Washington Football DT Vita Vea shows up in game one

Washington Football DT Vita Vea shows up big in game one. Now, can he rise once more this week?

The Washington Football team had their hands full in game one. Or so it would seem in the post-game wrap ups. But part of that analysis sprang from the optics of the game.  While Washington dominated that second half, the first half ended by the smallest of margins favoring the Huskies. The score was 10-7. But the Rutgers Scarlet Knights drove the ball the length of the field.

Washington had to rely on turnovers and a Dante Pettis punt return for a touchdown.

The thought was the line of scrimmage would be dominated by Washington all game. While the Huskies struggled at times both offensively and defensively, defensive tackle Vita Vea did not.

That’s a good thing.

Washington Huskies Football

Game perfect setup for game two

The coast to coast contest was a perfect test for the new Washington Football team. Unlike so many teams that opened at home, the Huskies had to cross three time zones and play in front of a national audience.  The game was a good contest for the Huskies on many levels, but the overall performance of the team was commendable.

That sums up Vita Vea’s performance.  While recording just three tackles, he was a force to be reckoned with. His constant pursuit of the quarterback never allowed Rutgers quarterback Kyle Bolin to get comfortable. Despite setting up for 38 passing attempts, he completed 24 for just 178 yards.  That averaged just 5.2 yards per completion.  And despite two touchdown passes, he also threw two interceptions.

Flat week one means inspired week two

But it is the Washington Huskies who have had a tough week at practice.

You can bet Coach Petersen has no patience for the team’s slow start this week for the home opener.  This is a good week for showing up BIG.  The Pac-12 will feature a huge showdown as Stanford University faces nemesis USC  in a game which will result in a power shift in the conference.   Since Washington faces Stanford later this season, it’s tough not to lean a tad their way to give the Huskies a self-determined destiny.

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But it’s all for naught if Washington loses themselves.  In a mid-spring game analysis, we predicted a game where both teams take to the airways.  In that prediction, we called the game 48-17 in favor of Washington.

We’ll have more analysis this week.  But keep in mind there is one player who is ready to show up no matter who the Huskies face. Vita Vea is on a mission this year.