UW Freshmen RBs Had No Time To Get Nervous

In 2015, Myles Gaskin was a freshman running back sent in as a reserve to make his University of Washington debut and he ran five times for 5 yards in a season-opening 16-13 loss to Boise State in that Idaho city.

Thirty-four years before that, Jacque Robinson would draw a stray handoff here and there at midseason as his freshman year unfolded before people learned his name, especially after what he did as a rookie in the Rose Bowl.

Gaskin would become the Huskies' all-time leading rusher with 5,323 yards while Robinson would be named Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player after rushing for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns against Iowa to close out his first year in spectacular fashion.

"I know he's a freshman because I checked the roster," legendary coach Don James quipped of the little-known Robinson in the postgame media exchange in Pasadena.

In a sense, Brian Bonner Jr. and Ansu Sanoe are way ahead of those Montlake running back legends after both of the new guys made their UW debuts in the second game of the season in a 16-14 victory over Utah State this past Saturday.

Brian Bonner tries to pick a hole to run through in his UW debut. | Dave Sizer photo

While Gaskin and Robinson needed time to settle in as Huskies, the 6-foot, 205-pound Bonner was thrust into a starting role to make his debut while the 6-foot, 240-pound Sanoe came off the bench and scored a touchdown in his UW unveiling.

"It was really awesome for a guy like Brian Bonner, because probably going into the season he didn't have the expectation he was going to start the second game of the year," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "Probably when he arrived here in January, he didn't have that expectation."

More than three dozen snaps later, Bonner finished with 9 carries for 22 yards, not overwhelming rushing numbers for the California native but a well-involved beginning.

Bonner admittedly had a nerve-wracking welcome-to-college-football moment early in the second quarter when he took a first-down handoff at the Utah State 11 and immediately bobbled the ball forward before he fell on it.

His eagerness to score got the best of him.

"I know the reason why he fumbled that one power [play] was he saw an open A gap and he was looking at the end zone," Fisch said.

Freshman Ansu Sanoe cuts off a block supplied by John Mills in his UW debut. | Dave Sizer photo

Ansu made his UW debut early in the second quarter and he ran for 5, 2 and a yard, with the third carry getting him into the end zone.

Fisch was quick to point out that the Portland product never lined up with the first-team Husky offense until he was inserted into this game. Not in spring ball, not in fall camp.

However, the moment wasn't too big for him as he took a handoff at the 1 and literally fell into the end zone to put the UW ahead 10-7.

Freshman running back Ansu Sanoe celebrates his 1-yard touchdown run against Utah State. | Dave Sizer photo

He finished with a Gaskin-like debut, also rushing 5 times for 5 yards.

"For him to go in there and make some plays was pretty significant," Fisch said.

So like young thoroughbreds, these freshmen are off and running.

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