Huskies Get Through First of Two Fall Scrimmages Unscathed

Michael Penix Jr. returns to quarterback the UW's No. 1 offense.

Emerging from the first of two fall scrimmages, the University of Washington football team left coach Kalen DeBoer feeling fairly well satisfied by what he saw, largely for two reasons.

On Saturday, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was back, running the No. 1 offense after taking most of a week off to rest a tired or sore arm, and showed no ill effects from the layoff.

Also, no one got hurt in this scrimmage exchange that featured first- and second-team players only, leaving this veteran team still fully intact for its season opener against Boise State, which is three weeks away.

With media members not permitted to view the scrimmage, DeBoer singled out the following individuals for their play: Denzel Boston, Daniyel Ngata and Dillon Johnson.

Boston, a redshirt freshman wide receiver, continued his superlative camp by catching a long touchdown pass down the sideline. Ngata, a running back transfer from Arizona State who had been limited in opportunities, had a pair of runs in which he broke several tackles. Johnson, the Mississippi State transfer and recovering from knee surgery, received his most concentrated contact yet in Montlake and showed himself hard to bring down.

The coach said his defense set the tone early but he seemed pleased with how well his offensive line pass protected as time went on.

"If there's one thing I've been impressed with, its our defense getting pressure," DeBoer said.

Up front, the Huskies seem set with veterans Tuli Letuligasenoa, Faatui Tuitele and Ulumoo "M.J." Ale pulling most of the snaps at defensive tackle.

GOAT talk 🐐@themikepenix 🤝 @WMoon1 pic.twitter.com/eupPfSf9xS

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) August 12, 2023

"M.J. is the beast in the middle who's hard to block — he just swallows and engulfs everything that comes his way," the coach said. "Probably what I want to see more of is who's our fourth guy and our fifth guy, if those guys are developing that depth we need."

Similarly, DeBoer is watching to see who earns the edge rusher spots behind Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, both first-team All-Pac-12 selections at some point in their UW careers. Converted defensive tackle Voi Tunuufi and redshirt freshman Lance "Showtime" Holtzclaw continue to show progress.

"Lance is really good in pass rush, gets to the quarterback a lot and he's slippery that way," DeBoer said. "That's what we were hoping he would be, maybe a younger version of ZTF, when ZTF was that age. Getting home, he's done that."

Edge rusher transfer Zach Durfee is practicing but his eligibility remains in question because he attended North Dakota State as a student before he played at Sioux Falls, making him a double transfer and forcing the UW to apply for an NCAA waiver to get him on the field this fall. 

The Husky coach reiterated that freshman running back Tybo Rogers from Bakersfield, California, remains suspended indefinitely for breaking an unspecified team rule. 

Rogers took part in spring practice and was so impressive he might have been the lone freshman who could have played a lot this coming season. Instead, he's finding out that DeBoer doesn't grant anyone any leeway in the manner he expects things to be done so the first-year player remains in limbo.

"We have a high standard we want to uphold," the coach said. "Everybody has to do their part to be part of this team. It's a privilege."

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