The Washington Huskies went into their matchup against the Oregon State Beavers without three key secondary members. Safeties Asa Turner, Kamren Fabiculanen and Vince Nunley did not suit up on Saturday, but the Huskies found a way to win, thanks to cornerback Jabbar Muhammad.
Muhammad had arguably the best game of his college career as Washington left the not-so-friendly confines of Reser Stadium with a 22-20 victory.
By halftime, Muhammad had recovered a fumble, recorded 3 pass breakups and an interception, and he wasn't done yet. Just three plays into the second half, the Oklahoma State transfer stepped in front of a pass from quarterback DJ Uiagalelei for his second pick of the game.
"Whenever you get two I-N-Ts, it's big," said Muhammad, who's played in 44 games for the UW and his Big 12 school. "I'd probably say its the biggest game I've had, for sure."
Neither of Muhammad's interceptions resulted in points and Washington's defense was put in multiple less-than-ideal situations throughout the second half.
After a missed field goal following the second pick, the defense allowed an Oregon State drive that spanned nearly 10 minutes and resulted in a touchdown that cut the lead to 22-17. Washington's offense ran just six plays in the third quarter and struggled to move the ball in the rainy conditions.
The offensive struggles forced the defense to remain on the field for 21:19 in the second half, but they found a way to win yet again behind Muhammad's efforts. He recorded his fourth pass breakup of the game on Oregon State's final drive to help the Huskies achieve a perfect record on the road this season.
Curiously in the fourth quarter, Muhammad stood on the sideline, not because he was hurt, but because he was spent and needed a break.
"I was gassed," he said.
With Muhammad taking away one of Uiagalelei's top options in high-leverage situations, Washington's defense held the Beavers to 5 conversions on 17 attempts across third and fourth down. Two of his 3 takeaways also came on third or fourth down.
After being penalized multiple times against Stanford, Muhammad said that he wouldn't change his aggressive mentality and it paid off in the biggest moment possible.
Although he wasn't named a semifinalist, Muhammad's consistent play this season and 3 turnover game should put him in consideration for the Thorpe Award.
When the Huskies were able to secure his commitment from the transfer portal, the coaching staff hoped that he could be a lockdown cornerback who could be trusted in man coverage in the game's biggest moments. As Washington moves to 11-0 with its win in Corvallis, Muhammad has surpassed those expectations.
"We just said, 'We've got to ball up,' simple as that," he said. "We knew some of this would come to us, on the back side, stopping the run. We just needed to be ready for anything that came to us."
Muhammad held up to his end.
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