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Pac-12 Conference Football Preview: Washington Huskies (Part 2: Defense)

By Ricky Widmer

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The Washington Huskies looked decent on defense in 2011, but will need to show improvement if they would like to be taken seriously in the Pac-12 this year. Last season, the Huskies gave up an average 35.2 points per game. Also, they gave up at least 50 points in three of their games last season (Nebraska, Stanford, and Baylor).

A hybrid scheme is what the Washington defense will be modeled around in 2012. At the Pac-12 Media Day on Tuesday, Coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about the defense and if it will be 3-4 vs 4-3 or a hybrid style. Coach responded with…

"“I kind of like the “hybrid.” It’s a hip term in the car industry now, so we’ll keep that.”"

A hybrid defense has different pros and cons in college football. The pro are very simple as it has the possibility to confuse the opposing offense. This is because, when a team plays against a hybrid, they have to prepare for two different defenses. They need to prepare for the 3-4 look as well as the 4-3 look. The biggest con is that this defense might not work well if the team does not have the right players to make it work.

One player that Washington will be relying on to make this defense work is Hau’oli Jamora. Jamora only played in four games in 2011 at the defensive end position. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the game against Cal on September 24th. Jamora only recorded fifteen tackles, three tackles for loss (eight yards), and one sack (five yards) in 2011.

At the Pac-12 Media Day, Coach Sarkisian was asked how Jamora was looking during the offseason. He replied with…

"“Jamora looks great. He’s recovering well. He looks beautiful. He was up in my office the other day. He’s under 260 pounds, looks strong, feels like all the rehab and everything that he’s put into this is paying off well for him.”"

Hau’oli Jamora will enter the 2012 season as redshirt sophomore for the Huskies this season.

Another player in which Washington will look to for some senior leadership in 2012 is Desmond Trufant. Desmond is the younger brother of NFL cornerback, Marcus Trufant. Last season as a junior, Desmond recorded 64 tackles, one tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. If the Huskies want success on defense this year, Trufant needs to step up as a main senior leader.

For more stories on Washington, check out The Husky Haul.

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