Bernard Will Have A Large Turnout For His Homecoming
When the Washington Huskies take on the Oregon in the Pac-12 championship on Friday night, four members of coach Kalen DeBoer's team in Rome Odunze, Troy Fautanu, Edefuan Ulofoshio and Germie Bernard will treat it as a homecoming.
The Las Vegas products should have a lot family and friends in the stands for a game in which the Huskies likely will clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff with a victory.
On Tuesday, Bernard said he's expecting a significant turnout of familiar faces at Allegiant Stadium.
"It's exciting to get to play in front of some family, some old coaches and old teammates," he said. "I don't know the head count, but I know that I've got my allotted tickets, plus family buying tickets, and that there will be a lot of people there supporting me."
Bernard spent the first year of his college career at Michigan State before returning to Washington last December and quickly found his place in Seattle.
He was asked to play a big role in the Husky offense after wide receiver Jalen McMillan suffered a knee injury against his former school. The sophomore stepped in while McMillan was sidelined for the better part of two months. He's learned a lot from his predecessor in their lone season together.
"He's been very supportive of me," Bernard said. "He gives me tips, he's very knowledgeable and knows how to play the game. He knows how to get open, so I just take tips from him and go from there."
With McMillan healthy and ready to assume a bigger role in the Pac-12 championship game, Bernard won't see as many snaps as he has in previous weeks, but he still has a chance to make a big impact.
He stepped in as a punt returner against Washington State after impressing as the Huskies' kick returner to open the season.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb also prefers to deploy personnel packages with four or five wide receivers on the field, which could give Bernard a favorable matchup wherever he lines up in the formation.
Washington's coaching staff has found a lot of different ways to get the ball in Bernard's hands this season and now he has a chance to make an impact in the biggest game of the year in front of his friends and family.
Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published.
Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.
Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12
Follow Roman Tomashoff of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @rtomashoff34 or @UWFanNation
Subscribe to the Locked On Huskies Podcast on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
Have a question? Message me on Twitter!
