Can UW’s defense convert pressure into sacks against Arizona?

SEATTLE – Washington was credited with 24 quarterback hurries in last weekend’s 59-32 win over California, according to Pro Football Focus.

UW didn’t finish with a single sack.

Through four thoroughly convincing wins, that’s become a worrisome theme.

The Huskies rank 114th out of 133 teams nationally in sacks (five) and 124th in tackles for loss (13). On Monday, UW co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell stressed “making sure we’re perfect on the stunt, the blitz or the twist execution, making sure we’re striving for perfection on our angles. And obviously, when things break down in the pocket we get some crazy things happening.

“But then there’s another subset of how you want to attack once the pocket is breaking down. For us, that’s a theme for the entire fall coming up. We know we have a multitude of running quarterbacks we’re going to deal with. It’s (about) us being able to finish high-side shoulder and get him on the ground.”

As Morrell mentioned, UW is cruising into a field of elusive quarterbacks.

On Saturday, the Huskies may be tasked with containing Arizona junior Jayden de Laura – who has completed 78.8% of his passes and thrown for 645 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions in two career meetings (with WSU in 2021 and Arizona last season). The 6-foot, 205-pounder left last week’s 21-20 win over Stanford with an ankle injury.

If de Laura can’t compete Saturday, redshirt freshman Noah Fifita will make his first career start. Arizona coach Jedd Fisch said this week, “I wouldn’t flinch with Noah. Noah has never once given us any reason to not call what we want to call, execute what we want to execute. He’s an extremely talented player. He’s extremely confident and poised.”

He does not appear extremely mobile.

But even if de Laura makes it back, that ankle may affect the Honolulu product’s ability to extend plays – where he’s wreaked havoc against the Huskies. Although future opponents – Oregon’s Bo Nix, USC’s Caleb Williams, Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei, WSU’s Cameron Ward – have earned the “dual threat” designation, de Laura has maximized his feet most through the first four games this fall.

Washington will attempt to apply pressure to de Laura (or Fifita) on Saturday.

Without caroming off a cliff.

“You’re always looking for different ways where you can spy guys and try to get guys to scramble to certain parts of the field or certain directions. So we’ve worked on that a ton,” UW edge coach Eric Schmidt said. “We had to go through that last year as well. So it’s a big piece. When you look at some of the explosive plays you give up, you don’t want it to be when things break down and you think you’re in a great spot, then all of a sudden a quarterback makes an athletic play and you’re back on the field for another set of downs.

“We always tell our guys, ‘The worst place to be in football is behind the quarterback.’ You’ve got to make sure you do a good job of level rushing and staying alive and not falling off the cliff (behind the QB). Our guys get it. They totally understand it. We’re going to work hard to be disciplined every single play on Saturday.”

That certainly applies to Bralen Trice, UW’s junior edge. A year after collecting 38 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks – en route to first-team All-Pac-12 honors – the Phoenix product has managed a single tackle for loss and zero sacks this fall. He was credited with four hurries and a tackle (and was egregiously held but didn’t earn a penalty on a first-quarter play) against Cal.

Eventually, the dam is bound to break.

“He strains at an elite level,” Morrell said. “It’s the game of football, though. You’ve got to bounce back and go to the next play no matter how we feel about what they’re doing to him (with penalties and extra blockers). But at the same standpoint, I think that’s the great thing about Bralen – a relentless attitude. If you see him line up on play one or see him line up on play 30, it’s the same guy coming at you every single time. So I’m just encouraging him to continue to be relentless, because he is having a major, major impact.”

“That’s what makes him special: his competitive spirit is different than a lot of people, most people, 99% of people,” Schmidt said. “He fights and battles and does all that stuff day in and day out, play in and play out.”

Although sacks have been hard to come by, the Husky pass rush is winning in other ways.

Specifically, UW has seven interceptions in its first four games – matching its entire 2022 total and ranking tied for fifth in the nation. Last Saturday, two of Cal quarterback Ben Finley’s three picks came as he was being hit by descending UW defenders.

Sacks aside, UW is still destabilizing opposing passers.

“I look at, ‘OK, when are some of the opportunities for us to take the ball away coming?’ It’s when guys absolutely do not want to get touched or hit,” Morrell said. “They’re throwing it out there and our guys are coming down with it on the other side.

“So I think it’s a great combination. Of course, you want to pile up the stats in the sack realm of things. But at the rate we’re taking the ball away right now, that’s just as much if not more of a positive.”

De Laura has thrown five interceptions in the Wildcats’ 3-1 start – including four in their lone loss at Mississippi State.

The Huskies are hunting for sacks Saturday.

But interceptions will also work.