Huskies Own the Fourth Quarter This Season

Kalen DeBoer's team is unbeaten because it's a strong finisher.

When Kalen DeBoer took over as University of Washington football coach, one of his first team mandates was for every player on the roster to improve his personal fitness, which was non-negotiable, and those who didn't and preferred belly fat ended up transferring to places such as Oregon and Mississippi.

If the Huskies weren't fully cognizant of the advantages to having a cut physique, increased strength and added stamina, they are now.

In winning their first 10 football games — something done just once before in school history during the 12-0 1991 national championship season — the fifth-ranked Huskies for the most part have totally owned the fourth quarter this fall, especially over the past month and particularly on defense. 

While their opponents might be dragging a little, the Huskies always appear alert and ready to go. The defense has been guilty of enabling a generous amount of yardage and points at times during the first three quarters, but it's clamp-down time over the final 15 minutes. They're unparalleled finishers.

Consider that a team repeatedly criticized for having a soft defense — see CFP rankings — has given up a lone fourth-quarter touchdown to Stanford over its past four outings, in the process shutting out Arizona State, USC and Utah.

"We have been really good in the fourth quarter," DeBoer said. "We just continue to make adjustments. I think our guys have learned and get better every play."

Comparatively, many of these same Huskies were part of Jimmy Lake's 2021 team that did just the opposite in suffering through a miserable 4-8 season — they tailed off continuously and dropped five of those games in the fourth quarter.

The few times that DeBoer's football team has been outscored in the final period this season, which has been on three occasions, has been greatly misleading, too.

Against Michigan State and California, the Huskies led by 41 and 33 points, respectively, entering the final 15 minutes and turned those games over to their second- and third-team players, who were outscored 7-0 and 13-7 in the final quarter.

"I don't think we get as much love as we deserve," edge rusher Bralen Trice said of his close-out defense. "We're showing them we're going to work as hard as our offense. Our defense works just as hard if not harder than anyone in the country right now and I think it's important they see that and recognize that."

Only Cal, trailing by four and a half touchdowns at the time, has put up more than one score on the Huskies in that final quarter, which ended up proving to be a learning experience for the UW back-up defensive backs.

Here's the final fourth-quarter tally: on defense for 28 drives in those 10 games, the Huskies have given up seven TDs, forced their opponents to turn the ball over on downs nine times, caused eight punts and come up with four interceptions by Carson Bruener, Vince Nunley, Mischael Powell and Dom Hampton to finish with the upper hand.

The UW, so fit, determined and efficient, has outscored its opponents 81-48 in that final period, showing an unmatched finishing kick.

"I'm proud of how we just continue to play and continue to evolve and adjust throughout the course of the game," DeBoer said. 

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HUSKY 4TH-QUARTER PROWESS

(Final score in parentheses)

UW 21, Boise State 0 (56-19)— The Huskies entered the final quarter ahead 35-19 and poured it on with Jalen McMillan and Dillon Johnson supplying touchdown runs and reserve tight end Josh Cuevas catching a 31-yard scoring pass. In their three defensive series, they forced the Broncos to punt, throw an interception to linebacker Carson Bruener and run out of downs.

UW 7, Tulsa 7 (43-10) — DeBoer's team led 36-3 and traded touchdowns in the final period with the Golden Hurricane, with Daniyel Ngata scoring on a 1-yard run for the host team. On its fourth-quarter drives, Tulsa scored early, punted and ran out of downs.

Michigan State 7, UW 0 (41-7) — Up 41-0, the Huskies already had turned the game over to its backup players midway through the third quarter. Over the final 15 minutes, the Spartans punted and scored on a long drive on the final possession of the game against back-ups and freshmen playing for the first time.

California 13, UW 7 (59-32)— The Huskies sent in the subs midway though the third quarter, entered the final period up 52-19 and gave up a pair of inconsequential scores and won by four touchdowns. The Bears had the ball three times in the fourth stanza and scored twice and gave up it up on downs to end the game.

Arizona 7, UW 3 (31-24) — The Huskies led by as many as 18 during the game and were still up 17 in the fourth quarter until the Wildcats pushed across a late touchdown with 1:08 left to play. To close it out in the final period, the UW came up with a Vince Nunley interception, held the Wildcats on downs and permitted that late score.

UW 7, Oregon 7 (36-33)— DeBoer's team trailed for the first time in the fourth quarter, at 33-29, when Ducks running back Jordan James scored on a 10-yard run. However, Rome Odunze's 18-yard TD catch with 1:38 remaining put the Huskies on top for good. The Husky defense took the field three times and permitted the James TD five plays into the final quarter andt hereafter held the Ducks twice on downs.

UW 12, Arizona State 0 (15-7) — The Huskies trailed 7-3 entering the fourth quarter but scored three times to pull out a victory on a pair of Grady Gross field goals and the longest and most timely defensive play of the year — an 89-yard interception return for a score by nickelback Mishael Powell. ASU had the ball three times in the final period and, in order, gave up the pick-6, punted and turned the ball over on downs. 

UW 14, Stanford 7 (42-33)— The Cardinal stayed close, trailing just 28-26 through three quarters, but the Huskies pulled away with touchdowns from tight end Devin Culp and running back Dillon Johnson and some timely defensive stops. Stanford had the ball four times in the final quarter and scored on a short Justin Lamson run, but punted twice and gave up the ball on downs.

UW 10, USC 0 (52-42)— Tied at 42 entering the final period, the Huskies picked up a Gross field goal and a 1-yard TD run from Johnson to pull away while the defense held the Trojans on their two fourth-quarter series to a punt and on downs.

UW 0, Utah 0 (35-28) — The teams went scoreless in the fourth quarter with the Utes in their two offensive series forced to punt and intercepted by Dom Hampton on a last-ditch throw. Game over.

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