Two Washington defenders left Memorial Stadium with more than a win on Saturday night. EDGE Jacob Lane and safety Alex McLaughlin also walked away with a clear sense that the Huskies’ defense had done exactly what it set out to do against Nebraska.
McLaughlin, who earned Big Ten defensive player of the week honors, said the recognition was really about the group around him.
“It feels great. I think it’s just a testament to our whole defense. I think we played extremely well on Saturday and I couldn’t have done it without the guys around me, especially the dudes up front creating so much pressure and stopping the run, so shout out to those guys.”
Lane said the defensive front came in with a specific job: keep Anthony Colandrea from turning the game into a scramble fest. Washington did that, and the result was a Nebraska offense held to 10 points.
“It’s definitely a good feeling to know that whatever game plan (Ryan Walters) puts out there for us, that we’re able to execute it. Obviously, that was to contain the quarterback and make sure he couldn’t make all those scramble plays that we’re used to seeing him make. It’s good to have the secondary and the linebackers behind us that are able to just fill those responsibilities and do their job well for us.”
Lane said the discipline required to stick to that plan came from the work during the week.
“I mean, there was a lot of work during the week, practice that was spent doing that and we’re used to obviously going and being able to get after the quarterback and just rush how we want to, but just knowing that we could practice how we prep for it and then going into the game, just trusting the plan, I think was huge for us and just knowing that the guys are going to cover for us in the back end.”
The defense also landed early blows, forcing two turnovers right away and, in Lane’s view, putting Nebraska on its heels.
“Definitely. I feel like coming out, just getting two turnovers right away, definitely was a big, probably a shock for them.
They weren’t expecting to start the game that way and I think just throughout the whole game, they were kind of flustered. They got the one touchdown drive, but other than that, they weren’t really able to move the ball on us and I guess the testimony is just the plan, the coaches and then everybody else on the defensive side just doing their jobs.”
McLaughlin was also asked about the targeting flag that came his way and said he felt good about the replay.
“I was pretty confident that it was just my shoulder. I just wanted to make sure that my head was to the side. So once I saw the replay, I knew it wasn’t targeting.”
He added that in that kind of split-second collision, the defender still has some control over how the hit looks.
“Yeah, obviously, in a play like that, like he can’t see you, so I think you’re going to make pretty good contact. I think I definitely tried to turn my head to the side or at least lower my head zone so I didn’t get thrown out of the game.”
Washington’s defense has shown a lot of different looks, and McLaughlin said the constant movement between fronts is manageable because of the work the group puts in.
“I would say just how much versatility we have in our defense and even last year, going back to how much install we put in, I think it just is a testament to how much we meet, how much extra work we do during practice, so I think it’s just a testament to how many versatile guys we have in our defense and how we all just want to do our job.”
The night itself also left an impression. Lane said there was one moment late in the game when the stadium’s energy hit him.
“I’ll say that going into the fourth quarter, they turned all the lights down and I don’t remember what song they played, but it was a good moment just to kind of take your helmet off and just look around. I personally just looked around and just admired the atmosphere that I was in, just the moment I was in just to not lose sight of that, for sure.”
McLaughlin, meanwhile, was asked about his interception return and made it clear he had no intention of sliding.
“Yeah, I definitely wasn’t going down. After Washington State, when they told me I didn’t have to go down, I definitely was going to go score a touchdown this time.”
And when the crowd quieted after Washington’s stops, Lane said that was part of the payoff.
“I’d say that felt really good. Going into the week, I know that clip went around of Walters saying that we know we can go in there and kind of quiet them down. I think that’s exactly what we did, you know, when we had big moments where it went quiet because, obviously, it’s all Nebraska fans there, so that definitely was a good feeling to see that actually happen live.”
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