Newton Needs to Run a Reverse in UW Spring Football

Richard Newton's Twitter handle is the Reaper.

Sort of ominous, mysterious.

Just like him.

A day before University of Washington spring football begins, Sam Huard has arrived on campus as a freshman.

Which is noteworthy because Husky wide receivers have left in droves.

Who changes schools with a 5-star quarterback coming on board?

He can't make you better?

This brings us back to Newton.

Unlike his pass-catching friends, he's still around, as this promising UW running back who disappeared for a while last November and December but still holds down a roster spot.

Newton is one of spring's big story lines coming in.

He found the end zone as a redshirt freshman with 11 touchdowns.

Last season, he was hailed as one of the nation's best, making the Doak Walker Award watch list.

He scored on that 54-yard burst against Arizona.

zoom 💨#GoHuskies x #PurpleReign

📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/VXcdo9wv7M
— Washington Athletics (@UWAthletics) November 22, 2020

Then he sat and watched the last two games, just like you and me, only he did it in uniform.

UW coach Jimmy Lake gave only a vague answer as to why Newton didn't play against Utah and Stanford.

Something about preparation.

He might have been disagreeable.

Lake used three other guys.

It was some kind of lesson.

It was painful.

To Newton's credit, he didn't exit the scene during the offseason.

The portal is like the reaper, always tempting you with a crooked, wicked finger.

It's hard to say no.

Newton did.

He accepted his banishment.

He still has lofty goals.

Instead of tweeting out good bye, Newton retweeted an image of the Heisman Trophy, with the words, "I will obtain it."

I will obtain it https://t.co/4lzKt6wPOF
— 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔭𝔢𝔯 (@iRiichh) March 1, 2021

With Lake walking around with a hat that says, "Run the Damn Ball," Newton should sense plenty of opportunity for himself.

He just needs to make the coaches happy and the rest will follow.

Spring football is a good place to restart his quest.

Vince Coby is one of his Husky tailback predecessors, a guy who knows what it's like to rush for more than 100 yards against USC and Washington State, and start and score in the Rose Bowl, and he fought his way to the top of the depth chart.

"I'm looking for him to come back because he didn't have the season he wanted last year," Coby said of Newton. "I was really surprised. I didn't think he was quite as fluid last year as he was the year before."

Without any firm explanation from the coaching staff or the runner himself, we're all left to guess what was Newton's indiscretion in 2020.

Was it technical?

Physical?

Mental?

"He got a lot of attention at the end of his freshman year," Coby said. "I wondered if it had gone to his head a little bit and he didn't think he had to work as hard."

Until Newton starts packing the ball, and meeting with the press again, we won't know for sure.

Newton has tweeted out "No Curse."

Maybe it was just a sophomore slump, which with pandemic provisions, can be treated as just another redshirt season.

Practice begins on Wednesday.

All of the tailbacks who played last season are back, plus a couple of newcomers.

Guys with experience, NFL pedigree and a cool calendar name.

Sean McGrew, Kamari Pleasant, Cameron Davis, Sam Adams II and Jay'Veon Sunday.

And Newton.

Time to see what he's got.

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: HuskyMaven/Sports Illustrated