Michael Penix Jr. did not produce a passing touchdown against Arizona State.
But that doesn’t mean the Huskies were kept out of the end zone.
While Penix threw for 311 yards and contributed a touchdown on a quarterback sneak, the running game effectively dominated the red zone — totaling 171 rushing yards (via the tailbacks) and 6.3 yards per carry, with touchdowns from 1, 4, 1 and 5 yards out. Graduate student captain Wayne Taulapapa made his sixth consecutive start and produced 51 rushing yards, 4.3 yards per carry and a score (as well as three catches for 21 yards), before an ankle injury hampered him in the second half.
Which, by the way, is when Cameron Davis exploded — finishing with a team-high 77 rushing yards, 8.6 yards per carry and three second-half scores. Junior Richard Newton added 42 yards and 10.5 yards per rush, before leaving the game with a minor injury.
UW coach Kalen DeBoer said Monday that the running game “continued to grow. People are adjusting to what we do offensively, and the other stuff starts opening up. That’s why it’s so important to have threats all over the field. But I think the running back depth continues to evolve, and we needed that on Saturday, with some guys in and out for different reasons.”
Technically, UW ranks just seventh in the Pac-12 in rushing offense (142.17 yards per game) and eighth in yards per carry (4.31). But three Husky tailbacks also average more than five yards per rush — Taulapapa (406 rushing yards, 5.8 YPC, 4 TD), Davis (242, 5.1, 7) and Newton (130, 5.7, 0).
So, as other options continue to emerge, what has kept Taulapapa atop the depth chart?
“The big part with Wayne is just the trust piece,” said UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. “Regardless of what the play is, he’s going to go execute and he’s not going to have a mental bust. You always want to start a game fast and be efficient and stay on the field, and so far that’s what we’ve been able to do.
“Wayne always gets us off to a good start. Everybody feels super confident with him in there, and that’s where we’re hoping CD (Davis) can get to and some guys like that, where they’re not busting (assignments) on a walkthrough. There’s things like that that go into it, as far as who’s getting reps and things like that from a confidence standpoint. This guy knows exactly what to do in every situation, and he’s the guy you want on the field.”
Still, there’s no doubting Davis’ eye for the end zone — as the 208-pound sophomore leads the Huskies with seven touchdowns, despite not playing against Stanford or starting any of the other five games. But after missing all of the spring and part of preseason camp with injuries, Davis continues to play catch-up.
“So I think there’s a piece of CD still getting comfortable in the offense and playing with a little more confidence, honestly, where he feels good being in all the calls and things like that,” Grubb said. “So I really think you’ll see more of that, where he’s getting better and better each week and playing faster and more confident.”
Added Davis, when asked if he’s surprised he leads the team in touchdowns despite the reserve role: “Nah, I’m not surprised. When you work hard and prepare you expect good things to come.”
More good things should come on Saturday, against an Arizona unit that ranks 11th in the Pac-12 in both rushing defense (228.8 yards allowed per game) and opponent yards per carry (6.21). Taulapapa is expected to play despite the ankle injury, while Newton’s status is more uncertain.
Regardless, UW proved last week that it doesn’t need Penix to enter the end zone.
Nor does it need a bell-cow back.
True freshmen Parker, Dunn impress
UW would have preferred not to play Jayvon Parker and Tristan Dunn against Arizona State.
But a rash of injuries (plus Asa Turner’s targeting penalty) forced the true freshmen into action, and both showed flashes in the 45-38 loss.
Parker — a 6-foot-3, 312-pound defensive lineman from Detroit — made two tackles in his first significant dose of playing time, while Dunn (a 6-4, 186-pound safety from Sumner) added a tackle as well.
“(Parker) was twice our scout team player of the week, just watching his maturity and development,” UW co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said Monday. “We needed him on Saturday. I go back out and look at the film, and for a true freshman he did a fantastic job. He was gap sound, pressuring the quarterback at times. To me that’s really exciting for the future.”
As for Dunn, the former four-star recruit (and ASU commit) played just five defensive snaps in emergency action.
But in the second half of the season, his role could expand.
“Tristan Dunn is incredibly athletic, very, very talented, very gifted,” Morrell said. “He did some great things for us on special teams, and hopefully we can have his role grow. He’s the one that’s got to do the most work in terms of understanding alignment, assignment, technique all the time. But he showed some big-time flashes, especially on special teams, on Saturday.”
Odunze added to Biletnikoff Award watch list
UW sophomore wide receiver Rome Odunze was added Wednesday to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which honors college football’s premier receiver.
Despite playing in just five of six games this season, Odunze leads the Huskies in catches (35), receiving yards (524), yards per catch (15) and receiving touchdowns (4). The 6-3, 201-pounder has compiled 25 catches, 392 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his last three games.
“Over the years I’ve had a number of guys added to that list. But at the end of the day it’s more about where you’re at at the end of the season as a football team,” UW associate head coach and wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard said Wednesday. “That’s really what’s going to matter. Is he getting better? We talked about it this week. You don’t ever really stay the same. Are you getting better or are you getting worse? I’m just pushing him to really do his best to get better at this craft. Certainly he’s all about that.
“The one thing about the Biletnikoff, it doesn’t really measure the heart of the guys that are out there. If they measured the heart of players, Rome would be right at the top of the list, period, from the beginning. But they just don’t measure that. Rome’s just got a great heart.”
Extra point
- After missing the first three games of the season with an injury, redshirt freshman cornerback Elijah Jackson made his first career start and contributed three tackles against Arizona State. “Getting EJ back rolling again, (the great thing) is that he’s playing with some confidence,” Morrell said. “The other thing you start to understand about him on the field is that he’s a very consistent communicator. So it was good to get him out there and get him started. That was the first taste. Now we’d love to be able to have him on the field even more.”