Buelow's Return Has Taken the Pressure Off His Husky Quarterback

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.