Inside the red zone, Part II
A look at the 2001 Husky defense inside the red zone
By: Malamute, 10 May 2002

Sure the Dawgs allowed their Pac-10 bedfellows some romping room between the twenties, but when it came to giving them a chance to mine some pay dirt, they stopped them 73% of the time. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the Dawgs gave up more touchdowns (29) in the red zone than any other conference member. That was because Husky opponents were inside the red zone 51 times during the season—the most in the league. 

Finishing last in rushing defense, the Huskies gave up the most rushing touchdowns (16) and were tied for allowing the most passing touchdowns (13) in the red zone.

The Huskies finished seventh in scoring defense, allowing 29.4 points per game. That doesn’t include Texas’s 47 points against them in the Holiday Bowl, when the Huskies surrendered 27 points in the fourth quarter to blow a 19 point lead. The Dawgs gave up four red-zone touchdowns in the last quarter of that game.

However, it was more than just a red-zone problem in that game; the Huskies’ defense gave up 592 total yards. If those were pieces of gold, and Silas Marner and Ebenezer Scrooge were managing their estate, they’d declare bankruptcy.

Actually, the Huskies aren’t in the business of establishing a trust fund for their Pac-10 cohorts. They’d like for them to go into Chapter 11.

In so doing, a better defense against the run next season would help. More sacks, too. The Dawgs “D” was eighth in sacks, garnering only 20 for the whole season.

But it wasn't just a defensive problem for the Huskies.

The Huskies were routed three times last season, all in games played on the road. Each game had a similar beginning, with Husky turnovers leading to easy touchdowns for the bad guys. That's a no-no for a young team playing on the road.

In the UCLA game (35-13), Taylor Barton fumbled while being sacked, and the Bruins turned it into a quick touchdown, taking 6 plays to go 32 yards. After a long drive, which made it 14-0, the Bruins’ Marcus Reese blocked a Derek McLaughlin punt and Jybril Raymo recovered the ball on the six-yard line and ran it in for a touchdown with 2:08 left in the first quarter. UCLA was up 21-0 and never headed.

In the OSU game (49-24), down 21-10, the Dawgs worked their way from their own 20 to the Beavers' 14-yard line.  Then Cody Pickett threw a 73-yard interception return to Dennis Weathersby that turned a seemingly “close game” around. After Steven Jackson's one-yard run, the Huskies were down by 18 points (28-10). It was a fourteen-point swing.

The Miami (65-7) blowout happened because of turnovers and mistakes more than because of a shoddy defense. Table 1 illustrates that point. The 'Canes took a 37-0 lead into halftime.

Table 1. It wasn't all a defensive problem in 2001

That's not to say that the Huskies won't need a better red-zone defense in 2002. However, a less-generous offense will give the defense a better chance to show its true mettle, especially in the red zone.