Limar Will Make Husky Return Against Nebraska

The Oregon transfer played in the season opener and injured his elbow.

Jayden Limar celebrates his touchdown run late in the Apple Cup. | Dave Sizer photo

When we last saw Jayden Limar, the University of Washington's starting running back was Quaid Carr for the season opener against Washington State, Trey Cooley gained a solitary yard against the Cougars and Brian Bonner Jr. never left the sideline that day.

Two months later, Limar returns from a dislocated elbow to not only provide a veteran presence but supply a much needed body to a position decimated by injury and illness as the Huskies (4-3 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) venture into Nebraska (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday night.

"I expect Jayden to play this week," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "I think that will be a really good spark for us in adding a back."

Limar will rejoin a backfield rotation in which Bonner has started the past six games, Cooley is coming off a career-best 113-yard rushing effort at Purdue and Carr is out of the season after having hand surgery.

In his lone Husky outing, Limar came off the bench against WSU and led his team in rushing with 47 yards on a dozen carries and scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to seal a 24-10 victory with 2:18 left to play.

Unfortunately, for the local Lake Stevens product, who spent three seasons at Oregon, two-plus minutes remaining in the game was long enough for him to get injured, have his elbow put in a sling and watch his new team play those six games without him.

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Limar is a hard-running player, who while never the Ducks' featured back for very long, appeared in 32 games and started 3 times while in Eugene. He rushed 95 times for 442 yards and 4 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 207 yards and a score.

A heads-up player, he also scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone on a kickoff following Noah Whittington's 100-yard return and on a blocked punt return.

This past December, he curiously left an Oregon team that was shorthanded in running backs before a semifinals game against Indiana in the College Football Playoff last season without explanation and declined to discuss his unusual move once in Montlake.

Injured running backs Jayden Limar (17) and Quaid Carr each wore slings to the Utah State game. | Dave Sizer photo

Limar, thanks to the NCAA's new five-in-five rule, can return to the UW in 2027 and play a fifth season if he chooses, and he acknowledged that was a possibility during fall camp.

Yet first things first. Against a physical Nebraska team, the Huskies will need as many backs as they can find on Saturday night.