Washington may have found its lead back at last.
In Saturday’s 25-21 loss to No. 19 USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, true freshman Brian Bonner Jr. looked like the one Huskies runner built to carry the load. With Washington’s offense again stuck below the 24-point mark against an FBS opponent this season, Bonner was one of the few players who gave the unit a real pulse.
The freshman handled 19 carries for 89 yards against the Trojans and added a two-yard catch, finishing with more than 90 yards from scrimmage. That was a huge jump in workload from what he had been asked to do earlier in the year, and it came with the Huskies’ backfield stretched thin by injuries.
Washington’s running back room has been hammered since the offseason. Jonah Coleman entered the NFL draft, Adam Mohammed transferred to Cal, and the presumed starter going into the year, Jordan Washington, is dealing with a neck injury that has left his status uncertain for the rest of the season.
The first two backs on the depth chart to open the regular season, Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar, both went down in Week 1 against Washington State with long-term injuries that could keep them out for the rest of 2026. Julian McMahan, another reserve, suffered a foot/ankle injury during practice the week of UW’s Big Ten opener against Minnesota and is out for the season.
That left Bonner, one of the top recruits in the Class of 2026, to split work with sixth-year back Trey Cooley in games against Eastern Washington on Sept. 19 and Minnesota on Sept. 26.
In those two contests, the 6-foot, 205-pound runner combined for 13 carries and 104 yards. He had 22 carries total entering Saturday, then nearly matched that workload in one night against USC.
The production is worth noticing, too. Bonner now has 215 rushing yards on 41 carries this season, which works out to 5.2 yards per attempt.
Given the injuries around him and the issues up front, Washington has had a hard time getting anything going on the ground. But if Saturday was any indication, the Huskies may finally have a clear No. 1 back.
In Other News...
Washington Faces One Big Lineup Question In Its New-Look Debut
The Washington mens basketball team is about to get its first live look at a roster built almost entirely from scratch, with an exhibition against Washington State set for Oct. 25. Nine new players are on the Huskies roster, and the turnover is significant enough that the early weeks of preseason have been less about refining a rotation than figuring out who fits where after the departures of last seasons familiar names, including Hannes Steinbach, Zoom Diallo and Franck Kepnang.
One piece of the puzzle is already in place: Wesley Yates III is the only starter currently locked in. Beyond that, coach Danny Sprinkle still has a few choices to sort through, with newcomers like Ryan Beasley and LeJuan Watts among the players expected to factor into the mix alongside Lathan Sommerville and Mady Traore. The exhibition should offer the first real glimpse at how the Huskies intend to line up when the season starts, even if the final answer is still a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Faces One Big Friday Chance Against Ranked Iowa
Washingtons Friday night test just got a little more interesting with Iowa taking its first loss of the season against Ohio State, a game in which the Hawkeyes managed only 14 points. Both teams have had trouble getting much going on offense, so the matchup already had the feel of a grinder, the kind where field position and one mistake can matter more than big-play ability.
The biggest question hanging over it now is Iowa quarterback Hank Brown, who is dealing with a mild shoulder or collarbone sprain but still has a chance to suit up. Brown has been a key part of what Iowa has done through the air this year, and his availability could shape how conservative or aggressive the Hawkeyes are in a game that figures to be low-scoring anyway. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Just Gave Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Washington had USC on the ropes in a game that felt like it could tilt either way, and the Huskies had one last chance to extend a promising showing. Instead, the finish slipped away in a tight 25-21 loss that left plenty to unpack, especially in a Big Ten Saturday that also saw Penn State and Michigan go down in stunners and reshaped the conference picture yet again.
For Washington, the result was another reminder that the margins in this league are razor thin, and the kind of game that can linger because it was there to be taken. USC needed a big defensive moment to grab control back, and the Trojans found it, but the Huskies are still left sorting through what it means to stay in the mix after a performance that was close enough to sting. [Read more 🡒]