A Husky Challenge Ahead

The word “genius” gets tossed around a lot when discussing coaches. So-and-so is a defensive genius, a scripting genius, an elegant genius at play-design.  That’s nice – everyone wants to be seen as a standout from the others in their field, even if the award comes from those who aren’t actually IN their field, such as media members…

But Mrs. Gump’s wisdom (“Stupid is as stupid does”) can be applied to almost everything. Genius is as genius does. And, while hardly anyone has used the word “genius” to describe University of Washington first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, the time may not be far off.

Consider this: DeBoer has multiple national championships on his resumé already - -NAIA championships, to be sure, but championships nonetheless, at Sioux Falls University, his alma mater. In five seasons coaching the Cougars, he racked up a 67-3 overall record, 49-1 in conference play. Later, he took over Fresno State for a season after Jeff Tedford retired for health reasons, leading the Bulldogs to a 9-3 record in his only full season there before accepting the Washington job and watching his team win its bowl game under interim head coach Lee Marks.

Now, at 47, DeBoer coaches a Power Five team, the Washington Huskies. Seven games into his tenure, his team is 5-2, winning shootouts more often than not. Washington, tied with Oregon State for #5 in the conference at 2-2, are scoring just over 42 points per game, with a prolific offense behind quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. The Huskies scored 70 points in their two losses, to UCLA (40-32) and to Arizona State (45-38).

At this point it would be hard to credibly brand DeBoer as a defensive genius – the Huskies have surrendered 114 points in just their last three games and have allowed at least 20 in the 6 games they have played against FBS opponents.

Penix is the key to trying to contain the highly productive Washington offense. Penix, a 6-3, 213 lb. junior, is (stop me if you’ve heard this before) a product of the transfer portal, having come from Indiana this season.  How good is Penix? In seven games he has tied the UW single-season record for 300-yard passing games – with seven – and he trails just two other UW quarterbacks for the all-time record of 14. The Huskies average 380 yards passing per game, and they don’t make serious mistakes – just 14 points surrendered off turnovers through a half-season.

Penix has a wealth of receivers – four have already had 100-yard receiving games this season: Rome Odunze (he’s had four straight 100 yd games this year), Jalen McMillan, Giles Jackson and Ja’Lynn Polk. Penix’s average of 365.7 yards per game passing is the best in UW history, and if he throws for 300 yards against the Golden Bears, he will be the first quarterback in Husky program history to do so in eight consecutive games.

The offense in general has proven to be a juggernaut – UW leads the FBS in passing offense and first downs, is fifth in scoring offense, ninth in total offense, and seventh in third-down conversions. The Huskies have scored a touchdown on their first possession of every game so far this year, and in seven contests, have out-scored and out-touchdowned the 2021 team’s entire season.

Graduate transfer Wayne Taulapapa makes it hard to just pressure Penix. Taulapapa, from Hawai’I, is a 5-11, 207-lb bowling ball who rushed for 120 yards against Stanford earlier this year. Despite the gaudy passing numbers, the Huskies still have averaged nearly eight first downs per game on the ground. At 132 yards per game and with 18 of their 38 offensive touchdowns, the running game commands attention as well. Taulapapa is averaging 5.3 yards per carry, while Cameron Davis (5.1 yd/carry) and Richard Newton (5.7 yd/carry) have also been productive.

On defense, Bralen Trice (Soph), Jeremiah Martin (Sr) and Alphonzo Tuputala (Soph) have combined for 12.5 of Washington’s 20 sacks and 17 of their 36 tackles for loss this year. Martin and Trice are edge rushers, while Tuputala is a linebacker.

After a (pick your favorite doom-and-gloom adjective here – depressing, listless, inexcusable, embarrassing) loss to arguably the worst FBS team this season, it is incumbent on Head Coach Justin Wilcox and OC Bill Musgrove to pull a colony of rabbits out of the offensive hat this week if Cal is to be taken seriously by its remaining opponents this year. The offense has been underwhelming at best through most of the campaign, and the time to fix it can barely still be seen in the rearview mirror.

Kickoff at Memorial Stadium Saturday night is at 7:30. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN with local favorite announcers Dave Flemming and Rod Gilmore mikeside. Good seats are still available.