Emerald City Swagger
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Washington Huskies vs. California Golden Bears: 3 Keys to Victory

By Paul Taylor

Oct 29, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) hands off the ball to running back Myles Gaskin (9) during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Washington won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) hands off the ball to running back Myles Gaskin (9) during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Washington won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Huskies
Sep 10, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies defensive lineman Greg Gaines (99) and defensive lineman Vita Vea (50) get to Idaho Vandals quarterback Matt Linehan (10) for a sack during the second quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

2) Defensive line needs to step up

We all know the Huskies’ defense is pretty damn good, as evidenced by their overall ranking of 7th in the country for points allowed per game. However, their Achilles heel appears to be a run defense, which is giving up an average of 153.9 yards per contest.

Another example of this came last weekend against Utah. Led by the recently un-retired Joe Williams, the Utes battered the Dawgs for a worrying 213 yards on the ground.

In this respect, any improvement has to start with the defensive line, which is missing Joe Mathis. UW D-line coach Ikaika Malloe spoke to the media on Friday, about the recent problems.

Malloe said: “We were out of sync (against a Utah offensive line that was by far the best we’ve faced this season). We weren’t playing the way we should be playing…I think we just got out of ourselves for a second.”

Defensive tackle Elijah Qualls was also frustrated, but believes it’s better they are struggling now, rather than down the road: “It sucked because they kicked my (butt) a couple times…which, I’m glad because now that’s something I know I need to work on.”

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