the Utes on UW’s 29-yard line. A bigger play came in the fourth quarter. Utah had a four-point lead and had taken the ball down to Washington’s 12-yard line. Kyler Gordon forced a fumble from Utes running back Ty Jordan. Tupuola-Fetui scooped up the loose ball and ran it back 29 yards.
He should be the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week once again. Only a sophomore, ZTF has put himself squarely on the NFL’s radar for the 2022 draft.
The win, combined with Oregon’s upset loss to in-state rivals OSU, puts the Huskies into first place in the Pac-12 North. In two weeks, Washington and Oregon face each other with a division title on the line
Before that happens, Washington is scheduled to play Stanford in Seattle next Saturday. That game is in doubt because Santa Clara County, California, home of the Cardinal, banned contact sports. As of now, Stanford has no place to practice.