Stanford vs. Washington 2012: Defense comes up big in upset victory

The big plays on offense may be what is shown in the highlight reels of the Washington Huskies' upset victory over the Stanford Cardinal, but it was the defense that carried the Huskies to the big win.

Ben Knibbe of UW Dawg Pound says the Huskies' defensive performance wasn't just impressive, it was also the last thing anyone was expecting to be the key to a Husky victory.

The defense. The defense. The defense. This was unexpected. If Washington was to upset the Cardinal It would have required a mammoth game from Keith Price. Nope, the defense carried the team today. The box was stacked. John Timu tackled well, a major key. The entire defense tackled well. Danny Shelton ate up blocks on the inside and allowed the linebackers to make plays, and also freed up Josh Shirley to rush the passer and the same with Evan Hudson, the DT-DE tweener.

Knibbe singled out Desmond Trufant for the work he did all night limiting any Stanford big plays and his interception late that sealed the victory for the Huskies.

Washington vs. Stanford Score: Huskies use 61 yard TD run to get back in game.

The Washington Huskies trail the Stanford Cardinal 13-10 early in the fourth quarter. Washington's defense continued to dominate Stanford's offense, but a Keith Price interception appeared to swing the game Stanford's way until Bishop Sankey turned a fourth and one run in to a touchdown.

The Husky crowd though wide receiver Marvin Hall gave Washington the lead with 3 minutes left in the quarter when he returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown. That run was called back due to flag that was picked up, but Hall was still ruled out of bounds during the return. On the very next play, Keith Price had a pass tipped and intercepted by Stanford linebacker Trent Murphy, who returned the picked off pass 40 yards for a touchdown, putting Stanford up 13-3.

With time running out in the quarter, Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian decided to go for it on 4th and 1. Bishop Sankey took a hand off as time expired on the game clock, made a couple of Stanford defenders miss, rushing 61 yards for the score. The Huskies now trail 13-10 in the fourth quarter.

via assets.sbnation.com

Stanford Vs. Washington: Sarkisian Cites Cardinal Defense As A Strength

Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian said on his radio show that Stanford's defensive line is its strength.