Inside The Huskies

Starting 3 Freshmen WRs At Once Is Daydream, Maybe UW Option

Chris Lawson would be candidate to replace junior Denzel Boston if the latter is unable to play against Purdue.
Dan Raley|
Chris Lawson might become the third freshman starter at wide receiver.
Chris Lawson might become the third freshman starter at wide receiver. | Dave Sizer photo

There was a time when the University of Washington football team and everyone else used to field a separate freshman squad. Until 1975, first-year players weren't eligible at the varsity level and played their own schedule.

Do you not remember the Husky Pups?

Fifty years later, nothing's changed regarding the consolidation to one football roster in Montlake -- except the Huskies are practically have their own freshman team again after starting a half-dozen of these guys, true and redshirt, this season.

And maybe more.

Consider this wild thought: should leading receiver Denzel Boston, because of an ankle injury, be unable to play against Purdue Saturday at Husky Stadium, the following mix would be one option for starters.

Dezmen Roebuck, Raiden Vines-Bright and Chris Lawson.

Each one is a true freshman.

"Hopefully with Denzel, we'll see what he's able to do and what that looks like," offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty said. "But if the three freshmen practice well this week and they're the best guys, than that's what we'll roll with."

These first-year pass-catchers, of course, aren't the only options. Penn State senior transfer Omari Evans, junior Kevin Green Jr. and sophomore Audric Harris remain possibilities.

The freshmen, however, all trail only Boston among the wide receivers on the team in catches, as well as running back Jonah Coleman and tight end Decker DeGraaf.

Behind Boston's 52 grabs, Roebuck has 29 receptions for 421 yards and 4 touchdowns while starting seven times.

Vines-Bright has 19 receptions for 215 yards, likewise with seven game-opening assignments.

Lawson, off to a late start after getting injured in fall camp, has appeared in five consecutive games and has 6 catches for 53 yards.

Chris Lawson has 6 catches since coming off a fall camp injury.
Chris Lawson has 6 catches since coming off a fall camp injury. | Dave Sizer photo

That puts Lawson ahead of Evans, who has 5 receptions for 128 yards and a score in seven games; Harris, who has played in three contests and has 2 catches for 10 yards; and Green, who has played twice but has no stats.

Besides Roebuck and Vines-Bright, the Huskies have started four other freshmen in offensive guard John Mills and Paki Finau (redshirt), safety Rylon-Dillard Allen and nickelback Rahshawn Clark (redshirt).

Freshman linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale also could be moving closer to a first-team assignment before the season ends. He's appeared in four games and shown off high-level skills since he was cleared in his recovery from a high school knee injury and ensuing surgery.

"Everything's on the table right now," Dougherty said of the possibility of adding yet another freshman receiver to the starting lineup.

They're Husky Pups.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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