Fisch pleased by growth on Huskies’ offensive, defensive lines
Washington defensive lineman Elinneus Davis high-fives fans after a 24-20 win over Maryland Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 in College Park, Md. (Jennifer Buchanan / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
The biggest difference between the 2025 Huskies and their 2024 counterparts, Jedd Fisch said, has been depth. Particularly in the trenches.
UW flexed its offensive line depth during its 24-20 win against Maryland on Saturday. Despite missing starting left tackle Carver Willis and then losing starting left guard John Mills during the game, its replacements — fifth-year tackle Maximus McCree and redshirt freshman guard Paki Finau — did enough to help UW mount an improbable fourth-quarter comeback.
“We needed depth today,” Fisch said after the game. “And depth showed up.”
While UW’s offensive line was forced into displaying its depth because of injuries, its defensive line enjoyed one of its best performances of the season. Maryland registered only 55 yards rushing on 20 carries. Its longest run went for 8 yards, something Fisch credited to UW’s ability to play a variety of interior defensive linemen.
“That’s going to change every week,” Fisch said Monday. “It’s all based upon the game plan. It’s all based upon what we call.”
Six different UW defensive tackles played at least one snap against Maryland: fifth-year senior Simote Pepa, seniors Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and Anterio Thompson, juniors Armon Parker and Bryce Butler and sophomore Elinneus Davis. Playing its first complete game without fifth-year senior Zach Durfee (elbow), UW relied on the trio of sixth-year senior Deshawn Lynch and juniors Isaiah Ward and Jacob Lane at edge rusher.
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The group combined for 12 of UW’s 54 tackles, led by Davis and Thompson who each had three. Uiagalelei and Lynch each tallied a tackle for a loss. Lynch led the team with two pass breakups after batting passes at the line of scrimmage, while Thompson also deflected a pass.
“We’ve got a big group of defensive linemen,” Fisch said. “Some guys play 30 snaps, some guys play 12. Armon’s back. So we’ll have to see how it all works.”
It’s a significantly more robust group of interior defensive lineman than UW had a season ago. In 2024, Fisch and former defensive coordinator Steve Belichick leaned heavily upon Voi Tunuufi, Sebastian Valdez and Jacob Bandes. All three played more than half the team’s defensive snaps, led by Tunuufi who played 71.2% of the team’s 865 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Their reliance on Tunuufi, Valdez and Bandes made sense. Ulumoo Ale and Tuli Letuligasenoa exhausted their eligibility in 2023, while Faatui Tuitele medically retired. Junior Jayvon Parker’s season-ending Achilles tendon injury against Rutgers during UW’s fifth game of the season left UW with limited options.
Through five games in 2025, only Uiagalelei and Thompson have played more than half of UW’s defensive snaps, with Thompson at just 50.01% — 160 snaps out of a possible 319.
With more options on the interior defensive line, Fisch said he and new defensive coordinator Ryan Walters have been able to tailor the rotation to their opponents. Uiagalelei has started each of UW’s five games, but the spot next to him has been varied.
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“You need to really build your team in the trenches,” Fisch said. “It’s going to come from size. It can’t just be weight. It can’t just be height. It’s got to be both.”
The Huskies (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) certainly have some different body types in their interior defensive line. Uiagalelei, Thompson and Butler are all listed at 6-foot-4 or taller. Butler, Davis, Armon Parker and the nose tackles, Pepa and sixth-year senior Logan Sagapolu, are all heavier than 310 pounds. So Fisch and Walters can chop and change their lineups looking for the right combinations against different opponents, along with smoothly alternating between three-, four- and five-down defensive fronts.
Thompson earned the start during the season-opening game against Colorado State, while Butler got the first opportunities against UC Davis and the 117th Apple Cup against Washington State. Davis started against No. 1 Ohio State and Maryland, and Fisch added the sophomore is looking fully healthy for the first time since suffering an ankle sprain during fall camp.
“Elinneus is continuing where he left off last year,” Fisch said, “which is a really good pass-rushing defensive lineman that is very physical and can tackle the runners. So it’s a pretty good combination.”
Washington held a pass-heavy Maryland offense, which entered the game averaging 102.6 yards rushing per game, to its lowest total yards rushing this season.
After limiting the Terrapins to just 45 yards rushing in the first half, UW forced Maryland to completely abandon running the ball during the second half. The Terps only attempted four total rushing plays during the final 30 minutes, gaining just 10 yards. Maryland’s inability to run the ball — and drain the clock — against Washington was a crucial part of the comeback.
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Rutgers, UW’s opponent on Friday, will offer a greater test. The Scarlet Knights (3-2, 0-2) won’t have Kyle Monangai, the consensus first-team All-Big Ten running back who totaled 132 yards rushing when Rutgers beat UW in 2024. However, sophomore tailback Antwan Raymond has 488 yards rushing on 87 carries for Rutgers this season. His 94.2 rushing yards per game ranks No. 17 nationally. Raymond’s nine touchdowns rushing trails only UW’s Jonah Coleman.
But Washington may have more interior defensive line reinforcements on the way. Fisch said he’s confident junior defensive tackle Jayvon Parker will be available Friday, more than a year after the Achilles tendon injury he suffered against Rutgers on Sept. 27, 2024.
Fisch said Javon Parker also dealt with a knee injury, but he was able to use his redshirt for the past season and still has two years of eligibility remaining. Fisch said UW’s strong defensive line play this season meant it didn’t have to rush him back to full fitness after listing him as questionable against Maryland.
“We’re now at a place where I think he’s feeling more comfortable,” Fisch said. “Feels like he can use all of his lower body strength.”
Extra points:
- Fisch said he did not have any medical updates about Mills, who exited the game against Maryland late in the third quarter. Mills left the field with assistance from trainers and was seen on crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left foot after the game.
- The UW coach was optimistic about the long-term status of sixth-year left tackle Carver Willis (knee) or Durfee (elbow), who were both ruled out against Maryland after picking up injuries during the first half against Ohio State on Sept. 27. While he admitted they might not be ready to play Friday, Fisch said the indications from doctors are they will not be kept out for a significant period.
- Fisch was slightly less optimistic about the status of senior cornerback Tacario Davis, who’s been out with a rib injury since leaving UW’s 70-10 win against FCS opponent UC Davis on Sept. 6. Davis has been questionable during each of the past three games but has not played in any of them. Fisch said he hopes to have Davis, who went through warmups before the Maryland game, back Friday, but was less confident in his availability than Jayvon Parker’s.
- Freshman linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale is in line to potentially make his UW debut. The No. 1 recruit in Washington during the 2025 recruiting cycle and the top-rated player in UW’s signing class according to the 247Sports composite rankings, Rainey-Sale missed the first five games while recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered late during his senior season at Bethel High. Fisch said he expects Rainey-Sale, who returned to practice as a full participant during the week before the Maryland game, to play against Rutgers.
- Washington drew the dreaded 9 a.m. Pacific Time Zone kickoff for its Oct. 18 game against No. 15 Michigan at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.