Top 10 Most Compelling Husky Plays of the Season: No. 8

Linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio came up with a defensive touchdown three years after he came up 10 yards short of another.

As the Kalen DeBoer coaching staff took over the University Washington football program, introduced itself around and sized up the talent on hand, Edefuan Ulofoshio was the last holdout.

Throughout that first season, the linebacker from Las Vegas was the final player left to pull on a uniform and show the new guys what he could do.

It was an excruciating situation for both sides. DeBoer's  coaches had to know they had a great player standing on the sideline in a T-shirt and sweats, going in and out of the training room to overcome bicep and knee injuries that required surgery, but unavailable just the same. 

As the Huskies became successful again, Ulofoshio badly wanted to be part of it but he missed the first eight games in 2022 before getting cleared to play in the last five by coming off the bench.

After going a year without playing and nearly two years without starting, Ulofoshio became whole again this season, reclaiming his No. 1 linebacker job and becoming a captain.

In the fourth game against California, he supplied an exclamation mark to his personal crusade by sliding into the right flat, intercepting a Ben Finley pass and returning the ball 45 yards for a touchdown. 

In a season full of heroic, heart-felt and sometimes weird moments, we count down in reverse order the 10 most memorable plays for Kalen DeBoer's 13-0 UW team.

At No. 8 is Ulofoshio's dash to the end zone, showing off his anticipation, athleticism and acceleration all at once.

"For that play to come up, it was a blessing, man," he said, looking and sounding satisfied.

Hot start for the Huskies thanks to Edefuan Ulofoshio! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7ip4794iUI

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 24, 2023

The turnover came on the first offensive series of the game, six plays in, with multiple quick strikes leading to a 59-32 UW victory. 

"I was kind of like hovering," Ulofoshio said. "I like saw the quarterback turn one way, I went over and the ball was right in my hands."

That was just half the battle. Getting into the end zone remained. He wasn't going to miss out on a touchdown — because it had happened before.

Three years earlier, Ulofoshio picked up a Stanford fumble and returned it 39 yards only to get brought down on the Cardinal 10 ... by opposing quarterback Davis Mills. 

He didn't cut back and was tackled — again, by a QB. He heard about it from his teammates. He hadn't forgotten the missed opportunity to score either.

This time, Ulofoshio saw Cal's Finley waiting for him on the Bears 20, but the Husky defensive stalwart veered to the left and ran though the quarterback's arms.

"It was pre-conceived," he said. "That was like three years in the making, like I thought about cutting back. That's really what happened."

It was plays such as this one during the season that made him a first-team All-Pac-12 and a third-team AP All-America selection, someone DeBoer's staff was happy to have in the middle of everything.

For Ulofoshio, whether it was cutting back or coming back, he made it all happen.

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UW TOP 10 PLAYS OF THE SEASON

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8. Edefuan Ulofoshio's 45-yard interception TD return

9. Ja'Lynn Polk's 92-yard touchdown catch

10. Alphonzo Tuputala's 76-yard interception return

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