Inside The Huskies

UW Freshmen Receivers Make Their Presence Known In Opener

Dezmen Roebuck and Raiden Vines-Bright got on the field, got their hands on the football.
Dan Raley|
Dezmen Roebuck and Raiden Vines-Bright were two of six UW freshmen who played in the opener.
Dezmen Roebuck and Raiden Vines-Bright were two of six UW freshmen who played in the opener. | Dave Sizer photo

They're the new Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, precocious University of Washington wide receivers who had to play in their initial game as freshmen. No way were they going to watch it.

While Raiden Vines-Bright was the first to get on the field in the 38-21 victory over Colorado State, Inserted a few plays into the opening drive, Dezmen Roebuck caught the first pass among them, actually the first two.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Vines-Bright from Tempe, Arizona, was supposed to start the season opener, but actually didn't because the Huskies opted to begin the first series with a pair of tight ends in sophomores Decker DeGraaf and Kade Eldridge in the lineup. It'll come.

Vines-Bright, who beat out Penn State transfer Omari Evans, who then was held out of the game, no doubt have a another chance to become a first-time freshman starter when the Huskies host UC Davis next Saturday night at Husky Stadium.

Roebuck showed up in a big way early in the second quarter when, with the game tied at 7, he caught a 23-yard pass from scrambling Demond Williams Jr.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound newcomer from Marana, Arizona, just outside of Tucson, lined up to the right of the offensive line, then took off running upfield and cutting right to left.

With Williams under heavy pressure, having eluded one rusher and about to get hit by another, Roebuck caught a strike in front of the Husky bench on the left sideline.

Dezmen Roebuck runs under this ball during warm-ups for the season opener.
Dezmen Roebuck runs under this ball during warm-ups for the season opener. | Dave Sizer photo

Roebuck hit the ground as he went out of bounds, but popped up as if pointing a pair of pistols in celebration while the crowd of 67,778 roared its approval.

He would later catch a 4-yard pass in the third quarter.

Roebuck got his hands on the ball on a rushing attempt, gaining a yard, two plays before the game ended.

Raiden Vines-Bright is sure-handed during warm-ups for the season opener against Colorado State.
Raiden Vines-Bright is sure-handed during warm-ups for the season opener against Colorado State. | Dave Sizer photo

Five years ago, Odunze and McMillan made their Husky freshman debuts against Oregon State in an empty Husky Stadium, one off limits to fans because of the COVID pandemic.

In the 27-21 UW victory, Odunze caught a pass for 3 yards and ran the ball once for a 6-yard loss, while McMillan would take a fly sweep 7 yards.

They each would become a first-time starter in the fourth and final game of that shortened season against Stanford, because most of the Husky veteran receivers, who included Puka Nacua, were ill and unable to play.

Roebuck and Vines-Bright are off to a healthy and happy start as freshmen receivers, with anything possible.

They easily could be the new McMillan and Odunze, making things happen from the outset.

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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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