The Washington Huskies are looking to stake claim to their first national title since 1991. In order to have that chance, they’re going to have to go through an Alabama team that has looked unbeatable at times this season.
One of the more intriguing matchups of this game will be the Huskies’ defensive line versus the Tide’s offensive line. Here is a look at the Huskies’ starters.
Vita Vea (#50)
Position: Defensive End
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Height: 6’5
Weight: 332
Hometown: Milpitas, CA
2016 Statistics: 35 tackles, four sacks and one forced fumble
Player Analysis: Vita Vea has seen his stock soar over the course of the 2016 season. The former three-star prospect has been one of the main contributors to a Huskies defense that ranks in the top-20 in rushing defense — checking in at 18th out of 128 schools.
Vea is extremely tough to move off the line of scrimmage due to his size and strength at the point of attack. He can hold his ground effectively, but it has been his athleticism and ability to move that has made him such a terror for offensive linemen. Vea displays a nice first-step for a 6’5 332-pound interior defensive lineman. Once he is on the move, Vea does a good job of working his way down the line of scrimmage to disrupt plays going away from him.
https://vine.co/v/5xpte2x11I6
Vea has also shown a high level of football IQ due to his ability to setup and manipulate blockers. Here is an example of Vea hugging the outside hip of the right guard so the right tackle — Zach Banner — would roll off. Once that happened, Vea disengages and goes to take down the ballcarrier.
https://vine.co/v/5xp3Pu9FTvU
The raw power, the movement skills and the high football IQ are all great, but probably the most impressive part of Vea’s skill-set is his seemingly non-stop motor. Overall, he plays like a guy who weighs 250-pounds instead of a guy at 332-pounds. Outside of free safety Budda Baker, Vea might be Washington’s most impressive player on their defense.
Elijah Qualls (#11)
Position: Defensive Tackle
Class: Junior
Height: 6’1
Weight: 321
Hometown: Petaluma, CA
2016 Statistics: 32 tackles, three sacks
Player Analysis: Coming into this season, Elijah Qualls was the most recognized name along the Huskies’ defensive line. With the emergence of both Vea and Gaines, that isn’t the case anymore. Still, Qualls is a talented player in his own right.
At only 6’1 321-pounds, Qualls doesn’t have the balanced frame that Vea possesses, but he is a stocky, stout player who is rock-solid versus the run. He also has the ability to be somewhat of a threat as a pass-rusher, but he hasn’t been overly impressive in that area — despite the fact that he has three sacks on the season. A powerful bull-rush mixed with an over-arm swim move remains Qualls most effective move as a pass-rusher.
Qualls struggles to work off blocks because of his lack of hand usage, but he still remains a stout presence versus the run. Huskies defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski likes to move his defensive linemen around, so Qualls has been used as anything from a one-technique — inside shoulder of the guard — all the way out to an eight or nine-technique — head up or outside shoulder of the tight end.
Here is a Vine from the SEC Network’s ColeCubelic showing Qualls lined up on the edge in a six-technique:
https://vine.co/v/5xVu2DT5awr
When Qualls is used in this way with Vea and Gaines lined up inside of him, it makes the defense a lot harder to run on.
Greg Gaines (#99)
Position: Defensive Tackle
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Height: 6’2
Weight: 318
Hometown: La Habra, CA
2016 Statistics: 32 tackles, three and half sacks
Player Analysis: Greg Gaines has become the unsung hero of the Huskies’ defense. The redshirt sophomore has a short, thick frame that allows him to dominate the leverage game against opposing offensive linemen.
Even though he has shorter arms, Gaines plays with extremely violent hands that allows him to overcome his limited physical abilities. His low center of gravity allows him to get underneath blockers to prevent movement off the line of scrimmage, and he has shown the ability to split double-teams with a high level of success.
Here is a Vine from CBS Sport’s Rob Rang showing just that:
https://vine.co/v/5FJ1MvmPj5X
As you can see, Gaines does an excellent job getting underneath the pads of #76 and then explodes through the double team to make the tackle.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gaines has graded out as Washington’s best defensive linemen despite only getting honorable mention as a Pac-12 all-conference player — Qualls was listed on the first-team All Pac-12 and Vea was named to the second-team.
Connor O’Brien (#29)
Position: Edge/Defensive End
Class: Redshirt Junior
Height: 6’3
Weight: 232
Hometown: Trabuco Canyon, CA
2016 Statistics: 35 tackles, three sacks, one interception (returned for a touchdown)
Player Analysis: Connor O’Brien was inserted into the starting lineup following the injury to star pass-rusher Joe Mathis. Over the course of the first six games of the season, Mathis had registered five sacks and was well on his way to being an All-American player. That all changed when a foot injury ended his season, and O’Brien was inserted into the lineup to take his place.
O’Brien has performed okay at times, but the drop-off has still been pretty evident. The former high school safety was only a three-star prospect coming out of Trabuco Canyon, California back in 2013, but he has since been converted to a stand-up defensive end/edge player.
O’Brien isn’t considered an elite pass rusher, and he doesn’t do a great job of setting the edge either. If Alabama is able to target a player along the defensive line to exploit, it will more than likely be O’Brien.
How Do They Match Up Against Alabama?
Washington’s defensive line against Alabama’s offensive line is a matchup that the Huskies can win on a fairly consistent basis come December 31st. The loss of Joe Mathis earlier in the season was tough break for the Huskies — an especially tough break for their pass-rush — but the defense has continued to impress.
It’ll probably be Alabama’s rushing attack that struggles against the Huskies defensive line. Right guard has been an issue for the Tide all season. Former offensive tackle Korren Kirven — who actually came to Alabama as a defensive lineman — has been starting at right guard the last few games with mixed results. With the way that Kwiatkowski likes to move around their defensive lineman, it is very possible that Kirven will be targeted as the weak link.
The rest of Alabama’s offensive line has been pretty steady. True freshman right tackle Jonah Williams has been surprisingly effective as both a run blocker and pass protector. Overall, he has been one of the most impressive true freshman offensive linemen that I have seen in recent memory. On top of that, redshirt junior Bradley Bozeman was inserted into the starting lineup at center and has been extremely impressive this season as well.
The Tide will struggle running the football inside, but it is possible that stretching the defense east and west will provide enough success for the Tide’s run game to have a fairly productive day. The lack of an elite pass-rushing threat for Huskies should also allow the Tide’s offensive line to give freshman phenom Jalen Hurts enough time in the pocket.
This should be one of the more interesting matchups of the game.
Clint Lamb is a columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on Twitter @ClintRLamb.
