Where the UW Defense Stands Following the Apple Cup

Breaking down potential lineup changes for the Northwestern game.

Thaddeus Dixon celebrates his Apple Cup interception. / Skylar Lin Visuals

To stop Washington State and its elusive quarterback John Mateer in last weekend's Apple Cup, Jedd Fisch's coaching staff felt compelled to swap out more than 25 percent of the University of Washington defensive starters.

New first-teamers against the Cougars were Voi Tunuufi, Cam Broussard and Khmori House as the Huskies went old school on them with a 3-3-5 defensive scheme. Out went the No. 1 edge rushers Zach Durfee and Isaiah Ward, plus veteran safety Makell Esteen, at least for the opening series.

The versatile Tunuufi, a senior dropping into a defensive tackle stance, opened his first Husky game since he was a freshman in 2021. Broussard, another senior, made his first UW start at free safety after pulling 21 opening assignments at Sacramento State. House became the first Husky freshman to make a breakthrough and start for Fisch.

With Steve Belichick as defensive coordinator, the Huskies have gone to great pains to not describe what they do as a New England Patriots prototype, but coach Jedd Fisch finally slipped up there in referring to his defense..

"The thing about the Patriots system -- our system now -- is that each week you're going to come up with a way to limit a player, limit a group, and when you look at the totality of the game," Fisch said, rattling off special-team lapses and a last-minute run, "I believe they didn't have more than 50 or 60 yards in the second half. I think we did a great job on defense using different packages to limit them."

With Northwestern next up on Saturday, the Huskies likely will return Durfee and Ward to open the game in their regular starting spots on the edges. Their playmaking ability is too great not to have them on the field at the outset.

Broussard likely has supplanted Esteen for the time being because of his pedigree and propensity for big plays. He was a first-team, All-Big Sky selection in 2023. He ran with the UW first unit much of fall camp until injuring a hand.

UW DEFENSIVE LINEUP VS. WSU
DL -- Voi Tunuufi	1st start since 2021, 0 tackles
DL -- Jacob Bandes	6th UW start, 1 tackle
DL -- Sebastian Valdez	37th college start, 5 tackles
LB -- Alphonzo Tuputala	30th UW start in 31 games, 6 tackles, 1 TFL
LB -- Carson Bruener	8th UW career start, 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
LB -- Khmori House	1st career start, 5 tackles, 1 PBU
CB -- Ephesians Prysock	19th college start, 0 tackles
CB -- Thaddeus Dixon	4th UW start, 2 tackles, 1 Int., 2 PBUs
SS -- Kam Fabiculanan	14th UW start, 3 tackles
FS -- Cam Broussard	1st UW start, 5 tackles
NB -- Jordan Shaw	Third UW start, 2 tackles

Another potential move would be to supplant sixth-year senior Jacob Bandes at defensive tackle with junior Jayvon Parker, which was the plan all along until the 6-foot-3, 297-pound Parker was injured in spring football and has had to work his way back.

House might start again at linebacker should senior Carson Bruener, who had to leave the Apple Cup with what appeared to be a shoulder strain or a neck stinger, be limited in what he can do against the Big Ten team coming to town. House, a first-year player from Southern California and the St. John Bosco high school football powerhouse, is a star in the making.

Freshman linebacker Khmori House chases WSU quarterback John Mateer. / Skylar Lin Visuals

The Huskies have the potential to field a fairly solid defense to lean on but they're not there yet. Linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala was at his best against WSU with 6 tackles, according to Fisch, while cornerback Thaddeus Dixon was the center of attention with a late pass interception that gave the UW a chance to pull this one out. Durfee has the potential to pile up a lot of sacks.

"You've got to do what's best for each game," Fisch said, "and that's what we're going to do."

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