In the first series I focused on offense plus some additional tidbits. Now the defense, but I will start at what I perceive as the 2 weakest position groups on defense. I also re-examine the OL after 2 weeks. ST coming, and other news.
Every Washington defensive coach was replaced when DeBoer came in. The Husky defense and the old one are basic 4-2-5 defensive sets, Fresno State and the UW included. Fresno has co-defensive coordinators William Inge and Chuck Morrell. Its an aggressive defense. The Huskies will blitz. Quick look at what I think are the two most vulnerable positions based on history and tape.
Cornerback
IMO, it's the most problematic position group for the Huskies. That may come across as a surprise. The Huskies' strength from last year now is its biggest weakness. The 2 starters from last year's team Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon went to the league. A primary replacement, i.e Speed for MSU, was UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman. Perryman came up lame in the opener after being picked on by the Kent State QB. He sat out the Portland State game. Looks like a hamstring issue. Julius Irvin, the junior backup safety, was inserted as a replacement for Perryman against Kent State. The other side was a rotational circus. Dyson McCutcheon, another redshirt freshman who plays both cornerback and the Husky hybrid position, saw his first career game time at CB against Kent State. Kent State went after him as well, completing 4 passes over 20 yards, including a 47 and 33 yard play. Kent State’s Mishael Powell also got plenty of snaps as the game wore on. But Powell allowed 5 receptions on 6 targets. Powell also had two pass-interference penalties against Portland State, setting up PSU's first field goal. He'll likely start.
Jaivion Green and Julius Irvin also got plenty of snaps. On tape, these 2 were the most consistent in their efforts and I presume one will likely start alongside Powell. I like both over Powell. Other players include fifth-year junior Green, who made the switch from safety. But experience is lacking here, for Irvin too. Irvin has made just 2 starts in 24 career games, both at safety. He had never played the position before last Saturday. Redshirt freshmen Elijah Jackson never saw the field while Davon Banks played a few snaps in the second half. Thus corner remains a quite vulnerable position with McDuffie and Gordon gone and Perryman injured. Any injuries here would make it worse. Thorne should no doubt pick on this group heavily. Accuracy a must here, but 50/50 balls would be prudent. Given these CBs with limited experience don't bother to turn their heads, I do see penalties being a potential major factor.
DTs
It was marked as the weakest position coming into the season. Two members of the room transferred out following the 2021 season while Ulumoo Ale, who played in all 12 games along the offensive line was forced into a defensive tackle from OL given the better depth there. Noa Ngalu officially entered the transfer portal in May, though only played in two games for the Huskies in limited action. The bigger loss was Sam Taimani, the big 6'2" 321-pound defensive tackle. A 4-star recruit coming out of high school, he started 10 of the Huskies’ 12 games in 2021, missing one due to injury. He racked up 43 tackles in '21. Ale suffered a leg injury in fall camp, but started game #1. Tuli Letuligasenoa is very solid and this starting duo in the middle is capable in my view. Not in the elite category, but stable. Tuli did make the PFF 2nd team pre-season, so the talent is there. Backups are Kuao Peihopa and Voi Tunuufi. The latter put together a very productive true freshman year in 2021. Behind them are Jacob Bandesand redshirt freshman Siaosi Finau. All saw action during first two games. Washington currently sits at #75 nationally in run defense in 2022, In 2021, the Huskies allowed 193.3 yards per game to put the team second to last in the Pac-12 conference, despite the presence of Taimani and a very solid LB group. Letuligasenoa looked the most impressive in watching tape. Only had about 45 snaps. Ale looked ok. The others were middling against some weak competition. The group hhas 1 sack. I think MSU has the edge here, especially as Samac and DuPlain have played well and I think can gain some leverage as the left side is most vulnerable. The biggest runs by the first two opponents were straight at the C line or left. As the LBs are very good, breaking open running lanes through this modest Washington DT unit is most likely, and a must. Getting the C and Gs out past them will allow MSU to have a solid rushing attack.
Update on OL
After two games, a better picture of the Husky OL has emerged. Perrenial All Pac-12 OT and future pro Jaxom Kirkland still has not played. Washington’s starting offensive line has gone young. Starters feature three players that had never started a collegiate game before Kent State; Corey Luciano, Roger Rosengarten, and Nate Kalepo. RT Rosengarten has the best PFF grade coming into the game. He won the lineman-of-the-week award for the team.
