After a thrilling 52-42 victory over USC, Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer reflected on the success from Saturday’s matchup and looked ahead to a home matchup against the 18th-ranked Utah Utes.
“Proud of the resiliency and proud of the fight,” DeBoer said. “Never having regrets on anything that happened and focusing on moving forward.”
It was never a matter of question with the resilience of this team throughout the matchup against USC, finding themselves down a score on four separate occasions but consistently battling back. After taking the lead in the fourth quarter, the Huskies never looked back.
“When ZTF got the strip-sack and knowing that we were getting the ball to start the third quarter, that’s a big thing for us is that momentum going into the locker room,” DeBoer said. “Kinda squandered that momentum away [When Penix threw the interception] but knowing worst case scenario it’s a tie game but let’s keep fighting, and that’s what our guys did.”
Coach V, Kaila Olin, UW Leah, Jake Grant, and Trevor Mueller discuss everything that went into the road win against a ranked opponent.
Washington had an opportunity to go up two scores after halftime, but an interception in the endzone led to a touchdown drive for USC to tie the game. The Huskies never faltered and did not face a deficit at any point for the remainder of the game.
After the game, DeBoer had an emotional moment with Zion Tupuloa-Fetui whose father passed away a week ago. ZTF finished with 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks, including the crucial strip-sack before halftime. DeBoer was asked what thoughts he was sharing with ZTF during that moment.
“Just how much everyone loves him,” DeBoer said. “Us understanding what he’s been going through when he found out about his dad right after the Stanford game and what that week was like. Even throughout the course of the game, there were a couple of times even right after the big play, just an emotional time on the sideline. Just knowing the journey that we’ve been on together and how special of a person he is.”
We love you, Z pic.twitter.com/WTuE2fQ2aw
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 6, 2023
Looking ahead to Utah, DeBoer was asked about its 350-yard rushing performance in its 55-3 over Arizona State and the physicality of the Utes.
“They’re very physical, and we all know watching their film over the years that being physical and being tough is what they pride themselves on,” DeBoer said. “That’s how they feel they’re gonna go attack the game and that’s been a big part of their success and back-to-back conference championships. Huge hats off to them and the belief in their identity.”
The last time that Washington faced Utah, they faced a 21-0 halftime deficit and won in the last minute of the game. What happened in the past is of zero concern to DeBoer.
“There might be a historical piece [behind games] with the guys but the common theme each and every week when these things do come up, has been that this is about the 2023 Huskies,” DeBoer said. “Sometimes there’s some interesting information even after the fact when you play a game that is cool for the guys to hear.”
The Utes have had a roller coaster of performances the last couple of weeks, falling 35-6 to Oregon before overwhelming Arizona State in a 55-3 victory. Utah will certainly be looking forward to the matchup against Washington while carrying the momentum from last weekend.
“You see [Utah] developing their rhythm the last few weeks and offensively I feel like they’re sharper,” DeBoer said. “I know the Oregon game they got shut down more so, but the identity and the understanding of roles… just a lot of things they’re continuing to tap into now that they know who their people are.”
As far as injuries go, Jalen McMillan is questionable, and it is expected that players who were available last week will be out on the field this coming weekend.
Washington is closing in on a perfect regular season with three games remaining, and DeBoer understands how important it is to keep his guys focused on one game at a time.
“Because of what we’ve done, man there are some big moments ahead,” DeBoer said. “The main moment is this Saturday, and our guys are excited about another big-time opponent coming into Husky Stadium. I think last week you could see them realizing hey, we’re on the home stretch here.”
