For all of the head-scratching and hand-wringing by Washington fans about the defense they turned in a fairly solid performance…yes, really.
They limited a very explosive offense to a single explosive play as they kept plays in front of them…much like many of the games over the past 4 years. They continued their national-leading streak of holding opponents to 30 points or fewer.
10 Against Cal Washington turned the ball over twice but the defense they kept the Golden Bears off of the scoreboard from the turnover. Against Hawai’i, in the first half, Myles Bryant picked off 2 passes. Washington converted them into 10 points. The first one they drove the length of the field as Puka Nacua reeled in his first pass and first TD.
In fact, creating turnovers has been slow for the Washington defense this season. Against Hawai’i they got their first 3 which resulted in 17 points.
9 Washington fans have begun pumping their brakes on the Death Row 5.0. However, there are some indications that the defense is beginning to find their legs, despite some whiffs on some tackles. After a bumpy ride in the California game, defensive backs Kyler Gordon and Keith Taylor led the team with 9 stops.
Perhaps the biggest indicator may be the scoreboard that showed “20” for the second game in a row. There was, again, a hair-pulling third quarter that netted 2 TDs for the opposition as the defense was unable to get off of the field. They were also able to make an explosive offense implode with 3 turnovers and limiting the Warriors to 4 passing plays over 15 yards.
8 One of the biggest questions facing the Washington offense was replacing Myles Gaskin. Poking its head from inside running back coach Keith Bonopha’s “Stable” is a three-headed monster: Salvon Ahmed, Richard Newton, and Sean McGrew. The three primary ball carriers had 8 carries each producing 175 yards and 4 TD’s. The three have 88 carries for 502 yards (5.7 ypc) and 7 TD’s.
In their first 3 games Washington has averaged 192 yards rushing a game:
Eastern 200
Cal 186
Hawai’i 190
That makes for 2,304 yards in the 12-game regular season. For perspective, Washington finished the 2018 season with 2,468 yards in 14 games.
7 Washington scored 7 TDs against an over-matched Hawai’i defense. It might seem to be an Oregon-ish overkill meant to impress some voters but given the Warriors’ fight it was advised to continue to put points on the board as the Hawai’i offense can score from anywhere on the field.
The Jacob Eason-led offense had 7 plays of 17 yards or more. He had 3 pass plays of over 30 yards including a 47-yard TD to Hunter Bryant and a 37-yard frozen rope TD to Aaron Fuller.
6 In hitting on all 6 of his field goal attempts this season, kicker, Peyton Henry, is one of 32 kickers who remain perfect on the 2019 season. Against Hawai’i he was 7 for 7 on extra points and hit his only field goal attempt. On the season, to go with his 6 field goals, Henry is 14 for 14 on extra points putting him at 17th in the country in scoring with 32 points (10.7 points a game). He is one of 9 kickers with at least 15 combined attempts to be perfect on the season.
5 Hunter Bryant is back to doing Hunter Bryant things. Entering the contest he had 10 receptions for just under 121 yards and no TDs. Against Hawai’i he added 5 catches for 115 yards bringing his team-leading, season total to 15 catches for 236 yards and a TD. In the four games he has appeared in in 2018 he had 11 catches for 238 yards and 1 TD.
The running back wearing number 5, Sean McGrew, is beginning to come into his own as a play-maker. He showed some tough interior running in making guys miss in tight spaces then making guys taste his vapor trail has he punched it in from 22-yards out. On the fun McGrew showed a burst but didn’t get into top gear making Husky fans wish that his TD could have come from the other 22 yard line to see him at top speed.
4 Washington was faced with only 8 third downs converting on 4 of them. Hawai’i was 7-16 on third down (6 for 8 on 3rd and short) while going 3 for 3 on 4th down. Hawai’i ran a total of 81 plays to get their 20 points while Cal ran 52.
3 Although Tasmanian Devils aren’t dangerous to humans they are dangerous when cornered. Richard Newton is a dangerous animal from the Wildcat formation. Already up 28-0 and the nose of the ball at the Hawai’i 5 yard line, Richard Newton took the direct snap and did his best Tasmanian Devil imitation spinning off of a defender at the 3 yard line and twirled his way into the end zone for his first of 3 TDs on the night.
His second carry was with the nose of the ball 2 inches shy of the goal line after a Jacob Eason QB sneak came up just short to put Washington up 45 to nothing. Newton’s final TD came when he dragged a defender 3 yards and extending the ball into the end zone for UW’s final TD of the game.
2 Is Myles Bryant equal parts Myles Gaskin and Hunter Bryant for the Washington defense in 2019? He plays much bigger than his listed 5’-9”. The former walk-on registered “only” 2 plays in the first quarter but both were drive stoppers: An interception of Cole McDonald, and on 3rd and 8 he dropped backup QB, Chevan Corderio for a 6-yard loss to end the first quarter.
However, neither of those can top his second interception of the game. On 3rd and 1 Hawai’i’s QB, Cordeiro looked to have completed the pass but, like Husky fans have seen Hunter Bryant do so many times, Myles Bryant ripped the pass out of the receiver’s hands for his second interception of the half.
1 After the 1-point loss to Cal that featured a way too many drops by Washington receivers the opened the door for younger receivers to make a move in the depth chart. Hawai’i-native Puka Nacua made a splash as he hauled in a 28-yard pass from Jacob Eason.
The TD was set up by Eason’s pump fake on a bubble/tunnel screen that Hawaii bought hook, line, and sinker. The left the true freshman, Nacua in one on one coverage down field. Eason dropped the pass in number 15s arms for the TD.
