UW O-Line Keeps Everyone Guessing Entering Stanford Game

The Huskies have had to contend with injuries, youth and pass-blocking issues this season.

Stanford can be sure that Michael Penix Jr. will throw the football nearly 40 times for the Washington Huskies on Saturday's visit to Palo Alto.  

That a majority of his highly accurate completions will wind up in the reliable hands of wide receivers Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk, plus those of Jalen McMillan if the latter is healthy enough to resume his normal workload.

That Penix will shove the ball firmly into the midsection of running back Dillon Johnson when it isn't in the air, with the Huskies finding it totally necessary to establish the ground game.

However, outside of the UW's starting offensive tackles of Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten, the Cardinal can't be exactly sure who will end up where to handle the blocking up front.

Through the first seven games, the Huskies have been forced to move guys around like gladiator chess pieces in order to deal with a spate of injuries, young players getting indoctrinated to big-time college football and older linemen trying to meet the stringent blocking demands for this offense.

In one of the more unusual multi-faceted Husky personnel shuffles in recent memory, the coaching staff early in the second quarter against Arizona State switched redshirt freshman Parker Brailsford from center to right guard and replaced him over the ball with freshman Landen Hatchett. The game was scoreless when this happened, but the UW wasn't waiting any longer for things to settle in place.

"We were having issue on the inside and we needed to move some people around," UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. "We were looking for answers because there was too much penetration and guys in the backfield, so we were just trying to find a way to make it better."

No UW position area this season has been in more of a state of flux than the offensive line. As the Huskies prepare to face Stanford, they've started seven different players up front and used the younger of the two Hatchett brothers more and more in a reserve role.

For the 2022 Huskies, the line was all about continuity. Center Corey Luciano, right guard Henry Bainivalu, Fautanu and Rosengarten each started all 13 games, while left guard Jaxson Kirkland opened the final 10 outings after becoming eligible and healthy, providing great comfort up front.

Center Parker Brailsford provides protection for Michael Penix Jr.  :: Zachary BonDurant/USA TODAY Sports

Yet before this season began, the UW lost a pair of scholarship linemen to season-ending injuries in sophomore guard Gaard Memmelaar and sophomore tackle Robert Wyrsch.

Not even two full games into the schedule, starting senior center Matteo Mele went out with a career-ending bicep injury, this after he had waited four seasons to start a second Husky game and win the job outright. 

In the third outing at Michigan State this fall, 6-foot-9, 311-pound junior guard Julius Buelow suffered a leg injury while making his first start in two seasons and hasn't played since, though he might be available against the Cardinal.

Way ahead of his time, Brailsford started the first two games at right guard for the Huskies and the past five at center once Mele went down.

Junior guard Nate Kalepo has been reasonably steady, enough that he's been in the lineup for every game, opening six times at left guard and once at right guard.

Sophomore Geirean Hatchett started the past four games at right guard, but was the odd man out when the Huskies switched things around against ASU. He's been previously described by the coaching staff as.an efficient run blocker who needs work with pass protection, presumably coming from a run-oriented high school team.

This Hatchett discovered what a bunch of UW tailbacks know now is they can be highly proficient at running or run-blocking, but if they can't pass protect properly that's a problem — because Penix has to be untouchable at all times — and this can cost you game snaps.

Buelow admittedly had the same issues in 2021, starting five games before he was replaced because too many opposing hands were getting on quarterback Dylan Morris. Two years later, Buelow is much better at his craft, at least when he's healthy.

Stanford might think it has an accurate scouting report on the Huskies, but the line could keep them guessing on personnel right up to the first offensive series. 

---

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published. Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12

Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 or @UWFanNation or @DanRaley3

Have a question, direct message me on Facebook or Twitter.