As a reminder, Kirkland played most of last season but was blindsided in the Oregon State game and had a defender roll up on his ankle. He had surgery in January and has struggled to get back into play. He was a late scratch for the Portland State. I can't envision Washington putting him out there for 60 snaps at LT against a ramped up Windmon. Kirkland is now 30 pounds heavier than when he last lined up against Oregon State October 2nd of 2021. Its been a full year since he has seen live game action. Starting in his place is 6'4" Troy Fautanu at left tackle. Fautana enters his 3rd season in the UW program, so there is experience at least on the roster. But not much playing time, especially at tackle as Kirkland has been a staple there since 2019.
While he has enough arms to play tackle, his best position is guard. He reminds me of a young Samac and I think he ultimately ends up at C. He might swing back to left guard on Saturday or most likely trade snaps between positions due to Kirkland's status. But LG Kalepo, though just starting - ranked 2nd on my tape watch. On tape Fautanu played well enough. He was beat around the edge several times. A better run blocker though than pass protection. Is vulnerable to a top EDGE. MSU being the NCAA leader in sacks, 5th in TFLs, 11th in QB hurries. Its been 340 days since Penix faced stiff competition (PSU) from an opponent's rush yet alone a Spartan unit that has excelled the new staff, portal transfers, and the job done by Novak and Amber. The big Q for Penix vs. MSU? We know he is seasoned and accurate while not under pressure. Can he run and escape like the old days? Unlikely. Pressure by Sparty is highly likely given an OL unit that is very young and with an uncertain Kirkland. MSUs speed and lack of mental mistakes, few missed assignments, and good tackling should make things a bit easier.
Fun fact, Windmon was a menace against Fresno State, leading the team in tackles against OC Grubb's offense in both games.
Facing Slade, Barrow, and Windmon, etc, will be a whole new experience for UW. There are a lot of unknowns in this game and the impact of a 2100+ mile trip. The 3 above stand out the most to me where the Spartans could flourish with a solid game plan and execution.
Every Washington defensive coach was replaced when DeBoer came in. The Husky defense and the old one are basic 4-2-5 defensive sets, Fresno State and the UW included. Fresno has co-defensive coordinators William Inge and Chuck Morrell. Its an aggressive defense. The Huskies will blitz. Quick look at what I think are the two most vulnerable positions based on history and tape.
Cornerback
IMO, it's the most problematic position group for the Huskies. That may come across as a surprise. The Huskies' strength from last year now is its biggest weakness. The 2 starters from last year's team Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon went to the league. A primary replacement, i.e Speed for MSU, was UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman. Perryman came up lame in the opener after being picked on by the Kent State QB. He sat out the Portland State game. Looks like a hamstring issue. Julius Irvin, the junior backup safety, was inserted as a replacement for Perryman against Kent State. The other side was a rotational circus. Dyson McCutcheon, another redshirt freshman who plays both cornerback and the Husky hybrid position, saw his first career game time at CB against Kent State. Kent State went after him as well, completing 4 passes over 20 yards, including a 47 and 33 yard play. Kent State’s Mishael Powell also got plenty of snaps as the game wore on. But Powell allowed 5 receptions on 6 targets. Powell also had two pass-interference penalties against Portland State, setting up PSU's first field goal. He'll likely start.
Jaivion Green and Julius Irvin also got plenty of snaps. On tape, these 2 were the most consistent in their efforts and I presume one will likely start alongside Powell. I like both over Powell. Other players include fifth-year junior Green, who made the switch from safety. But experience is lacking here, for Irvin too. Irvin has made just 2 starts in 24 career games, both at safety. He had never played the position before last Saturday. Redshirt freshmen Elijah Jackson never saw the field while Davon Banks played a few snaps in the second half. Thus corner remains a quite vulnerable position with McDuffie and Gordon gone and Perryman injured. Any injuries here would make it worse. Thorne should no doubt pick on this group heavily. Accuracy a must here, but 50/50 balls would be prudent. Given these CBs with limited experience don't bother to turn their heads, I do see penalties being a potential major factor.
