Ask rival coaches in the Pac-12 about Washington, and almost all come back to the same larger point about this Huskies team: They just know how to win.
That seems like it would be an obvious point, considering two of the four teams in the College Football Playoff are undefeated and the other two are 12-1. But this vibe goes a little deeper for Kalen DeBoers team.
The nine Pac-12 coaches The Athletic interviewed for this scouting report, who were granted anonymity in exchange for candid opinions, admitted they expected Oregon to beat Washington in their rematch in the Pac-12 Championship Game. And yet, once again, the Huskies found a way to win.
The power of belief, resiliency and complete buy-in is a real thing in sports, especially with college teams.
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The biggest thing with these guys is that they know how to win, said one Pac-12 offensive line coach. Look at how many close games theyve won. Thats really cool. They keep grinding, believing. Honestly, I thought Oregon would get after them (in the rematch). I was surprised. You gotta give those guys a lot of credit.
Theyre on a 20-game win streak, said a Pac-12 wide receivers coach. We tend to forget that. It wasnt always pretty, but they found a way to win. Its hard to win games. Thats a true testament to their culture and the players in that locker room who have ice in their veins.
Over the past two years, the Huskies are 10-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less and 9-0 vs. Top 25 teams. DeBoer is 11-1 all-time against ranked opponents. Another Pac-12 O-line coach said he was shocked when Washington, almost a 10-point underdog, beat Oregon again.
It felt like those last three or four games they were holding on, he said. But then, they went out and whipped Oregon. It takes a lot of balls to win the way theyre winning. Theres something to be said about that. I think (DeBoer) is such a damn good football coach. I would not count those guys out.
They just have a special chemistry with all the pieces aligning, said a Pac-12 defensive analyst. I think they have this special camaraderie with all the vets on their team who decided to come back for one more year.
After having the nations No. 113 offense in yards per play in 2021, the year before DeBoer took over, Washington improved dramatically last year to No. 10 and led the country in passing. In the offseason, Nick Saban tried to hire offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who opted to remain in Seattle, and things have kept humming for the Huskies. Theyre up to No. 5 in yards per play and again lead the nation in passing. Theyre also third in plays of 30 yards or longer with 41.
They can score on anybody, said one Pac-12 head coach. Thats where theyre dangerous. They take a ton of shots downfield.
Theyre so well-coached and do such a good job with formations and protections, said a Pac-12 defensive analyst. Its very difficult to effectively blitz them. Credit to those coaches for making it so difficult with the way they position their receivers, tight ends and running backs in a non-normal alignment. They shift all over the place pre-snap.
Theyre one of the slowest operations in our conference. If you are bringing pressure, they get to a look that kinda blocks it up. They build those shot opportunities with all their shifts, dummy hard-counts. They get you on your heels because youre always trying to adjust.
In Michael Penix Jr., Washington has a strong-armed quarterback playing with a lot of confidence. Penix is connecting on 66 percent of his passes, and thats with a lot of tough downfield throws. His TD-to-INT ratio is 33-to-9.
Its really impressive how tight that ball spins coming out of his hand and with all the different throws he can make, said the defensive analyst. He takes a lot more downfield throws. Hes as talented a quarterback as Ive seen with touch on the ball.
He gets it out fast and I thought he was ridiculously accurate down the field, said a Pac-12 line coach. Its like a lot of those throws he makes are indefensible.
Theres not a throw he cant make, said a Pac-12 receivers coach. That thing spins, man. Its nice, light, catchable. Does a good job of buying extra time, sliding around and he has so much trust in his guys.
Its also hard to choose which is the better group Penix is working with between the O-line and the receivers. Both are elite and make rival coaches gush.
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In Rome Odunze and JaLynn Polk, the Huskies have two 1,000-yard receivers. Odunze, who clocked a 4.34-second 40-yard dash and a 4.19 pro agility shuttle time this offseason, has 81 receptions for 1,428 yards and 13 touchdowns. Polk has 60 catches for 1,000 yards and eight TDs.
But the most dynamic of the Huskies big three is Jalen McMillan, who was slowed by a knee injury this season and has 34 catches for 468 yards and three touchdowns. McMillan looked ready to roll by the end of the season, as he led the Huskies in the Pac-12 title game with nine catches for 131 yards. In 2022, he led the team with nine TD grabs and also had 1,098 receiving yards.
McMillan, who has a baseball background, tracks the ball incredibly well. He also has elite short-area quickness. Polk has exceptionally strong hands and makes a lot of plays against double coverage. Hes their muscle, said a Pac-12 receivers coach. Odunze is ultra-competitive and is terrific after the catch.
Rome is very good at contested catches and he is really physical at the top of the route, said the defensive analyst. Theyre all so good at the battle for the ball. Theyre causing DBs to get PIs (pass interference).
