UW Huskies Insider: 3 things to know – including injury updates

Sep 23, 2024, 3:51 PM | Updated: 3:53 pm

Voi Tunuufi of the UW Huskies gestures during a Sept. 21, 2024 game against Northwestern. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

(Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

UW Huskies Insider

UW Huskies coach Jedd Fisch met with reporters on Monday to look back at his team’s 24-5 victory over Northwestern, and ahead to the Huskies’ Friday night game at Rutgers.

UW Huskies ‘defend every blade of grass’ in defensive masterpiece

Here’s what to know.

Durfee expected to return

The injury news is mixed for UW. On the positive side, Fisch said starting edge rusher Zach Durfee is expected to return from the lower leg injury that kept him out of Saturday’s victory over Northwestern. It sounds like the Huskies also should get senior linebacker Drew Fowler back from the lower leg injury that has kept him out of each of UW’s past three games.

UW still will be without a couple impact players, though, namely safety Makell Esteen, who sat out Saturday’s game and is continuing to recover from what Fisch described as a bad bruise. Tight end Quentin Moore, who has missed the last three games with a leg injury sustained during UW’s season opener, will likely miss Friday’s game, though Fisch did seem optimistic he could return for the Huskies’ Oct. 5 game against Michigan. Fisch said the same about Esteen.

Others who have yet to play this season, such as receiver Kevin Green Jr. and tight end Ryan Otton, likely will be out longer, Fisch said.

Maximus McCree, who started at left tackle in place of Soane Faasolo last week, should be “full go” at practice this week, Fisch said, despite leaving Saturday’s game with an injury in the fourth quarter.

Khmori House recognized by Big Ten

UW’s freshman linebacker snagged his first career interception and made three tackles against Northwestern. On Monday, the Big Ten named him Freshman of the Week.

Khmori House’s first career INT ⤵️#B1GFootball x @UW_Football pic.twitter.com/z5clYN60By

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 23, 2024

House, a three-star prospect from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, originally signed with former UW coach Kalen DeBoer. He was one of several members of UW’s 2024 recruiting class who entered the transfer portal following DeBoer’s departure for Alabama, but ultimately chose to stay and play for Fisch.

Though UW is stacked with experience at linebacker — Carson Bruener, Alphonzo Tuputala, Fowler and San Jose State transfer Bryun Parham are all seniors — House impressed coaches during the spring, and earned his first career start against Washington State. Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick likes to leverage his speed in multiple ways.

“Khmori’s done a really nice job of learning the system,” said Fisch, who added that Bruener and Tuputala have mentored House in the film room. “One thing that makes him special is how hard he plays, how hard he practices. He’s going to go 100 miles an hour every chance he has.”

UW Huskies-Michigan kickoff time set

Washington’s national championship rematch against Michigan on Oct. 5 will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. and air on NBC, the Huskies’ first game this season on the network.

The Big Ten’s current TV contract includes partnerships with FOX, NBC (and Peacock) and CBS. UW’s first two games aired on Big Ten Network, with the Apple Cup airing on Peacock, the Northwestern game airing on FS1 and Friday’s game at Rutgers airing on FOX.

This column from UW Huskies football insider Christian Caple is exclusive to Seattle Sports. Subscribe to OnMontlake.com for full access to Caple’s in-depth Husky coverage.