Washington Huskies 2012 Player Evaluations: LB Thomas Tutogi

Sept 27, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Josh Nunes rushes against Washington Huskies linebacker Thomas Tutogi (50) and linebacker Shaq Thompson (7) during the first quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Statistics: 42 total tackles, 1 sack.

What He Did In 2012: Not a whole lot was expected of the junior linebacker coming into the season, and yet he recorded 12 tackles in the loss against LSU before putting up a monster game in the big-time 17-13 win over Stanford. The 6’0″ 242 pound linebacker had 10 tackles and a sack, and it seemed fitting that the NFL-sized ‘backer would be so instrumental in putting forth the punishing, Justin Wilcox-schemed defense. But then he never recorded more than 5 tackles in any game after that, and he didn’t record a single tackle against WSU or Boise State. It turns out that Tutogi played such a huge role against the power-running teams like Stanford and LSU because he is a big run-stuffing linebacker. When it came time to face the spread offenses, he didn’t see a lot of time on the field.

What I Expect Of Him In 2013: Expect much of the same. Against run-heavy teams, don’t be surprised to see Tutogi running around laying hits on opposing running backs, but when Oregon is splitting five receivers out wide, he will be standing on the sidelines. He is a situational player, albeit a very effective one, and I don’t expect too much to change from 2012 to 2013.