Bright says 'Passion' Took Over at Peach Bowl

The linebacker had a touchdown and a dust-up in his final Pitt game.

College football demands total commitment, something that's not easy to maintain when mentally draining losses begin to pile up, such as they did last season for the University of Washington team.

So the school brought in a new coaching staff to reset expectations, hold everyone accountable and challenge the players to be successful again. 

The Huskies also added linebacker Cam Bright, a Pittsburgh transfer who brings plenty of speed and smarts, plus a low tolerance for anything less than full-blown effort by his teammates.

While the UW season ended with a 4-8 thud, Bright was one of the leaders for an 11-3 Pitt team that finished up with a postseason outing against Michigan State in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta in late December.

The 6-foot, 222-pound Alabama native had a career moment that afternoon in Georgia when he scooped up a fumble and raced 26 yards with it for a third-quarter touchdown and a 21-10 lead.

Yet the Panthers flat-out folded up and were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter, and Bright wasn't happy about it and let it be known.

"That was just passion [that] took over, yep," Bright said.

What happened next was Bright exchanged words with Panthers reserve safety Rashad Battle, they threw violent punches at each other on the sideline as fans filmed away and they were led off in different directions by their teammates to diffuse the situation.

It might not have been the best way to settle things, but at least it showed that somebody cared about what was happening on the scoreboard.

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The dust-up was over as quickly as it began and relationships weren't permanently frayed.

"Me and that [Battle], we're still cool," Bright said. "We talk to this day."

Some in Pittsburgh speculated that the bowl game incident might have prompted the veteran linebacker to look elsewhere to finish his college career, but he said no. He was just looking for something new.

"It didn't have any effect," he said.

In Seattle, Bright has fit in well and assumed a much-needed leadership role as the Huskies rebuild their defense this season. He's forged a strong bond with junior Edefuan Ulofoshio, a former second-team All-Pac-12 linebacker steadily working to return from knee surgery so they can play together. He's praised the progress of sophomore Alphonzo Tuputala, who's making a strong bid to become a first-time UW starter at inside linebacker and slide in next to him on the second row if possible.

"Alphonzo is great to play next to," Bright said. "He's really stepped up as a leader since I've been here the last couple of months and he actually teaches me a lot, as well, because he plays my game so he knows both."

If they play the same game, it means they care. 

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