Bralen Trice shares how confident Washington's defense was on Texas' final drive

The Washington Huskies forced their fans to sweat it out, but they ended up victorious over the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl.

It was the Washington defense who was tasked with sending the Huskies to the national title game. They had to stop the Longhorns offense from scoring a game-winning touchdown, and Bralen Trice and company were up to snuff.

Speaking with the media afterwards, Trice elaborated on why Washington was confident during Texas’ final drive, even if the Longhorns had stolen the momentum at the time.

“From a defensive perspective, that belief just stems from all of our preparation throughout the whole season. Throughout these past three or four weeks that we’ve had to get ready. Early on before the season, in our training periods. But it’s part of our standard,” Trice stated. “It’s a player-led team. We do that every single day. We put ourselves in those situations during practice so we’re ready when it happens.

“You can think we were shook out there, but we weren’t. We were ten toes down, ready to go.”

Alas, that confidence is what has helped propel Washington to a chance at a national title next week. Bet against the Huskies and Bralen Trice at your own risk, as they’ve continually proven the world wrong over the last couple of months.

More on the Washington Huskies, CFP finale

In some great news for the Huskies, Washington running back Dillon Johnson is expected to play in Monday’s national championship against Michigan, according to Alyssa Charlston of FOX13 Seattle. Johnson left the Sugar Bowl late on Monday with a leg injury, but X-rays reportedly came back negative. 

Johnson still led the team in rushing with 49 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-31 victory against Texas. He has played a big role in the offense this season with 1,162 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns, so his availability will be a big boost for the Huskies. 

The running back had been dealing with an injuries long before the setback against the Longhorns. Washington coach Kalen DeBoer revealed postgame that Johnson has been playing injured for “the last couple months.” 

Johnson had to be carted off the field following his injury in the Sugar Bowl, which raised some concerns about him playing in the national title. However, it now appears that he will attempt to tough it out as the Huskies aim to win it all. 

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article.