Analysis: Washington’s weak run defense is more than a four-game fluke

SEATTLE – What is Husky football?

First-year head coach Jimmy Lake seems to be the authority on this subject. After a convincing 44-27 win over Arizona on Nov. 21, he said that “we came out with great energy, great focus. We tackled. We executed on offense. We ran the ball. Our special teams came out on fire. Our kickoff team covered and played a tremendous game, which was a huge improvement from last week. That’s Husky football right there.”

And then, a week later, when Washington erased a 21-0 halftime deficit to steal a dramatic 24-21 win over Utah, he added that “these guys, they’re all about fighting. And this is Husky football right here. Last week I said that was Husky football. That was definitely Husky football last week, and so is this right here. We’re going to face a lot of really good opponents here, and we’ve got to be able to be resilient and be able to fight back.”

So, to recap a constantly evolving definition:

• Energy is Husky football.
• Focus is husky football.
• Offensive execution is Husky football.
• Tackling is Husky football.
• Resiliency is Husky football.

But here’s where the obvious adjectives begin to break down. Because, in UW’s 31-26 loss to Stanford on Saturday, the Huskies allowed at least 4.8 yards per carry for the third time in four games this season. And in those three games – against Oregon State, Utah and Stanford, excluding winless Arizona – the Huskies have surrendered an average of 191 rushing yards and 4.94 yards per carry.

Most recently, starting outside linebackers Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Sav’ell Smalls recorded a combined one tackle in the loss to the Cardinal on Saturday, and the defense at large managed one measly tackle for loss.

Stanford rushed for 191 yards, 4.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns.

Right now, at least, struggling to stop the run is Husky football – whether Lake likes it or not.

“We definitely have to fix some stuff on defense,” he said Saturday night. “We’re giving up way too many rushing yards. Today we weren’t able to get the ball back and stop Stanford’s offense until deep into the third quarter, and that’s unacceptable. That’s not Husky football.”

OK, so we continue to disagree. But we can’t act like these issues are a particularly recent occurrence. For comparison’s sake, let’s take a look at UW’s rushing defense statistics in conference play throughout the Chris Petersen era by year using rushing yards allowed per game and opponent yards per carry:

2019: 142.44, 4.03

2018: 117.10, 3.63

2017: 91.89, 2.63

2016: 133.20, 3.96

2015: 147.56, 3.73

2014: 125.56, 3.50

Even counting Arizona, those numbers – 161.25 yards per game and 4.54 yards per carry – have inflated again through four games this season. But Washington’s rushing defense woes were already becoming apparent in 2019.

In a 20-19 loss to Cal, the Golden Bears rushed for 192 yards and 5.1 yards per carry.

In a 28-14 win over USC, the Trojans rushed for 212 yards and 6.4 yards per carry.

In a 23-13 loss to Stanford, the Cardinal rushed for 189 yards and 4.4 yards per carry.

In a 20-14 loss to Colorado, the Buffs rushed for 207 yards and 5.0 yards per carry.

So, for as much as UW football fans might like to pin the deteriorating run defense on the absence of Levi Onwuzurike, and Joe Tryon, and Ryan Bowman, and Laiatu Latu – and those four Huskies would certainly help – the problem certainly wasn’t solved when all four were in the lineup. This has been an inconsistent run defense for more than a year, and it’s unfair to dismiss it as a four-game fluke.

Is it personnel? Is it coaching? Is it scheme?

Is it Husky football in 2020?

Or is it all of the above?

“I think it’s confidence in your abilities to play,” said redshirt sophomore inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, who led the Huskies with 18 tackles and a 39-yard fumble return on Saturday. “I think it starts as, ‘Oh, OK, we’re just getting a bunch of looks and we don’t know for sure (how to react).’ We’ve just got to cut that out right away. We’ve got to hone into the film, trust the schemes we have to play and just run it. Just run it.

“And if there’s mistakes, then we have great coaches to fix it. But we can’t play slow.”

We know, at least, that Ulofoshio is not the issue. The 6-foot, 230-pound former walk-on from Anchorage, Alaska, leads UW with 47 tackles, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and a sack. Last week, Pro Football Focus graded him as the single best linebacker nationwide.

But it takes more than one standout performer to consistently stuff the run.

“It’s a whole collective unit,” said a visibly frustrated Ulofoshio on Saturday. “We need all 11 guys on the run, and we’re not consistently using all of our guys (correctly). I’m not trying to say that’s a coaches thing. We’re not doing our job on the run. We need to do a better job on the run, and that means tackling. That means striking. That means everything. We just have to be more aggressive.”

Regardless of the reason, the Huskies need results. Next Saturday, they’ll hit the road for the first time this season to meet an Oregon team currently averaging 189.2 rushing yards per game and 5.31 yards per carry – with a spot in the Pac-12 title game possibly going to the winner.

And is there any question how the Ducks plan to attack UW?

“Scheme-wise, sometimes you’re antsy (in run defense). You want to take a fit and they’ll gash us, and at the same time we’re not making the correct tackles,” Ulofoshio said. “Next week we’ve got a great opponent and they’re going to see this and they’re going to try to abuse us. So we’ve got to get our minds right for it.”

OK, so let’s reassess the original question: is this diluted run defense Husky football in 2020?

For better or worse, we’re about to find out.