Germie Bernard, a sophomore transfer from Michigan State, is another weapon.
They feed off of each other, said the receivers coach. Bernards playing well too, and hes good in the return game or theyll hand it to him and run sweeps. Any of them can beat you. The other thing a lot of people dont talk enough about is what they do up front. The last two years they have been just as good as anyone.
Washington allowed just 11 sacks in 13 games and ranks No. 2 in the FBS, behind only Oregon, in sack rate allowed at 2.2 percent, per TruMedia. Left tackle Troy Fautanu was honored with the Morris Trophy as the Pac-12s top offensive lineman. At 6 feet 4, 315 pounds, Fautanu is a 400-pound bencher who ran a 5.1 40 and vertical-jumped almost 30 1/2 inches.
Their O-line is incredibly athletic, said the defensive analyst. Fautanu is extremely athletic and plays with tenacity. He has a real edge. Right tackle Roger Rosengarten, at 6-6, 300 pounds, is also really good and considered a terrific technician. Parker Brailsford, a 6-2, 280-pound redshirt freshman, made second-team All-Pac-12 at center.
A Pac-12 offensive line coach said Fautanu and Rosengarten are the best two tackles in the Pac-12, particularly as it pertains to pass protection, but he did also note that the Huskies will be facing much bigger and better D-lines in the Playoff.
I dont think theyve played a defensive front like what theyre about to see (with Texas), said the coach. The best front we have in the Pac-12 was UCLA and then probably Oregon, but theyre not what Texas and Michigan have, or probably what Alabama has.
The other underrated aspect of the offense is Dillon Johnson, their running back, who is third in the Pac-12 in rushing with 1,113 yards and 14 TDs. In games against ranked opponents, the Mississippi State transfer averaged 108 yards per game.
Theyve become so much more balanced in the last month, said one Pac-12 head coach. Johnson has rushed for 683 yards and eight TDs in the past five games.
He runs so hard, said a Pac-12 receivers coach. He has really good balance. Hes always moving forward, getting four and five yards a pop on first down. To me, hes become the difference.
The defense, ranked No. 67 in yards per play (up from No. 70 last year), is not what it was the last time Washington made the CFP in the 2016 season, when Vita Vea and Greg Gaines anchored a stout front and Budda Baker led a star-studded secondary.
It aint like they have those freak shows they used to have back there, said a Pac-12 offensive line coach. Theyre not dominant on that side of the ball, but theyre still pretty solid. (Bralen Trice) is a really good player. Take away what his stats say (8.5 TFLs, five sacks), he is really disruptive and shows up on tape. He can line up anywhere.
Trice, a junior, is probably not quite as well known nationally as the other edge player, Zion Tupuola-Fetui (ZTF), but he is the player most of the competition worried about more. Trice was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Focus.
ZTF is 20 pounds lighter, but hes still a slippery guy to block. He broke out in 2020, making seven TFLs and three forced fumbles in a pandemic-shortened season that was only four games for Washington. This year, hes made five TFLs and three sacks.
The ends are really good, said another Pac-12 O-line coach. Theyre physical and big. Theyll get after you. Their inside guys are just stout. If you just want to take em on straight, they can lock on you.
The leader of the defense is sixth-year former walk-on Edefuan Ulofoshio, who has 83 tackles and six TFLs. Hes missed only nine tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. Hes super smart and is their quarterback, said a Pac-12 receivers coach.
Linebackers Alphonzo Tuputala and Carson Bruener are also very solid. I think theyre OK at linebacker, better than average and average in the secondary, said a Pac-12 head coach.
If youre looking for a weakness on the defense, we thought it was their corners, said a Pac-12 receivers coach. If your front can protect, they can be had.
Another Pac-12 receivers coach agreed that the Huskies cornerbacks are where theyre probably most vulnerable, though he did say that he thinks theyre good around them.
Washington did allow the most plays of 30 yards or more in the Pac-12 (26), which ranked No. 123 in the country. Its something Steve Sarkisian, with a strong-armed quarterback and a dangerous group of receivers in his own right, will definitely look to exploit.
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Most of the coaches we spoke to said they could see this one going either way but leaned toward Texas.
I think Texas will present different problems for them that teams in our league couldnt, said a Pac-12 head coach. Those two inside guys (TVondre Sweat and Byron Murphy) are a lot better than any (defensive tackles) in the Pac-12, and I dont think Washington is particularly strong there.
Theyll be able to disrupt things for Washingtons offense and a lot of their stuff is shots down the field that are long-developing plays. Penix isnt going to have time. I also think Sark and his receivers can take advantage of a secondary that we didnt think was very good at all.
(Top photo: Jesse Beals / Icon Sportswire via Getty)
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