Washington Huskies’ defense shines, despite loss to Oregon Ducks
Washington defenders flush Oregon quarterback Dante Moore from the pocket, tackling him for a 1-yard loss during Saturday’s game at Husky Stadium in Seattle. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
Washington’s defense finally surrendered more than 25 points in a game.
Through 11 games in 2025, UW held opponents at or below the mark it set during a 42-25 blowout win against Illinois Oct. 25. No. 1 Ohio State scored only 24 points against Washington. So did No. 15 Michigan.
But Washington wasn’t able to maintain the mark against No. 6 Oregon, a team that entered Saturday ranked eighth nationally in scoring offense while averaging 39.3 points per game and was coming off consecutive 42-point performances. The Ducks scored 26 points against the Huskies.
“We just do what we do,” fifth-year edge rusher Zach Durfee said. “We practice really hard, and that shows up in games.”
Led by its stout front, Washington’s defense shined despite the 26-14 defeat against Oregon on Saturday. The Huskies finished the regular season without allowing a single team to score 27 points or more against them, a mark five opponents reached against them during coach Jedd Fisch’s first season.
“I thought we were very physical up front,” Fisch said, “and our defensive line and linebackers did a really nice job.”
Advertising Skip AdSkip AdSkip Ad
Only No. 2 Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa held Oregon to fewer points than Washington. The Huskies (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) limited the Ducks, who average 7.1 yards per play, to only 5.5. Oregon converted just 37.5% of its third downs and settled for four field goals.
UW and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters were effective despite missing key contributors at every level. Senior cornerback Tacario Davis missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Sixth-year safety Makell Esteen suffered a foot fracture during practice this week and wasn’t able to go either.
Senior linebacker Jacob Manu appeared in his fourth game of the season against UCLA Nov. 22, and was not able to play against Oregon if he wanted to preserve his redshirt and have eligibility for 2026. Junior edge rusher Isaiah Ward suited up and went through final warmups, but did not play as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury. He hasn’t played since Oct. 18 against No. 15 Michigan.
Yet Washington still enjoyed a productive day on defense. True freshman safety Rylon Dillard-Allen started in place of Esteen and made a career-high 11 tackles including two for a loss. Fellow freshman Dylan Robinson, starting at cornerback for Davis, made two tackles including his first career sack, which forced an Oregon punt with 4:48 remaining in the first quarter.
The Huskies were particularly effective against the run. The Ducks (11-1, 8-1) finished the game with 106 yards rushing, their second-lowest total of the season, on 42 carries. They averaged 2.5 yards per attempt.
Oregon was just 1 for 5 in power rushing scenarios — situations where two yards or less were needed for either a first down or a touchdown. Washington stopped seven runs for no gain or a loss. Oregon’s top three running backs — Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. — combined for two rushes longer than nine yards.
Advertising Skip Ad
Washington’s performance against the run was particularly impactful considering how it performed against Oregon in the run game a year ago. The Ducks totaled 222 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 37 carries during their 49-21 blowout win against the Huskies in 2024.
Fisch praised his defense for swarming to the ball and getting off blocks quickly. Junior defensive tackle Bryce Butler had five tackles. Durfee and junior edge rusher Jacob Lane each had four tackles along with freshman linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. Junior linebacker Xe’ree Alexander, sophomore linebacker Deven Bryant and senior defensive tackle Anterio Thompson had three each. Sophomore defensive tackle Elinneus Davis, senior defensive tackle Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and sixth-year edge rusher Deshawn Lynch also contributed significant snaps as part of the defensive front.
“Just played more physical than them,” Durfee said.
Led by Dillard-Allen, Washington made six tackles for a loss against Oregon, matching their totals against Colorado State, Wisconsin and Purdue. UW only managed more against FCS UC Davis. Durfee said their play against Oregon wasn’t an outlier. Instead, he said it’s the standard.
“If you turn on the tape,” he said, “you’ll see elite defense week in and week out.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
Comments
-
First, if you didn’t read the article TLDR. The defense has improved significantly since last year, as we all know. Andy Yamashita provides numbers/evidence, he obviously lives in a data driven world.
