Defense Has Answered Call For Washington Huskies Last 3 Weeks

SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies football team has legitimate momentum for the first time this season, in large part due to a two-game win streak.

The Huskies downed the Purdue Boilermakers 38-26 on Oct. 16 and, after a bye, downed the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 17-10.

In both games, the defense took center stage.

Washington's defense made up for the offense's five turnovers vs. Purdue and held the Boilermakers to limited scoring despite its extra opportunities.

Against the Cornhuskers, the Huskies limited their opposition to just one touchdown in the first quarter and a field goal in the fourth quarter. UW intercepted Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea three times, with the third being a 48-yard pick-six that iced the game for Washington.

Fourth-year safety Alex McLaughlin accounted for the last interception, which helped him earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The latter of the Huskies pair of aforementioned wins was its best performance for the defense of the season. And it came two games after its worst.

Washington's defense had nearly the opposite form in the team's 41-24 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Oct. 9, which was also the team's last home game. In that game, the Huskies defense surrendered 202 yards and three touchdowns through the air and 263 yards and two scores on the ground. Two of the Hawkeyes' passing touchdowns were to wide-open receivers in the end zone.

The kind of performance the Huskies' defense had against Iowa could mark a spiral point down for many teams. Instead, Washington has responded with the previously mentioned performances and the team is now one win away from being bowl-eligible.

"I think (head coach Jedd Fisch) says it best," UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said in a weekly news conference Tuesday. " ... 'The next play never met the first play.' The next game never met the previous game. So I think that next-play mentality, focusing in for six seconds at a time, a snap in, a snap out, not worrying about the past or worrying about the future, really resting and focusing on the present, I think that hits home. It's very true to this season and the way we've played. So, I think that messaging from the top down sort of reverberated through the program. It really grasped our guys and they really held on to that notion. ... Just a good example of guys buying into what's been our message throughout the week."

UW will be back in action for its homecoming game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Husky Stadium.