Last season, the Washington Huskies faced off against the Utah Utes in the Pac-12 Conference Championship. By most accounts, the game was a complete snooze-fest.
By halftime, the Huskies had barely mustered a 3-0 lead. Near the start of the third quarter, Utah had finally found the scoreboard with a field goal of their own to tie things up at 3-3. The only touchdown of the game was earned when Washington snagged a fluke pick-6 interception. When it was all said and done, Washington had slugged out an ugly 10-3 victory.
For everyone not in the Seattle area, it was a completely forgettable game. For the Washington Huskies, it was a championship. For the Seahawks, it was a preview of what was to come.
Fast forward to the 2019 NFL draft and the Seahawks have selected two defensive standouts from the matchup – Washington linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven and Utah safety Marquise Blair. The Pac-12 title game may have been lacking in offensive firepower, but featured some truly elite defensive play.
Burr-Kirven led all Washington players with 10 total tackles, as well as a crucial pass break up. He was all over the field making his presence felt by every Ute. Meanwhile, Marquise Blair was busy doing all he could to flummox the Huskies offense. Blair finished the game with six total tackles – one for a loss – and a quarterback hit.
The Seahawks undoubtedly hope Burr-Kirven and Blair will be bringing this same level of physicality to the new-look Legion of Boom.
