As UW Unveils Rushing Attack, Bonner Gets His Chance

To open fall camp, the University of Washington football team didn't prioritize the rushing game because, well, contact was limited for the first week and the results were negligible.

This meant there wasn't a whole lot to see following each handoff, as Husky coach Jedd Fisch explained.

"You don't know if you have a one-yard run or a 20-yard run, if a tackle gets broken or not," he said.

As of Thursday, that changed with full contact permitted, encouraged and celebrated during the 11-on-11 scrimmage moments and the line of rushers began forming behind returnee Quaid Carr, among them transfers getting medically cleared and freshmen urged to step up.

First-year player Brian Bonner Jr., the highly recruited running back from Valencia, California, is among the latter group and now in the middle of it all, taking as many snaps as anyone. Since spring ball, he appears noticeably different from a physical standpoint.

"He's bigger, he looks like a football player now," running-backs coach Scottie Graham said. "I think his size is a key thing, plus the fact he understands this brand of football a little bit more."

Brian Bonner Jr. is transitioning at running back for the UW. | Dave Sizer photo

On Thursday, the now 6-foot, 195-pound Bonner, up 15 pounds, ran the ball as much as anyone with a half-dozen carries and he caught a couple of passes coming out of the backfield.

He offered glimpses of the talent that enticed 30 schools to offer him scholarships, among them Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

"Bonner has gotten better and better," Fisch said. "We're getting a ton of reps from Brian."

Freshman Brian Bonner is getting a chance to run the ball in fall camp. | Dave Sizer photo

Midway through the Huskies' sixth practice, Bonner went over the the right side and impressively accelerated once he got through for a 19-yard gain.

He also showed he could take a hit.

Catching a swing pass in the left flat from Demond Williams Jr., Bonner zipped 11 yards up the field before he got destroyed by linebacker Jacob Manu, who took the running back off his feet with a fierce and extremely well-timed tackle and sent him flying head over heels.

With Fisch showing a propensity to use and start multiple freshmen at multiple positions this season, Bonner would be in that mix for immediate playing time.

He used spring ball as an initiation period in which he understood the need to get bigger, especially after several veteran defensive players teed off on him, as if to welcome the touted Bonner to college football.

"He understands the offense a little bit more and he's gaining confidence," Graham said. "Spring was invaluable to him. ... Since spring, it's gotten a little bit smoother, a little bit faster."

So as the Huskies unveil their rushing attack more and more, Bonner will be given every chance to run the ball and complete for snaps in real time.

"I feel pretty good about how we're going to run the ball this year," Fisch said.

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