Washington’s offense got off to a slow start in the first half, putting up a season-low 17 points in the first half. While the offense didn’t look as crisp as it did in the first three weeks of the season, the defense picked up the slack, recording six sacks in the first half, and eight in the game. Alphonzo Tuputala, Zion Tupuola-Fetui, and Bralen Trice all finished the game with two sacks each, and helped carry the Huskies to a 40-22 win over the Stanford Cardinal.

“It’s the best feeling in the world to see your guys hit home like that,” Trice said after the game.

“I’d say we overcame some adversity in that game,” said Tupuola-Fetui. “We were only up by 10 at the half.”

Michael Penix Jr. didn’t look quite as effective as he did in the first few weeks in the first half, and part of that might’ve been due to left tackle Jaxson Kirkland, who didn’t look incredibly comfortable in pass protection in his first start of the year. When Kirkland was replaced by Troy Fautanu at left tackle and Nate Kalepo slid in at left guard in the second half, Penix settled in and finished his night with 309 yards and two touchdowns.

He didn’t spread the ball around nearly as much as he did in his first three games, but Rome Odunze didn’t seem to mind, as he finished his day with a career-high 161 receiving yards on eight catches, and he added a great contested catch for a 30-yard touchdown.

“Rome is one of the most coachable guys I’ve ever been around,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said. After the game, both DeBoer and Odunze admitted that the receiver made a mistake on the same play call earlier in the game, and Odunze and Penix made an adjustment on the sidelines that turned into the touchdown catch.

Wayne Taulapapa also had the first 100-yard game of his college career, which was highlighted by a 34-yard touchdown in the second quarter. “He’s such a solid person. He’s so consistent, he comes to work every day, he’s a great teammate, and our guys voted team captain for a reason,” DeBoer said about the graduate transfer running back.

Game Notes:

Washington had their first eight-sack game since they faced Cal in 2017. Their two strip sacks also increased the team’s turnover margin on the year to +5, and both strip sacks were recovered by Faatui Tuitele. The Huskies also more than doubled their total sack number for the season, as they came into the game with seven sacks on the year.

The Huskies have a diamond in the rough in cornerback Jaivion Green. The true freshman corner was an absolute menace in press-man coverage, and is going to break into the regular rotation in the defensive backfield sooner than some might think.

After the game, DeBoer said that cornerback Jordan Perryman is “really close” to returning from an injury he suffered against Kent State, and cornerback Mishael Powell will be out for a few weeks,

Bralen Trice said that Stanford’s slow mesh offense helped a lot with Washington’s pass rush hitting home as many times as it did. “Our mentality is just go get him and not give him the time to read everything, just go get his ass,” he said. When asked the same question, Tupuola-Fetui just smiled and declined to comment.

While Washington’s offensive line has given up two sacks as a team, Michael Penix has still not been dropped for a sack, and the Huskies’ starting unit up front remains clean. They’ll be facing a UCLA team on Friday that has recorded 11 sacks through its first four games.