Third Husky Spring Practice Gets Overheated with 3 Skirmishes
Kalen DeBoer's football practices generally are fast-paced and fairly intense. On Friday, the University of Washington's third spring workout got a little hot-tempered, too.
The Huskies headed into an 18-day spring break with a spirited session that ended abruptly after the third of three fights broke out during scrimmage-like conditions.
"It was probably as much energy as I've ever seen us come to practice with, at least for a spring practice anyway ... guys are playing hard and they're super competitive," DeBoer said. "We probably had too much action at the end of practice, but those are some of the things you go through as you're building your team."
Holdover offensive guard Gaard Memmelaar and USC linebacker transfer Ralen Goforth got into it first, swinging and shoving in Dempsey Indoor near two open doorways looking out on Lake Washington before teammates separated them.
A few minutes later, Memmelaar, a 6-foot-4, 302-pound sophomore from Caldwell, Idaho, pancaked a defender who couldn't readily be identified with more punches exchanged and players getting shoved.
Finally, five plays later on a rushing attempt by freshman Tybo Rogers, junior offensive guard Julius Buelow picked up redshirt freshman edge rusher Lance Holtzclaw and threw him down, creating more frenzied activity.
That last skirmish prompted the coaches to bring practice to an end and summon everyone to midfield where loud voices could be heard shouting before total calm was restored.
While praising his team's overall intensity, DeBoer acknowledged he's not a big fan of these sort of squabbles. Yet he understood his guys came ready to get after it even with spring break looming and, as long as players don't cross the line, he was good with everything that took place.
Jimmy Lake's Husky teams regularly used to mix it up, but these were the first on DeBoer's watch, at least that were witnessed by the media.
Otherwise, the Huskies seemed to get a lot done with three early March practices, with two held inside because of the weather.
They're still as explosive as can be with Michael Penix Jr. sending a pass over the middle to wide receiver Rome Odunze, who made the catch and then flat out outran everyone for an 89-yard touchdown.
Yet of all of the newcomers, a defensive player in junior-college transfer Thaddeus Dixon probably has impressed the most, with the cornerback showing great hip movement while turning and running with the pass-catchers.
Dixon lined up with the No. 1 defense for much of Friday's practice, in one situation going step for step with receiver Denzel Boston and then making a break on a deep ball that he got his hands on but dropped. Still, the Long Beach City College product drew a roar of appreciation from his defensive teammates.
Cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, slow to rotate into the scrimmage sessions this week because of a lingering health issue, took part in the scrimmage plays for the first time while lining up with the second-team defense on Friday, but wasn't really tested.
While spring break beckons, DeBoer said many of his players won't be leaving town, preferring to spend their vacation working out and staying ready to finish off 12 more practices, beginning March 29. They're serious about making big things happen this season.
"I really like where we're at," the coach said.
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