UW Huskies Notebook: State of starting QB spot, bowl math, more
Oct 28, 2024, 4:16 PM | Updated: 4:17 pm
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
UW Huskies coach Jedd Fisch met with reporters on Monday to discuss his team’s 31-17 defeat at Indiana, and look ahead to Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. home game against USC.
Saturday: UW’s road woes continue in 31-17 loss to No. 13 Indiana
Here’s what to know.
Durfee’s tough year
The Huskies thought it was bad enough that edge rusher Zach Durfee was made by the NCAA to sit out last season after transferring from Division II University of Sioux Falls. Though he’s eligible this year, it’s hard to say his 2024 has gone much better.
Fisch specified Monday that Durfee actually has dealt with a turf toe injury on each of his feet at different times this season. As a result, he’s played in only five of UW’s eight games, and has missed each of the last two, against Iowa and Indiana.
Fisch figured that Durfee, a starter when healthy, would be able to play at Indiana after the Huskies’ bye week, “and then we had him taped up and suited up, and he went out to work out, and he couldn’t explode off his right foot.”
“It’s been a challenge for him, and it’s unfortunate, because as we all know, he certainly would be very helpful in setting the edge,” Fisch said.
The coach said Durfee would visit a foot specialist Monday.
The Huskies also played without senior safety Cam Broussard at Indiana. Fisch said Broussard’s is “another foot (injury) that we have to keep an eye on to see if we can go,” but said Broussard was “back yesterday in the building, back working out.”
Senior defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez had a stinger late in Saturday’s game, Fisch said, but should be able to play this week against USC. Starting right tackle Drew Azzopardi also “got a little bit of a foot sprain” in the fourth quarter, Fisch said, the latest in a series of ailments for UW’s offensive line.
It doesn’t sound like the sprain is expected to sideline Azzopardi, but Fisch did say: “I don’t think any of our (starting) offensive line right now, unfortunately, I would say are at 100 percent health that they can do the whole game.”
Fisch not wavering on Will Rogers
Uneven performances in multi-score losses at Iowa and Indiana have some fans wondering if quarterback Will Rogers might cede more snaps — or, at some point, the starting job — to freshman Demond Williams Jr., who continues to see a limited number of plays each week.
Fisch isn’t going there yet.
“Demond is going to be ready to take this team over at some point in time. I think right now, Will continues to give us the best chance,” Fisch said, citing Rogers’ completion percentage and total of four interceptions in eight games. “… We’ve got to make plays around Will. We’ve got to make bigger plays in the passing game.
“… Right now, Will’s done a really nice job. Demond is going to be special. Demond is going to be the face of Washington football moving forward — next year — but he’s going to continue to get reps throughout this season, like he has.”
UW Huskies bowl math
At 4-4, the Huskies need two victories against a tough November schedule — vs. USC, at No. 3 Penn State, vs. UCLA, at No. 1 Oregon — to guarantee bowl eligibility.
Fisch said making a bowl game would be important for several reasons, not the least of which being that it would assure another few weeks of practice.
“As a coach, that’s what you look for — how do you have opportunities to have practice time with the guys?” Fisch said. “It’s so important because it’s an opportunity to celebrate a season. Going into this year, with all the newness of our team, the fact that we can be together for another month is really special. That’s what’s important. It’s important for seniors to have a chance to showcase their skills one more time. It’s important for our fans to be able to go watch another football game. All of that’s really important.
“I try to focus in on beating SC (this week), but I would love nothing more than to celebrate something in December, with a bowl game with our families and with our friends and with our team, and we’re going to do everything we can to do that.”
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.
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