Kirkland Makes Successful Husky Return in Victory Over Stanford

The offensive tackle says he feels great after being cautious and sitting out the first three games.

As the University of Washington football team conducted its pre-game Dawg Walk ritual, locking arms and striding the length of Husky Stadium with purpose, Jaxson Kirkland stood out. He was the guy in the UW letterman's jacket with the bright yellow "W" while everyone wore dark clothing.

Minutes before kickoff, the 6-foot-7, 340-pound offensive tackle from Vancouver, Washington, appeared to be nervously pacing back and forth in the West end zone before slapping hands with tight end Devin Culp.

Finally, Kirkland walked out with three other Husky captains for the coin toss and he was officially back, moments later making his season debut against Stanford after missing the first three games.

He might have got beat a little on his first play, leading to an incomplete pass, but Kirkland and his teammates would open up enough holes to enable Virginia transfer Wayne Taulapapa to run 13 times for 120 yards — providing the Huskies with their first 100-yard rusher in nine games going back to last season.

"He got out there and we got into a rhythm with him," UW coach Kalen DeBoer said.

Near the end of Saturday night's 40-22 victory, Kirkland sat down before the other starters, presumably so he could enjoy the moment and the Huskies wouldn't needlessly push him after getting their two-time All-Pac-12 player back in action and the game now out of reach. He got emotional along the way.

"I did actually last night with my parents, and they came in and visited me at the hotel and and I was a little tearful because it's been a long road and a long time getting back," Kirkland said. "There was so many emotions going through me."

With Kirkland returning to left tackle and his replacement Troy Fautanu moving to left guard, this reconfigured Husky offensive line remained as high-powered as ever  by generating 478 yards of total offense and permitting no sacks for quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a streak now going on four games.

The Stanford matchup permitted Kirkland and Penix, the Indiana transfer, to team up for the first time when everything counted.

"We always want to make sure we protect him now because we know how valuable he is as a player," Penix said. "He's worked extremely hard when he came back to practice and stuff like that. He's a guy who's going to finish his plays, finish his blocks, all the way to the whistle. It just shows in the game why he's two time Pac-12. He puts in the work. He's a great guy overall. He wants it real bad."

Kirkland explained how, after having ankle surgery in February, it was just too much for him to come back at the beginning of fall camp and assume a full load. Most players undergo their medical procedures from the previous season in December or before, giving them more time to rehabilitate, but Kirkland's actual injury wasn't diagnosed until much later and he lost a couple of months in the process.

Something had to give in his aggressive return to football and the first three games were deemed expendable. Yet he had to sit out the season opener no matter what as a tradeoff to satisfy the NCAA for letting him play a sixth collegiate year after declaring for the NFL draft and rescinding. It all  has worked out for him.

"It's a marathon, not a sprint," said Kirkland, his face painted menacing in what's known as eye black. "Would I rather waste everything and barely be walking after those first couple of games or take it slow and gradually come back into the year?" 

The big offensive tackle watched as the Huskies beat up on Kent State, Portland State and Michigan State without him. He concedes the competitor in him made him squirm but it all all worked out in the end.

"We were just being smart and it's paid off," Kirkland said, "because I would have been dinged up a few weeks ago and now I'm feeling great."

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