Steve Sarkisian evaluates what makes Kalen DeBoer, Washington offense so good

Going into the Sugar Bowl, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian knows he needs to find a way to slow down the Washington offense led by head coach Kalen DeBoer. He also knows that won’t be an easy task.

Sarkisian praised DeBoer, especially for his versatility and the schemes that Washington runs on the offensive side of the ball.

“I’d call Coach DeBoer a good coach,” Steve Sarkisian said. “Let’s start with that. Excellent, excellent schemes and they tax you a lot of ways, from the run game to the precision-passing game to the play-action pass down on the field shots to the trick plays.”

All of that, as Sarkisian explained, goes to how good of a coach DeBoer has been during his career and how good of a team Washington is on offense.

“And I think that’s a sign of a really good coach that he’s got versatility to their scheme. And they keep you on your toes. You have to defend all of that,” Sarkisian said.

“And I think, like I said, that’s a good sign of a really good offensive football team. That’s a sign of a really good coach, which Coach DeBoer is and he has been throughout his career. And it definitely shows up with this team at Washington. They have got the scheme, and they have got the players to execute it. And put those two things together, that’s why they’re a very dangerous team.”

This season, Washington has put up massive numbers, especially in the passing attack. The Huskies are 10th in total offense while averaging 469.1 yards per game. They’re also first in passing offense with 343.8 passing yards per game and 10th in scoring offense with 37.7 points per game.

Kalen DeBoer reveals how Washington is different from last year’s matchup vs. Texas

Last season, Washington met and beat Texas in the Alamo Bowl. Now, a year later, Kalen DeBoer knows the Huskies have grown a lot as a team.

“Probably just another year of being in both the offensive and defensive systems, special teams as well. I think we’ve continued to improve it with our special teams play. I think our defense, I think, the latter part of last season started picking up some steam and has just continued with that consistency here this season,” DeBoer said.

“I think offensively, we’ve become not just a pass first and only pass. I think, again, at the end of last season, we got that balance toward the end of the year. And this year as we had a couple new pieces added to the offensive line, and even at running back, I think here the second half of this season we’re a different team that way as well with the feeling that we can play a physical style of football and run and pass equally effective. So, I think those are the areas. I think just everything is just raised. We’ve just raised the bar in all areas. A lot of it has to do with the continuity of our coaching staff, and the continuity of the players that are out there making plays on game day.”