Senior linebacker plays pivotal role in UW Huskies win over USC

Nov 2, 2024, 10:20 PM | Updated: Nov 3, 2024, 12:53 am

UW Huskies senior linebacker Carson Bruener during a 2024 game against the USC Trojans. (Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press)

(Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press)

BY ZAC HERETH

Seattle Sports

SEATTLE – When things started to go south for the UW Huskies, Carson Bruener was there to save the day.

Instant observations | Huskies’ defense bends, but doesn’t break | Recap

Interceptions, pass breakups and big tackles – the senior linebacker did it all.

Bruener finished with a season-high 12 tackles, two pass breakups and a career-best two interceptions to help key the Huskies’ 26-21 victory over the USC Trojans on Saturday night at Husky Stadium.

A “casual day for Bruener,” quarterback Will Rogers said.

Box Score

Bruener, playing in his penultimate game at Husky Stadium, showed up early and often as UW’s defense overcame tough situations and put together a stout showing in the first half.

After USC returned to the opening kickoff to midfield, the Woodinville High School alum batted down a third-down pass near the line of scrimmage to force a quick three-and-out.

The Trojans began their next drive at UW’s 37-yard line after poorly struck punt traveled just 27 yards. But the Huskies’ defensive leader was in the right place at the right time on the first play of the drive, hauling in a pass that bounced off the hands of USC receiver Kyle Ford and returning near midfield to set up a field goal drive that gave his team an early lead.

Yeahhh, Bru @BruenerCarson 😤🙌

📺 @B1Gfootball pic.twitter.com/xr86zY442K

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 2, 2024

Things started to unravel for the defense in the second half. The Huskies held the Trojans to just seven points on 161 yards through the first two quarters, but USC started to get its run game churning and marched down the field for consecutive touchdown drives of at least 70 yards to grab its first lead at 21-20 in the third quarter.

After a UW punt, the Trojans had a chance to extend their lead late in the third, but Bruener ended the threat when he slipped in front of a USC receiver, leapt up to snare an interception and returned for 16 yards down to the USC 39-yard line to set up the Huskies’ go-ahead touchdown drive.

“(Defensive coordinator) Steve (Belichick)’s been really big since he’s got here (about reading the quarterback),” Bruener said of the second interception. “It’s something I’ve been working on a lot, because obviously there’s the landmarks that (we) have for certain drops that you have and certain plays, but at the end of the day, the quarterback is going to bring you the ball. So I was just kind of tracking (the receiver) and obviously knew the route was (coming) behind (me) and I drifted right into it.”

Bru with another one 🙌 @BruenerCarson

📺 @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/bU9FmY4AZz

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 3, 2024

Bruener wasn’t done making plays yet.

With USC threatening to answer back with a go-ahead touchdown of its own, Bruener came up and delivered a big hit on running back Woody Marks to help teammate Voi Tunuufi bring him down short of the goal line at the 1-yard line. The Huskies got off the field with a stop on the next play to preserve their lead.

“Carson Bruener had a great game,” UW head coach Jedd Fisch said. “… (He) made the calls, did a great job. … I thought the linebackers in general had their best game.”

The Trojans had one more chance to take the lead with the ball deep in UW territory in the final minute. On fourth-and-4 at the UW 14, Bruener could be seen giving direction to sophomore defensive lineman Lance Holtzclaw before the play. Holtzclaw ended up being the player who pressured USC’s Miller Moss into the incompletion that sealed the game.

“It’s just a certain call, certain check that we have,” Bruener explained. “So I went to him and he just did him. I mean, that was not on me at all. That was all Lance, and I’m happy he sealed the game for us.”

As for whether or not it was the best game of his career on Montlake, Bruener wasn’t ready to make that call quite yet.

“It might be, it might be,” he said. “I haven’t really looked at it. Obviously when we go through the film, I can kind of then watch and correct myself and (see) what I did wrong, what I did right and see kind of what I graded out as. Obviously right now I feel like I played pretty well. So I mean it might be, it might not. Who knows at this point?”