Huskies’ defense ranks among best in conference history
Just how good is this Washington defense?
Some numbers and some perspective:
Key stat: Through eight games, the Huskies are allowing 2.18 yards per rushing attempt.
Historical context: That’s the best in major-college football this season. Since 2009, only one team has allowed fewer rushing yards per attempt over a full season (Alabama, 2016, 2.01 yards per carry).
Key stat: The Huskies are allowing 71.63 yards rushing per game.
Historical context: That’s the best in the Pac-12 in 10 years. For comparison, Washington’s 1991 national-championship defense – considered by some to be the best defense in conference history – allowed 67. 1 yards rushing per game.
Key stat: The Huskies are allowing 3.66 yards per play.
Historical context: That’s the fewest yards per play in major-college football since 2011 (Alabama, 3.32).
Key stat: Through eight games, the Huskies’ defense has allowed eight touchdowns (five passing, three rushing).
Historical context: That’s tied with Alabama for the fewest touchdowns allowed this season. UW’s defense is allowing 9.63 points* per game, fewest in the Pac-12 since Pete Carroll’s 2008 USC defense (9.0 points per game in 14 games).
*Note: Turnovers by UW’s offense have led directly to three opponent scores this season, which have been subtracted for this exercise. One Alabama opponent has scored off a turnover, which is also reflected here.
Key stat: The Huskies are the only team in major-college football that has not allowed a single play of 40 yards or more. They have allowed three plays of 30 yards, a long of 36 yards.
Historical context: Has any team gone a full season without allowing a 40-yard play? (None that we could find so far.)
Washington defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe was asked Tuesday if he allows himself to reflect on just how good this defense has been this season.
“It’s so hard, because every week poses a different threat,” he said. “And to be honest with you, this will be our biggest threat.”
He’s talking about Oregon.
The Ducks come to Husky Stadium on Saturday night again featuring one of the most productive rushing offenses in the country. Led by senior Royce Freeman, Oregon runs the ball on average 49.6 times per game, more than anyone in the Pac-12, and it ranks second in the conference with 256.1 yards rushing per.
Until 2016, when they finished second, the Ducks had led the Pac-12 in rushing for a record 10 consecutive seasons.
“They really run the ball and they’re focused on it,” Malloe said. “They put a lot of dedication to it. So it’ll be probably our biggest challenge all year.”
In three career games Freeman has 357 yards and four touchdowns in three career games against the Huskies (though much of that came in 2014, when he had 169 yards and all four of those TDs). In nine game this season, Freeman has rushed for 1,096 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Oregon has two other running backs – Kani Benoit and Tony Brooks-James – who rank among the top-20 running backs in the Pac-12, plus two mobile quarterbacks in Justin Herbert (if healthy) and Braxton Burmeister.
Oregon has 76 rushing plays of 10 yards or more, most in the Pac-12.
The Huskies have a stat for that, too: They have not allowed a single run of 30 yards or more this season. No defense has been better at limiting explosive plays. And there’s a decent case to be made that no defense has been better, period.