5 things to watch for as Washington Football visits Oregon State

Can Washington defense contain Ryan Nall?

Oregon State offense has totaled some 1424 yards so far this season. Of that amount, running back Ryan Nall owns 399 yards. That is 28 percent of the team’s total offense. Of the Beavers 12 offensive touchdowns this year, Nall carried the ball four times into the endzone for 33 percent of the scores.

In short, to stop Oregon State, you must stop Ryan Nall. Unfortunately, many teams tried, and so far many teams failed.

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But this Washington football team is rather unique in their approach to run defense. They enter each game believing they can neutralize the other team’s top rusher. And then, they do.

It starts up front

The Washington rush defense starts up front. That is where you will find defensive tackles Vita Vea and Greg Gaines.  And that is where trouble begins for opposing offenses.  While Vea causes mayhem, Gaines anchors himself in place.

That causes mass confusion in opposing offenses. It’s not safe to try getting around the pair, as Vea can run down virtually any running back. It’s not safe to try going through the pair, as Gaines is unmovable.  In the end, the two defensive tackles are the perfect compliment to one another.

But even if Nalls gets to the linebackers, he faces an even stiffer pair of defenders in Azeem Victor and Keishawn Bierria. The linebacker duo are in pursuit of national recognition, and would like nothing better than to add to their reputation by completing shutting down Nall in this one.