Though thought of the underdog in what would be the final of the four-team Faculty Soccer Playoff, Washington is a battle-tested, undefeated group who will face off in opposition to Texas within the Sugar Bowl on New 12 months’s Day. The Huskies, representing the Pac-12 convention (RIP), are loaded with offensive expertise lead by head coach Kalen DeBoer. Max Vrooman, the location supervisor at UW Dawg Pound, breaks down 4 explanation why you would possibly need to take into account Washington to be the subsequent group to the raise up the trophy.

1. Offense

Everybody is aware of that Washington has an important offense by now. Michael Penix Jr. has led all energy convention quarterbacks in passing yards for every of the previous two seasons. He additionally occurred to have completed in second place for the Heisman Trophy this yr. That’s a reasonably good place to begin.

You don’t get to be a top-five offense within the nation by almost each metric (SP+, yards per play, and many others.) simply by having an important quarterback although. Washington is loaded at each spot alongside the offense.

The receiver corps will get nearly all of the eye. Biletnikoff award finalist Rome Odunze completed second within the nation with 1,428 receiving yards. And in case you missed any Pac-12 video games this season, the “Penix to Odunze again shoulder fade” was among the many most dangerous performs in faculty soccer this season. He’s joined by Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan — every of whom has reached 1,000 receiving yards in one of many final two seasons (McMillan missed a number of video games this yr however is again wholesome now; extra on that later). If opponents need to double group Odunze, then they’ll have the wrestle of dealing with two different elite receivers.

Early within the season the Huskies relied nearly solely on their deep passing sport. With that, the notion arose that they couldn’t run the ball and subsequently weren’t balanced. Operating again Dillon Johnson has totally demolished that concept. Over Washington’s last six video games in opposition to groups that completed with a profitable document, Johnson ran for 792 yards with 10 touchdowns. He eclipsed 1,100 yards on the season regardless of being a non-factor in Washington’s first two video games as he recovered from an harm. He has turn out to be maybe probably the most well-rounded operating again within the nation once you think about his super move blocking expertise.

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Different gamers good at move blocking? Washington’s offensive line, who simply received the Joe Moore award given to probably the most excellent O-line unit in faculty soccer. The Huskies gave up the second fewest sacks within the nation this yr regardless of defending a quarterback who had extra makes an attempt 20+ yards downfield than anybody else within the nation.

That every one coalesces into an offense that’s fifth in speeding success price and sixth in passing success price. You may’t reliably preserve the Huskies off schedule and which means they’re completely going to attain factors. Final I checked, that was useful to profitable soccer video games.

2. Expertise

There’s no query that Washington stands out once you have a look at each Faculty Soccer Playoff roster relating to expertise based mostly on recruiting rankings. Michigan, Texas, and Alabama all have recruited at a a lot greater stage than Washington over the previous a number of years (and earlier than that as properly).

There’s a cause that the Blue Chip Ratio is mostly considered as an excellent information to find out who can win the nationwide championship. You might want to have a sure stage of expertise and depth to be able to beating different elite groups within the last matchups of the season. It’s impossible {that a} group goes to have the ability to coach up and develop sufficient three-star gamers to beat the best possible of one of the best.

That sounds good in concept. However Washington and Kalen DeBoer want to problem that sentiment.

Washington’s quarterback was a three-star recruit, however completed second within the Heisman voting and has led energy convention QBs in passing yards in consecutive seasons. Their prime edge rusher Bralen Trice was a three-star recruit. He has led FBS gamers in quarterback pressures in consecutive seasons. Their left sort out Troy Fautanu was a three-star recruit. He’s a two-time all-conference 1st-team choice.

The Huskies have 4 gamers who rank within the top-32 of Jordan Reid’s NFL Draft Huge Board, tied with Alabama for probably the most. That record contains Penix, Trice, and Fautanu listed above. Washington is at a transparent drawback in the event you outline expertise solely by recruiting rating. However there’s an argument to be made that this Husky roster has simply as a lot elite expertise as every other group left within the discipline.

3. Well being

Each group suffers accidents over the course of a season and the Huskies are not any exception. Projected beginning operating again Cam Davis went out for the yr in August. Beginning heart Matteo Mele and cornerback Davon Banks every have been misplaced for the season throughout Washington’s second sport.

Loads of different key items missed video games over the course of the yr however everybody besides these three got here again for Washington’s win over Oregon within the Pac-12 championship sport. That performed an enormous half within the Huskies pulling off that betting upset.

Beginning security Dom Hampton performed each sport but it surely was an journey on the different security spot reverse him. Week 1 starter Asa Turner performed in 4 common season video games as a consequence of harm and backup Kamren Fabiculanan was in a position to play greater than a handful of snaps in solely six video games. Subsequent in line — Vincent Nunley missed a number of video games for undisclosed causes as properly (he’s now considered one of simply two Huskies to enter the switch portal). All have been lacking for the worst defensive efficiency of the season when a nasty Stanford offense put up 33 factors versus Washington when the group was enjoying their fourth-string security.

Washington’s offense was an entire juggernaut over the primary three weeks of the season after they averaged over 46 factors per sport. That was with one of the best three-man receiving tandem within the sport all wholesome and accessible: Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan. Going up for a contested catch early within the second half, McMillan injured his knee and it took him months to really feel totally himself once more. He made 4 makes an attempt to return from the harm earlier than lastly getting his first catch since Washington State within the season finale.

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The Huskies lastly obtained all of them again totally wholesome in opposition to Oregon and every made affect performs. Washington’s protection held Oregon to a season low in factors scored whereas McMillan had 9 catches for 131 yards. It’s doable that somebody will get harm in observe main as much as the Sugar Bowl however in any other case the Dawgs are as wholesome as you’ll be able to hope to be at this level within the season.

4. Battle-Examined

That good harm fortune comes regardless of Washington enjoying one of many hardest schedules this season. The Huskies had one of the best resume of any group this season and completed No. 1 in energy of document by most techniques.

There have been eight groups within the Pac-12 that have been ranked within the AP High 25 ballot after Week 3. The convention had one of the best early season efficiency of any convention within the nation. By season’s finish the Pac-12 completed with 4 groups ranked within the prime 25, however Washington went undefeated.

The Huskies defeated six groups that received no less than seven video games together with a pair of wins in opposition to probably the most extremely ranked opponent they confronted (Oregon). These seven complete victories in opposition to groups with a profitable document was probably the most of any of the groups that made the Faculty Soccer Playoff.

Sure, lots of these video games have been shut. Washington ended the season having received 10 consecutive video games by 10 or fewer factors. It’s doable, if not logical to have a look at that reality and suppose that regression is because of lastly come for the Huskies. However this group has quite a few reps enjoying properly in shut video games that no group within the nation can be as ready or as assured ought to Washington discover itself down with restricted time remaining. It took Michael Penix Jr. solely two performs and fewer than 30 seconds to drive 57 yards to attain the go-ahead landing over Oregon in Seattle in what many take into account to have been the sport of the yr.

And the offense isn’t the one unit that comes up large when the lights get vivid. Washington’s protection is clearly the weakest unit on the group. However they haven’t given up greater than seven factors within the 4th quarter since Week 4 when the Huskies emptied out their bench up 40+ factors in opposition to California. No group scored to take the lead on Washington throughout the last 12 minutes of a sport this season.

Ought to both the Sugar Bowl or the Nationwide Championship sport come all the way down to the wire, there’s no group that has proven again and again that they’ve what it takes in opposition to powerful competitors to emerge with a victory higher than Washington.