Call it a cliché, but UW’s offensive line success — evidenced by opponents’ zero sacks of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in his first four games — can be credited to the collective.
And while the sackless streak came to an end — coincidentally at the hands of former Husky Laiatu Latu — in the second quarter against UCLA, the credit extends beyond five mainstay starters on the offensive line.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who has repeatedly out-schemed opponents, deserves credit. Penix, who has diagnosed opposing defenses and shifted protections at the line, deserves credit. Sophomore Troy Fautanu, who has started both at left guard and left tackle, deserves credit. Junior Matteo Mele, who has spotted Corey Luciano at center while preparing at other positions as well, deserves credit. Luciano, sixth-year senior right guard Henry Bainivalu, first-year starting right tackle Roger Rosengarten and sophomore left guard Nate Kalepo all deserve credit as well.
It’s a testament to all involved that sixth-year senior Jaxson Kirkland, who missed the first three games while working back from ankle surgery, returned last weekend in the win against Stanford without upsetting the established chemistry.
After all, Grubb — a former offensive line coach — said Monday that “if it’s one (offensive lineman returning) and you’re replacing one spot, the continuity piece isn’t typically too difficult to get fixed quickly. But when you start moving two people at once, that gets a little harder. So when Troy (Fautanu) moves in to guard and he hasn’t been playing as much guard, that can be a little bit tough. But I thought they did a great job.”
In all, the Husky offense produced 169 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry and two touchdowns, while Penix threw for another 309 yards and two scores in a 40-22 win over Stanford. And the 6-foot-7, 340-pound Kirkland played the entire first half before sitting out the second. Coach Kalen DeBoer said “the plan was, when we pulled him out for a series or two, to get him back in there … and then the lead just kind of kept growing. That was the only reason he didn’t go back in.”
Kirkland started again Friday — but this time at left guard, with Fautanu sliding back out to left tackle.
With Fautanu and Kirkland’s ability to start at either spot, and Kalepo and Mele’s status as reliable reserves, the Huskies have ample flexibility up front.
“We fortunately have the luxury where we can move Troy (to left tackle or left guard),” DeBoer said. “We’ve got a guy like Troy that can play both spots, and we’ve got Nate (Kalepo), who’s doing a great job (at left guard). That luxury right now exists, and we’re developing depth. You’ve got Matteo (Mele) and Corey (Luciano) both playing at center. I love the vibe that our guys have. They’re in it for the team-first piece. Whatever they’ve got to do for the team, they’re willing to sacrifice.”
Penix’s hot streak
Through four weeks, Penix leads the nation with 1,388 passing yards, while completing 64.3% of his passes and throwing for 12 touchdowns and one interception.
Penix’s potential, DeBoer said, has been evident in practice.
“He and Coach Grubb are in sync,” DeBoer said. “It’s really cool to see the belief that he has carrying over to Coach Grubb and Coach Grubb dialing it up, not afraid to be aggressive no matter where we are on the field, no matter where we’re at in the game. That trust goes both ways. Right now we’re riding the momentum of all that. It’s cool. Even if it goes against you for a short time and some adversity hits, I feel like Mike understands that it’s just temporary. And we preach that to the team. He’ll get us back on track.
“He’s so talented. He can put the ball where he wants to. I think he threw a ball close to 70 yards last week on the money in practice on a deep ball and everyone was in awe of that. I went back and was actually doing the calculation on film. His arm strength, to me, wasn’t about how far he could throw it; to me it was about the balls he can make across the field and back-shoulder throws with accuracy and the quick release that he has. He certainly can throw the ball deep as well.”
Penix did overthrow one deep ball last week, on what might have been an 87-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jalen McMillan.
According to DeBoer, some rare pressure affected the redshirt junior quarterback’s timing on the play.
“It’s a long, developing route. If you look on that route McMillan was running, it’s a ball-holder,” he said. “There was a little bit of pressure coming and Mike threw it probably a split-second earlier than what he normally had in practice. He had to … not guess, but kind of gauge a little bit more in advance where Jalen was going to be.
“We felt very comfortable with the 1-on-1 opportunity we were going to have. We were just getting a little more pressure. Mike went down to the ground right after he threw it, if I remember right. If he had a split-second longer, we might have had a different result.”
Supplying energy
Rose Bowl Stadium features a capacity of 90,888.
The expectation was for roughly half those seats to be filled Friday night.
And for a UW team that lost eight consecutive games at the Rose Bowl before escaping with a 31-24 win in 2018, that provides a challenge to supply energy away from Husky Stadium.
“At the end of the day it’ll be up to the guys,” Grubb said. “They have to be really excited about what they’re playing for. They’ve got everything on the line. There should be no problem being excited about the opportunity that they have down there. So regardless of who’s in the stands, I’d think our guys would be up and ready to play.”
Extra points
- A pair of former Husky quarterbacks, redshirt junior Colson Yankoff and redshirt sophomore Ethan Garbers, transferred to UCLA and are currently on the Bruins roster. Garbers has completed 20 of 28 passes for 255 yards with two touchdowns and one interception as Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s backup, while Yankoff (who is now listed as a wide receiver) has caught three passes for 20 yards and two touchdowns while adding 42 rushing yards. Redshirt senior linebacker Ale Kaho, who signed with Washington as a five-star recruit in 2018 but enrolled at Alabama (before transferring to UCLA), has not recorded a stat this season. Former UW outside linebacker Laiatu Latu entered the game leading the Pac-12 with five sacks for the Bruins as well.
- Former UW linebacker Azeem Victor joined the captains for Friday’s coin toss, serving as an honorary captain.
- After missing the previous three games with a leg injury, senior cornerback Jordan Perryman returned and started against UCLA, opposite junior Julius Irvin.