Huskies Still Need a Starting RB — Who Do You Like, Newton or Davis?
All tough decisions for Saturday's Husky football season opener have been made except one.
Kickoff against Montana is at 5 p.m., though we're not entirely sure why. Wasn't the new Pac-12 leader going to work on making games more accessible to daylight hours? We don't see any ESPN trucks in town.
Beer will be available for purchase in the stands, though tequila is still served only through song.
Masks are optional, yet recommended if you feel uncomfortable in the ongoing pandemic sitting in and around large masses of people again.
Which leaves us to this bit of unfinished business: Richard Newton or Cam Davis?
The University of Washington coaching staff has revealed every starter with the exception of the No. 1 running back. Like an Emerald Downs featured race, it's too close to call. They're neck and neck coming down the stadium tunnel.
Let's compare them.
Newton and Davis both hail from Southern California hometowns, Lancaster and Rancho Cugamonga, 50 miles apart, essentially north and east of Pasadena.
No wonder they each want to play in the Rose Bowl so badly.
Neither one has started a game for the Huskies.
Cam Davis is seeking his first UW start.
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Newton is 6-foot, 215-pound sophomore, Davis a 6-foot, 205-pound redshirt freshman, which means the former apparently has visited Dick's Drive-In a few more times than the latter.
Newton has 12 Husky game appearances over two seasons, Davis a half dozen.
Style points differ.
"Richard probably has a little more experience on him and he's a run-you-over type of guy, a power back," Husky offensive coordinator John Donovan said. "Where Cam can do that, but he's probably a little more niftier in space."
Each back claims a 4.49-second 40-yard dash.
Still neck and neck.
Newton has 140 carries for 620 yards and an amazing 12 scores, 11 rushing, already on his Husky rushing resume, with a long run of 54.
Davis has 17 totes for 73 yards, with a long run of 17, and he's still seeking his first UW TD.
"I really like Cam Davis," offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland said. "Talk about a guy who goes north and south."
Both are fully capable receivers.
Davis has 5 catches for 26 yards; Newton has 3 receptions for 23 and a score.
Need a tie-breaker?
Let's go to the arm for this one.
Doing his best Jacob Eason impersonation, Newton rolled out and threw a 13-yard TD pass to Terrell Bynum against Boise State in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl.
Davis, on the other hand, will return kickoffs, with the Huskies trying to take advantage of his extra-gear speed wherever they can.
A year ago, these guys were used as the third and fourth backs for two games. They played behind rotating starters Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant, until Newton sat out the final two outings, presumably to get his head straight. Or block better. Or all of the above.
Newton and Davis alternated as the Huskies' top running back throughout the spring and fall football camps, effectively sliding McGrew and Pleasant, now sixth-year seniors, into lesser roles, and making up-and-coming freshman Jay'Veon Sunday wait his turn.
Donovan said it might be unrealistic to use four running backs again in a closely contested game, such as the Huskies did against Oregon State in last year's opener and against Arizona before it turned into a blowout. The lead runners, he explained, need to be able to build a rhythm and get a feel for the action.
"It's tough to go four, so we'll see where they're at and how they're doing and all that," the coordinator said. "But a lot of times if you can limit the number of guys out there, guys get in a little better flow. We'll see."
Newton and Davis will play a lot and likely both start during the season. One should be a 1,000-yard rusher, the other fairly close to that. What's at stake on Saturday afternoon is an initial reward, a badge of honor, an early pecking order.
This also represents a little bit of intrigue when there probably won't be any against Montana, a heavy underdog.
OK, who's first up on Saturday?
Either one is well deserving, but we think Newton finally gets his name listed as a first-teamer.
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