Tunuufi Had a Hand in Everything in Beating Michigan

The senior from Utah played on both offense and defense against the Wolverines.

Huskies edge Voi Tunuufi (52) is shown in the CFP national title game against Michigan. He was a key performer in Saturday's game in Seattle. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Different coaching staffs see players differently. Take Voi Tunuufi, for instance. Jimmy Lake's Washington coaches solely envisioned him as a defensive tackle. Kalen DeBoer's guys tried to make him an edge rusher almost exclusively.

On Saturday against Michigan, Jedd Fisch's staff went one better -- those coaches found multiple uses on each side of the ball for the 6-foot-1, 282-pound senior from the Salt Lake City area, who played a huge role in the Huskies' 27-17 victory before a sellout crowd and an NBC national TV audience.

Everyone no doubt saw Tunuufi come up with a game-deciding turnover in the fourth quarter, a forced fumble, when he tackled Wolverines quarterback Jack Tuttle and stripped the ball from him in a tie game. The Huskies needed five plays to turn the miscue into go-ahead points.

Not so obvious was Tunuufi's debut on the offensive unit. On the second play of the game, Tunuufi lined up in the backfield in a fullback role and opened a big hole for running back Jonah Coleman to skirt through and pick up 10 yards. That was it. That was enough.

"Fisch is a very unique person when it comes to play-calling," Tunuufi said. "He came up to me early in the week and said, 'Hey man, do you want to play offense? I got a play for you.' Me being a defensive player coming in on offense, it shows how much trust he has in all of us."

As a player known for his quickness, Tunuufi made his third start of the season as an edge rusher on a four-man front with Deshawn Lynch at the other edge and Sebastian Valdez and Jacob Bandes at the defensive tackles. The Huskies needed a big effort from him, especially with normal starter Zach Durfee limited in snaps by a toe injury.

The Utahan finished tied for the Huskies' lead in tackles with linebacker Carson Bruener, with each player chalking up 6.

Tunuufi remained one of a handful of Huskies still on the team who played in the national championship game last January against Michigan, a 34-13 loss, and he was in a chat group online leading up to the game with former UW teammates such as Ja'Lynn Polk discussing payback.

"I definitely took the week in preparation very personal," Tunuufi said. "I'm just happy we came out with a dub [win] and got to go home happy."

That block on offense will stick with him for quite a while, too. More payoff, rather than payback, for a versatile player.

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