2 weeks Ago
Two-thirds of the way through spring practice, some noticeable trends continued to emerge for the University of Washington football team as it got in another full-body scrimmage, this time under overcast and sometimes misty skies. As Jedd Fisch noted, the Huskies ran 110 plays and no one got injured. Getting to specifics for Saturday's practice No.
9, the coach singled out his front seven on defense for its increasingly solid play, a group that often consisted of edge rushers Jacob Lane and Deshawn Lynch, down lineman Anterio Thompson, Elinneus Davis and Tai'ita'i Uiagalelei, plus linebackers Taariq Al-Uqdah and Deven Bryant. "I really think our front seven right now is in a good spot," Fisch said. "Nice and physical.
Nice and big. With a lot of bodies." Redshirt freshman defensive back Rahshawn Clark, who had a one-game cameo appearance last season, seems determined to play a lot more this fall, whether it be at cornerback or nickel.
On Saturday, the ballhawking Clark came up with no less than his fifth interception of the spring, pilfering a pass lobbed upfield by freshman quarterback Dash Beierly and returning it 45 yards for a touchdown with a convoy. Not long before his pick-6, Clark combined with Northern Arizona transfer safety Alex McLaughlin to drop running Jonah Coleman cold in his tracks, for a 1-yard loss, which is no easy feat. The Williams-to-Williams connection has become a regular part of practice now and they came up with their most noteworthy completion.
Midway through the weekend workout, Demond Williams Jr. sent a pass deep for Rashid Williams that appeared well beyond the receiver's reach. Yet the streaking Williams on the front end of the pass fully extended at the last moment and made a sensational grab for a 36-yard gain.
Clark, in coverage for this moment, appeared incredulous that this play was made on him. Freshman wide receiver Chris Lawson also was good for a bit of humor if not a little showboat in him for Saturday's practice. He caught a Kai Horton pass out of the back of the end zone and his momentum carried him up the tunnel, where landed in the bed of an equipment cart.
Lying prone, he immediately struck a pose, holding up the football. In regards to a personnel housekeeping matter, Penn State transfer Omari Evans, dealing with some sort lower-body injury, returned to practice in full uniform, but he didn't take part in any of the scrimmage plays. As much as the offensive line seems to be settling in place, position coach Mike Switzer continues to tweak his starting lineup some with different combinations.
Midway through, he inserted freshman John Mills and sophomore Zach Henning at the No. 1 guard spots, just to see what it looked like, replacing Paki Finau and Geirean Hatchett, who began and finished the day in those interior jobs. Senior tight end Quentin Moore, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener last year, began taking significant scrimmage snaps for the first time, his most comprehensive playing time since getting hurt.
He caught a 15-yard pass from Horton near the end of practice. Another player getting his chance to show off his ability is Bryant, a sophomore linebacker who spent much of Saturday's scrimmage snaps on the No. 1 defense alongside Al-Uqdah, the Washington State transfer.
A compact 5-foot-11 and 234 pounds Bryant moves exceedingly well laterally. He showed his ability when he got out quickly into the flat and dropped Coleman for no gain after the running back had caught a Demond Williams Jr. pass.
Showing off his throwing accuracy, Williams saw Audric Harris cutting left to right in the back of the end zone and delivered a ball through a small window of defenders and into the ends of his receiver, who caught the ball on his knees. Finally, while there was just a smattering of spectators in the stands, Huskies Ryan Otton, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, Javon Parker and an unidentified walk-on player, all recovering from injuries, went up and down the aisle steps of Husky Stadium, working out among the fans. To get the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.
com/college/washington.
