Coleman Played Just Enough to Elevate in UW Record Book

Jonah Coleman wore a cumbersome gray brace on his left knee, residue from getting hurt two weeks ago at Wisconsin.

Weighted down for the University of Washington football team, he rushed just four times for 6 yards and scored a fourth-quarter touchdown on a 1-yard run in the Huskies' 48-14 victory over UCLA on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl.

The 5-foot-9, 220-pound senior running back had none of his usual quickness and power as he plodded through those handful of carries.

He played a series in each half while watching his understudy, sophomore Adam Mohammed, enjoy a 21-carry, 108-yard outing -- his first time over the century mark in rushing.

No, Coleman's contributions to the Huskies on this night were symbolic rather than required, which UW coach Jedd Fisch acknowledged afterward.

"Our goal was to play 10 plays with him,10 to 12," the Husky leader said. "I think that's what we got to. We wanted to get him a touchdown if we were close. I talked to Adam about that ahead of time. I said if we could get Jonah another touchdown, 16 puts him in the top 10 of U-Dub history. We wanted to make sure we got that if we had that opportunity."

Indeed, Coleman's 16th touchdown this season pushed his team in front 41-7 but more served to bring him inclusion with a host of legendary Husky running backs,

Running back Corey Dillon holds the UW record with 25 touchdowns scored in 1996, followed by Myles Gaskin with 24 in 2017 and Bishop Sankey with 21 in 2013, all running backs.

Jonah Coleman going through warmups with a brace on his left knee. pic.twitter.com/ZRCrPUIPyO
— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) November 23, 2025

They're followed by wide receiver and return man John Ross, who scored 19 TDs in 2016; fellow wide receiver Mario Bailey, who had 18 in 1991; and yet another pass-catcher and returner in Dante Pettis, who had 17 scores in 2016.

Add to that list running back Hugh McElhenny, who scored 17 times in 1951 and Chuck Carroll, another runner who goes all the way back to 1928 when he had 17 TDs in a season.

Now tied for ninth in school history, Coleman shares 16 with a pair of former UW running backs in Sankey again, who had 16 scores in 2012, and Chris Polk, who reached that number in 2011.

While Coleman was limited by his injury, his usage was eerily similar to last season's UCLA game, which similarly was the 11th on the schedule and used to pass the quarterback torch from senior Will Rogers to then-freshman Demond Williams Jr., who led the Huskies to a 31-19 win in Seattle.

This time, Mohammed still was a momentary stand-in, patiently waiting to take over as the No. 1 running back in 2026 while Coleman heads to the NFL Draft.

Until he got hurt, Coleman led the nation in touchdowns for much of the season. He currently stands fourth behind North Texas' Caleb Hawkins, who has 22 scores; Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, who has 20; and Mississippi's Kewan Lacy, who has 19.

The UW (8-3 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) hopes to have Coleman in more optimum condition for next Saturday's game against seventh-ranked and long-standing rival Oregon (10-1, 7-1) at Husky Stadium.

"We felt like 10 to 12 [plays] was probably good, maybe 15," Fisch said of the UCLA outing," Fisch said, "so we could get him full go for next weekend or close to it."

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