Despite losing a bunch of talent to the NFL, the Huskies defense was strong in 2017. Defensive MVP Vita Vea was a big reason why Washington stayed dominant.
Five players lost from last year’s championship starting defense are now playing in the NFL. As a result, Washington had big questions about its ability to stop opponents prior to the 2017 season. By the end of the year, they put all those questions to rest. The Huskies either maintained or improved their defensive numbers in almost every category from the 2016 championship squad.
A big reason why Washington was able to remain dominant against opposing offenses was the play of redshirt junior defensive lineman Vita Vea. He was the anchor of a defensive front seven that gave up the fewest rushing yards of any team in the FBS. Washington held opponents to just 92.3 yards per game as Vea clogged up the middle of the field.
The 6-foot-5, 340-pound defensive tackle regularly drew multiple blockers. He still managed to finish the season with 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. Vea had 38 total tackles, but most importantly he freed up lanes into the backfield for his teammates. Washington was ranked No. 11 in the FBS in terms of team sacks generated.
His play didn’t go unrecognized, at least on the West Coast
Vea deservedly finished the 2017 season with plenty of recognition for his work. The redshirt junior was named the Pac-12 defensive player of the year. Vea was listed as a consensus second-team All-American. He also won the Morris Award winner for the top defensive linemen in the Pac-12 — as voted on by the offensive linemen of the conference.
Now he gets one last chance to shut down another top running back. Washington faces Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, and Vea will need to be at his best to stop Saquon Barkley. He could have a field day with the scattershot Nittany Lions offensive line.
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Vea is also projected on the cusp of the top 10 in the 2018 NFL Draft. The 2017 defensive MVP could be even harder to replace for Washington than all the defensive talent they lost in last year’s NFL Draft.