DTs
It was marked as the weakest position coming into the season. Two members of the room transferred out following the 2021 season while Ulumoo Ale, who played in all 12 games along the offensive line was forced into a defensive tackle from OL given the better depth there. Noa Ngalu officially entered the transfer portal in May, though only played in two games for the Huskies in limited action. The bigger loss was Sam Taimani, the big 6'2" 321-pound defensive tackle. A 4-star recruit coming out of high school, he started 10 of the Huskies’ 12 games in 2021, missing one due to injury. He racked up 43 tackles in '21. Ale suffered a leg injury in fall camp, but started game #1. Tuli Letuligasenoa is very solid and this starting duo in the middle is capable in my view. Not in the elite category, but stable. Tuli did make the PFF 2nd team pre-season, so the talent is there. Backups are Kuao Peihopa and Voi Tunuufi. The latter put together a very productive true freshman year in 2021. Behind them are Jacob Bandesand redshirt freshman Siaosi Finau. All saw action during first two games. Washington currently sits at #75 nationally in run defense in 2022, In 2021, the Huskies allowed 193.3 yards per game to put the team second to last in the Pac-12 conference, despite the presence of Taimani and a very solid LB group. Letuligasenoa looked the most impressive in watching tape. Only had about 45 snaps. Ale looked ok. The others were middling against some weak competition. The group hhas 1 sack. I think MSU has the edge here, especially as Samac and DuPlain have played well and I think can gain some leverage as the left side is most vulnerable. The biggest runs by the first two opponents were straight at the C line or left. As the LBs are very good, breaking open running lanes through this modest Washington DT unit is most likely, and a must. Getting the C and Gs out past them will allow MSU to have a solid rushing attack.
Update on OL
After two games, a better picture of the Husky OL has emerged. Perrenial All Pac-12 OT and future pro Jaxom Kirkland still has not played. Washington’s starting offensive line has gone young. Starters feature three players that had never started a collegiate game before Kent State; Corey Luciano, Roger Rosengarten, and Nate Kalepo. RT Rosengarten has the best PFF grade coming into the game. He won the lineman-of-the-week award for the team.
As a reminder, Kirkland played most of last season but was blindsided in the Oregon State game and had a defender roll up on his ankle. He had surgery in January and has struggled to get back into play. He was a late scratch for the Portland State. I can't envision Washington putting him out there for 60 snaps at LT against a ramped up Windmon. Kirkland is now 30 pounds heavier than when he last lined up against Oregon State October 2nd of 2021. Its been a full year since he has seen live game action. Starting in his place is 6'4" Troy Fautanu at left tackle. Fautana enters his 3rd season in the UW program, so there is experience at least on the roster. But not much playing time, especially at tackle as Kirkland has been a staple there since 2019.
While he has enough arms to play tackle, his best position is guard. He reminds me of a young Samac and I think he ultimately ends up at C. He might swing back to left guard on Saturday or most likely trade snaps between positions due to Kirkland's status. But LG Kalepo, though just starting - ranked 2nd on my tape watch. On tape Fautanu played well enough. He was beat around the edge several times. A better run blocker though than pass protection. Is vulnerable to a top EDGE. MSU being the NCAA leader in sacks, 5th in TFLs, 11th in QB hurries. Its been 340 days since Penix faced stiff competition (PSU) from an opponent's rush yet alone a Spartan unit that has excelled the new staff, portal transfers, and the job done by Novak and Amber. The big Q for Penix vs. MSU? We know he is seasoned and accurate while not under pressure. Can he run and escape like the old days? Unlikely. Pressure by Sparty is highly likely given an OL unit that is very young and with an uncertain Kirkland. MSUs speed and lack of mental mistakes, few missed assignments, and good tackling should make things a bit easier.
Fun fact, Windmon was a menace against Fresno State, leading the team in tackles against OC Grubb's offense in both games.
Facing Slade, Barrow, and Windmon, etc, will be a whole new experience for UW. There are a lot of unknowns in this game and the impact of a 2100+ mile trip. The 3 above stand out the most to me where the Spartans could flourish with a solid game plan and execution.
