Huskies See Encouraging Defensive Signs in Second Half Against Colorado State
SEATTLE, Wash. — As I sat up in the Husky Stadium press box during Washington’s 38-21 victory over Colorado State on Saturday, my phone kept buzzing.
I know a few people who sit in the stands or watch Washington Huskies football games on TV, and they all had a similar question during much of the first half.
“What is going on with this defense?”
Note, I am paraphrasing, as there may have been a few additional words not fit for a family-oriented article such as this one. While the UW offense moved the ball behind a much-improved offensive line, Colorado State’s offense answered each touchdown drive through the middle of the third quarter, when the game was tied 21-21.
A look at the box score shows a total of zero tackles by the interior defensive line. The team registered two sacks against a team picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference, and one of those came after a snuffed-out trick play that started in a punt formation.
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch, however, felt good about the defense after watching the tape.
“We only gave up 1.6 yards per run in the second half,” said Fisch, whose team will take on UC Davis 8 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium. “We felt pretty good about how that looked. They hit a couple of big runs, two big runs in the first half.”
Colorado State showed some new offensive wrinkles in the game, including the use of backup quarterback Tahj Bullock as a runner. Ryan Walter’s 5-1-5 base defense includes three interior linemen, two edges, a linebacker and five defensive backs. In reviewing some film — in particular from 2022 when Walters’ Illinois defense ranked first in FBS — it’s clear the defense is set up to allow the linebackers, edges and safeties to make a majority of the tackles while the big guys up front occupy blockers.
“The interior guys are getting a lot of double teams,” Fisch said. “Their job is to hold a point. Their job is to shed a block when they can, but truthfully, it’s just to push the pocket backwards and then let the ball spill out to our edge guys and our linebackers, and come in and make a tackle.”
Junior edge Jacob Lane benefitted, getting into the backfield at times and finishing with five tackles, including two for loss. While the official UW stats did not show a tackle for edge Zach Durfee, Fisch said the coaches “had a little bit different numbers-wise.” Pro Football Focus (PFF) did credit Durfee with a tackle and a hurry.
Offensive Line Improvements
Another text I received during the game read, “I guess you were right about Azzopardi… .”
While Big Ten tests lie ahead, right tackle Drew Azzopardi looked good, in particular while dominating a Colorado State player as Jonah Coleman bounced around the edge for a 26-yard touchdown run for Washington’s first points of the season.
In fact, it was Azzopardi who earned PFF’s highest grade on the team (88.6). The UW coaches assign their own grades, and the junior received high marks from them as well.
“I thought he played a very good game,” Fisch said. “They graded out exceptionally high as a group. In the group, I believe he either graded out highest or second-highest in the whole offensive line. He finished blocks. He was taking guys and walking them back, which is always good to see.
“He plays with a nastiness, which is good when it comes to offensive line play.”
Now, before we continue, a disclaimer: PFF grades are one tool to evaluate player performance. I think the grades over the course of a season mostly shake out pretty well, but I wouldn’t necessarily trust them all for a single game. For example, there is not a person or computer on Earth who can convince me that Jonah Coleman was UW’s eighth-best offensive player on Saturday. He scored a 74.6 after rushing for 177 yards on 24 carries, while others viewed him as the best offensive player in the Big Ten in Week 1.
Six offensive linemen played in the game, and all performed well. Azzopardi, left tackle Carver Willis (84.4 grade), center Landen Hatchett (81.9) and right guard Geirean Hatchett (71.6) played all 76 offensive snaps. True freshman John Mills (75.8) played 53 snaps at left guard, while redshirt freshman Paki Finau (76.1) rotated in for 23.
Jonah Coleman Named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week
The senior star running back split the conference award with USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. Coleman finished just a yard shy of 200 on offense after compiling 177 on the ground and catching a pass for 22 yards. The 24 carries on Saturday were the most in a single game during Coleman’s career — the previous high was 23 carries for 104 yards against USC last season.
While it seems unlikely Coleman will get that much work against FCS opponent UC Davis this week, it was a little surprising to see Coleman cross the 20-carry mark — something that occurred just twice in 2024 — in the first game of the season. With a similar workload throughout the season, Coleman could be in line for some postseason award discussions.
Lots of Game Balls
Coleman received a game ball from the coaching staff along with several others. Here’s what Fisch had to say about each one.
Quarterback Demond Williams Jr, “For winning his first-ever game as a starter.”
Safety Make Esteen, for an interception “at a critical point in the game, 28-21. We were able to go up 10 [points].”
Running back Adam Mohammed, “First ever college touchdown, 87 yards on kickoff returns, 25 yards rushing … big time screen where he had another 40 yards or so.”
Edge Jacob Lane, “First start here at the University of Washington as a Washington guy, and had two tackles for loss, six total tackles. Had a couple huge plays in the game.”
Tight end Kade Eldridge, “Had his first-ever touchdown in his first-ever [college] game here in the state of Washington, at home in front of his family.”
The offensive line, for “283 yards rushing, did a fantastic job in pass protection. Had a ton of pressures coming at us, and really had a physical mentality.”
UW president Robert J. Jones, for “the first win in his tenure as the new university president.”
True freshman Update
Six true freshmen played in Saturday’s game, and Fisch said he expects that none of them will redshirt this season. Players can participate in up to four games during the regular season without burning a redshirt, which allows them four full years on the field plus the redshirt season. Mills and wide receiver Raiden-Vines Bright started the game. Wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck (two catches, 27 yards), edge Devin Hyde (one sack), safety Rylon Dillard-Allen (two tackles) and cornerback Dylan Robinson all saw time. They’ll continue to play roles this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if guard Champ Taulealeau gets in the mix for burning a redshirt as well.
Injury updates
Washington came out of Saturday’s game with no indication of any new injuries. Fisch said that defensive tackle Armon Parker, who has missed three straight seasons with injuries, was cleared to play against Colorado State.
“We just didn’t get him into the last game,” Fisch said. “But he’ll be clear to go again.”
His twin brother, Jayvon Parker, practiced Sunday but has not yet been cleared as he recovers from last season’s Achilles tendon tear. Deshawn Lynch, a 300-pound edge player, will likely play this Saturday or in the Sept. 20 Apple Cup at Washington State. Defensive tackle Logan Sagapolu will also be available against UC Davis, Fisch said.
