The Washington Huskies have struggled with a lot of injuries throughout the season and when right guard Julius Buelow suffered a high ankle sprain against the Michigan State Spartans, the offensive line's depth took a big hit.
Buelow's injury caused him to miss four games before he returned against the Stanford Cardinal. In the four games he sat out, teams sacked quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 3 times and brought a significant amount of pressure up the middle.
This approach was most evident in the Huskies' worst offensive performance of the season — when the Arizona State Sun Devils harassed Penix throughout the night and the Huskies committed 4 turnovers.
Following Buelow's return, Penix hasn't faced the heightened pressure since even though the Huskies have faced superior competition.
"It was definitely hard trying to come back," Buelow said. "Mentally, physically obviously, I was just trying to be there for my brothers, be there for Mike and do the best I can to be a contributor on this team."
Penix has been hurried in the pocket at a far lower rate. The 6-foot-8, 313-pound Buelow deserves a lot of credit for the pressure drop and, if wide receiver Jalen McMillan can bounce back from a knee injury he suffered at Michigan State, Washington's passing attack will get an upgrade at the best possible time.
"The obvious statement is his length — you don't usually see 6-foot-8 guards," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said of Buelow. "Nate Kalepo and Julius create length where you can pass off twists and he's athletic. He moves really well so, from a pass protection standpoint, he adds a lot of length to be able to get to spots and keep everybody protected on the inside."
As UW prepares for Washington State, the Cougars are near the bottom of the Pac-12 in sacks and could have trouble with the Husky front. However, a potential rematch with Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game would be a different challenge.
Ducks defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus generated a lot of pressure from the interior in the October game and having Buelow could limit his impact if Oregon is able to beat Oregon State and reach the championship game.
Washington's depth has been tested all season along the interior of the offensive line. Gaard Memmelaar and Matteo Mele suffered season-ending injuries before conference play began and Buelow and Geirean Hatchett have missed significant time, too.
Buelow's health will be key to the Huskies down the stretch and, now that he looks closer to 100 percent, Washington's offense will be better equipped for a potential College Football Playoff run.
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