Kalen DeBoer called it the fastest offense he’s seen in person.
A decade ago, DeBoer — now UW’s first-year head coach — was the offensive coordinator at FCS Southern Illinois, his first stop after winning four NAIA national championships as a player and coach at the University of Sioux Falls. On Aug. 30, 2012, his Salukis were steamrolled by directional rival Eastern Illinois, as a junior quarterback named Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 369 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-28 win.
A year later, the Salukis came closer, but still fell 40-37 in double overtime. Garoppolo completed 34 of 48 passes (70.8%) for 440 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Under head coach Dino Babers, Eastern Illinois went 12-2 in 2013 — averaging 48.2 points, 589.5 yards and 87.1 plays per game.
The inside wide receivers and tight ends coach for that team was Sean Lewis.
As in, current Kent State head football coach Sean Lewis.
DeBoer has tracked Lewis, and his offense, everywhere he’s gone.
“It was always something you were taking note of because they were putting up big numbers,” DeBoer said Monday, five days before UW hosts Kent State inside Husky Stadium. “It’s unique. It’s about them running as many plays as they can as fast as they can.”
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The question: can UW’s defense keep up?
“I guess we’ll find out,” DeBoer replied. “I’d like to think I know we’re in a better position (with our physical conditioning). This team will test us that way for sure. Defensively, we’ll rotate, and do that especially up front. You guys understand the depth (we have defensively), whether it be at edge or interior, some of the linebackers, and we have to have that depth because they need to stay fresh for the entire game.”
That’s certainly the challenge against a Kent State offense that finished fifth in the nation in plays per game (75.1) in 2021. But this time, Garoppolo isn’t standing under center.
Instead, the Golden Flashes rely on a tempo rushing attack that ranked third nationally in rushing offense (248.79 yards per game), sixth in rushing touchdowns (36), seventh in attempts per game (46.2) and ninth in yards per carry (5.38) — carrying the program to a Mid-American Conference championship game appearance last fall. Leading rushers Marquez Cooper (1,205 rushing yards, five yards per carry and 11 TD) and Xavier Williams (812 rushing yards, 6.5 YPC and 3 TD) have returned, and starting quarterback Collin Schlee (127 yards, 6.4 YPC and 3 TD in limited action) is a capable runner as well.
Kent State wins with variety and creativity … as well as tempo.
“I think (the creativity) is the No. 1 thing that pops off the page,” said UW co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell. “You talk about an offensive staff that’s been together for a while and had a lot of success statistically. You look at their national rankings in the run game and it’s really impressive. The thing they do a really good job of is they keep everybody involved, and the quarterback is always going to be a threat. They always have an RPO (run-pass option) going on with a quarterback run, with gap schemes and zone schemes.
“It’s incredibly creative and high-level run game stuff. It’s incredibly creative. The challenge is for our guys up front, you’ve got to be super assignment sound. It takes you back to way back in the day when veer option used to be the big thing. Everybody’s got a job to do on every play, and literally a small mistake can turn into a big play.”
A year ago, there was far too much of both — as UW ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in opponent yards per carry (4.76) and 11th in rushing defense (194 yards allowed per game). But Morrell insists that UW’s upgraded offensive tempo in practice, combined with a rigorous strength and conditioning program, will help UW’s defense keep up with Kent State.
And schematically, these Huskies won’t play on their heels.
“Just attacking,” Morrell said, when asked what UW’s defense does best. “That’s been our focus the entire time. Credit to our offense. Our offense challenges us in a lot of different ways from a formational standpoint and a lot of their actions and the plays that they run. So we’ve asked our guys to be able to be assignment sound while being aggressive. The No. 1 thing is we’ve got to be playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage, and I feel like we’ve got some guys up front that can definitely do that.”
Those guys include an impressive array of edge rushers (Bralen Trice, Jeremiah Martin, Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Sav’ell Smalls) and linebackers (Cam Bright, Alphonzo Tuputala, Carson Bruener, Kristopher Moll and Daniel Heimuli) who will rotate in unrelenting waves. Morrell noted that “this is a team that’s gunning to run 100 plays. So whether you’re 1A or 1B (on the depth chart), really in my mind it’s irrelevant. Because we need production out of everybody that steps on the field.”
It will take a collective effort to bottle and throttle Kent State’s speed.
At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, we’ll see if Washington is ready.
“In terms of stopping the run, it’s like my man Jeremiah (Martin) said: ‘We’re always going to be back there (in the backfield),’” said Tuputala, a Federal Way product who’s set to make his first career start. “That’s what we believe and that’s what we harp on. We’re always going to be back there.”