Mathis, Wooching Turn in ‘Super’-Sized Effort
October 01, 2016 | Football, General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Joe Mathis shed his helmet and pads. Standing outside Washington's locker room after a 44-6 win over No. 7 Stanford, the senior was still in his game pants. His black face paint was smeared and the cutoff-sleeve Superman T-shirt he wore under his shoulder pads was soaked with sweat.
After a two-sack performance, the shirt seemed to fit the occasion. It was a gift, a memento handed down from Hau'oli Kikaha, the Huskies' all-time sacks leader.
When Kikaha gave the shirt to Mathis, his message was simple: "You know what to do with it."
It was only the second time Mathis had worn the shirt in a game – He also wore it during the season opener at Boise State last season – and facing a challenge like Stanford, well, Mathis thought Friday night was as good a time as any to use the undershirt.
On a night when the No. 10 Huskies sacked Cardinal quarterbacks eight times, that shirt could have been bestowed upon several members of the Huskies' defensive front.
"The D-linemen up front, they were doing their thing," linebacker Keishawn Bierria said. "That's what we do, we lean on the guys in front of us. They played a helluva game."
For Mathis, securing a win against Stanford was a goal of his since he joined the program. After all, it was Washington's upset win over the Cardinal – then ranked No. 8 – in 2012 at CenturyLink Field that convinced the high school senior from Ontario, Calif. to play for the Huskies.
"That's the reason I committed," he said. "This is the best feeling in the world to even play against them and get to do some things I wanted to do."
And to make an impact with Kikaha watching – he was on the sideline – that added a little something extra to Mathis' night.
"He calls me every week and lets me know what I need to do every week," Mathis said. "He's my mentor. It's an honor for me to wear this (he pointed to the shirt), because I look up to him."
The top-10 matchup provided an opportunity. Mathis delivered.
"Coach needed somebody to step up and make a play, change the game," he said. "I've been waiting for that moment all four years, waiting coach to look at me and say that, to get that opportunity."
While Mathis applied pressure from one outside linebacker position, Psalm Wooching was causing havoc in the backfield from the other side. Also a senior, he finished with three sacks.
Like Mathis, Wooching saw a chance to make a statement.
"It's Stanford, that team that hits you in the mouth and keeps rolling," he said. "You put your hand in the dirt and keep on punching. We had to make plays."
He did, and was joined by Connor O'Brien (two sacks) and Vita Vea (one sack).
Wooching said the defense was dynamic because it is embracing its "Death Row" monicker.
"It's hard to describe it," he said. "Death row, they say those are the baddest people. We're not bad like that, but we try to be the baddest people on the field, the most courageous, the strongest, with tenacity and all that. We roll that into 'Death Row' and throw it out there."
Vicious on the field, both Mathis and Wooching were soft spoken during postgame interviews. And, while each has been patiently working for a breakout game, they made a point to combine their success with that of their teammates.
"I'm so proud of everybody, even the guys on the sideline who didn't play," Mathis said. "They stayed in the game, kept us going."
When asked about the performance of his seniors, coach Chris Petersen said it was a "really cool" night for the outside linebackers.
"A guy like Psalm, he's really been a backup for a long time and has played here and there, but to come out and have a really big game, when we need him to have a big game against a really good offensive line and a good team, you just like it when those guys grind for that long and the fruits of their labor are rewarded," he said.
"That's a good story."
And then the coach shifted his attention to Mathis.
"I'm proud of him," he said.
Kikaha knew what he was doing when he gave Mathis that shirt. The senior has always been blessed with natural ability, but now his maturity has allowed him to take another step forward. And Wooching was the guy who always asked Kikaha to stay after practice to help him with technique.
Their hard work is paying off and, for Petersen and his staff, "That's what makes it fun to coach these guys."
