Kalen DeBoer details keeping Washington locker room together after tough start

After an impressive bounce-back season, the Washington Huskies have earned a bid to play in the 2023 Alamo Bowl against the Texas Longhorns. The Huskies had an up-and-down year highlighted by two win streaks of four or more and a two-game losing streak between them. As Washington gears up to take on Texas, first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer detailed how he kept the Washington locker room together after tough losses.

“I think after the second loss, fortunately, and I guess, unfortunately, we were in a time where our health was certainly a big issue,” said DeBoer. “A couple of positions in particular. We’ve gotten through it. We’ve lost some guys for the year that were playing then.

“We’ve been able to at least sustain a positive vibe through all of it. The resiliency of our guys, I think, really showed up in the last half of the season.”

Washington started off the season 4-0 behind its impressive offensive led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. However, their hot start was quickly cooled down after losing the following two games to a then-top-ranked UCLA squad, followed by a shocker on the road against Arizona State. The Huskies promptly bounced back to finish off their season on a six-game winning streak beating Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State in the process.

“One game at a time, I think we really understood how to play team football, how to trust and believe in each other. As the year has gone on, we’ve really gained a lot of confidence that when times are tough, we’ll pull through.

“Those critical moments that we’ve had, especially in the month of November, that’s exactly what we did. Just I think a lot of it had to do with some injuries that we were going through in the first half of the season. It kind of came to a head. But I credit our guys, they stuck together.”

Washington has made a complete turnaround under DeBoer from last season. In 2021 under head coach Jimmy Lake, the Huskies were 4-5 before the team elected to part ways with the head coach due to conduct issues. Washington finished the season 4-8 for their worst season in school history since 2008 went 0-12 under Tyrone Willingham. Fast forward to now, and Washington is enjoying an impressive first season to DeBoer’s tenure at the program. Not only has he led them to a double-digit win season, but DeBoer has the chance to end the year with a bowl victory over one of the more talented rosters in college football.