At 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, Kalen DeBoer, Ryan Grubb and JaMarcus Shephard stood in a tiny triangle at the 35-yard line inside California Memorial Stadium, laughing like schoolkids at a birthday party. It was if the ending had been spoiled two hours early, as if success was already assured, as if they’d blown out the candles and were cutting the cake.
Perhaps DeBoer, Grubb and Shephard — UW’s offensive brain trust, a formidable touchdown triumvirate — saw this all coming: the 374 Michael Penix Jr. passing yards, the welcome first half defense, the trio of second-half scores, the threat-smothering pass rush …
The first road win of the Kalen DeBoer Era. The bowl-securing survival before the bye week.
Which is not to say Washington’s 28-21 win was perfect by any stretch. UW still failed to score a first-half touchdown, limited to three Peyton Henry field goal attempts and six measly points (despite outgaining the Cal Bears 245 to 83 in that stretch). The Husky pass defense still faltered, surrendering 167 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to pedestrian Cal quarterback Jack Plummer. The issue was still in doubt late in the fourth quarter, against a program that fell on the road to previously winless Colorado the week before.
But … none of that should diminish the importance, or impact, of this win — particularly for a program that fired its coach, then crawled dazed out of the wreckage just 11 months ago.
In that case, maybe DeBoer, Grubb and Shephard knew something long before this.
“With our offensive staff, we’ve got a pretty good group of guys,” said Shephard, UW’s associate head coach and pass game coordinator, on Sept. 28. “What’s even more impressive is we’re all very low ego. We all know what it’s like for Grubb to be in that (offensive coordinator) chair, so we don’t want to push too much on him. Although he wants us to bring ideas as well. So we’re bringing ideas that marry up with the offense. Everything I did at previous stops doesn’t necessarily marry up with what we do. But the stuff that does marry up, we’re bringing it to the table at the right time and in the right moment.
“We all kind of have an understanding. And we’re also OK with him saying, ‘I’m going to go a different route,’ and not being all sensitive about that idea. That, to me, is where we’re clicking at a high level. Our egos are very low in that regard. Grubb is just as low ego and ready to accept those ideas and make those calls on game day. So it’s been a lot of fun to be a part of this group, honestly. Because we know that every one of us has a hand in this offense and how it’s operating.”
Here are some other observations from UW’s 28-21 win.
Powell’s presence
Sophomore cornerback Mishael Powell — who started UW’s first three games, then missed the next four with an undisclosed injury — returned in a reserve role Saturday, contributing five tackles in the win. The 6-foot-1, 204-pounder provided anticipation, decisiveness and sure tackling that UW’s secondary has sorely lacked in recent weeks.
That depleted UW secondary featured its starters from the season opener — corners Powell and Jordan Perryman, “husky” nickel Dominique Hampton and safeties Alex Cook and Asa Turner — together for the first time since that Kent State win.
And while everything isn’t fixed, Powell’s presence was impactful.
“Meesh is a leader on this team. He’s a leader in this defense. He’s a leader in this secondary,” Cook said. “Meesh is such a high IQ guy and he does such a good job communicating and anticipating stuff and calling out stuff before it happens. For a veteran guy like Meesh to be on the field with me, it just makes life so much easier.”
Running-back rotation
UW rotated five running backs Saturday — graduate student Wayne Taulapapa (four carries, 25 yards, four catches, 40 yards), sophomore Cameron Davis (13 carries, 46 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches, 18 yards), junior Richard Newton (five carries, 18 yards, 1 catch, 36 yards, 1 TD), redshirt freshman Will Nixon (2 carries, 15 yards) and redshirt freshman Sam Adams II (2 carries, 5 yards, 1 catch, 5 yards). Their productivity was particularly important against a Cal defense that limited big plays and forced frequent Penix check-downs.
Gone, it seems, are the days of Myles Gaskin grinding out 25-carry games. But the Huskies continue to rotate multiple tailbacks while establishing rough roles — with Taulapapa (whose three drops marred his day) operating as the steady starter, Davis earning a long relief role and the red zone load, and Newton, Nixon and Adams providing a change of pace.
Husky running backs managed just 109 rushing yards, 4.2 yards per carry and a touchdown. Though Davis’ 10 rushing touchdowns leads the Pac-12, UW noticeably lacks a bell cow back.
And yet, UW’s sheer volume of capable backfield bodies should be considered a strength entering the bye week. We’ll see how that running back rotation continues to evolve.
Notes
- UW produced five sacks in Saturday’s win, using a persistent pass rush to extinguish Cal’s final two offensive drives. Through eight weeks, UW ranks first in the Pac-12 in total sacks (25) and second in sacks per game (3.13). Four Huskies also reside in the top 10 in the conference in sacks — Bralen Trice (6.5, 2nd), Jeremiah Martin (6, 4th), Voi Tunuufi (4, 6th) and Zion Tupuola-Fetui (3.5, 9th). More glaringly, the Huskies have secured 24 sacks in their six wins (4 per game) and one in their two losses (0.5 per game).
- UW unveiled its “Husky Royalty” alternate Adidas uniforms Saturday, featuring white shirts and pants with gold numbers and trim. When asked for his review, Penix smiled and said: “(They’re) beautiful. How’d you think we looked? It looked good to me.”
- A whopping 11 Huskies caught passes Saturday. UW’s sheer variety in the passing game continues to impress.