Zaydrius Rainey-Sale Makes UW Debut, Passes Eyeball Test

With great anticipation surrounding him, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale officially made his University of Washington football debut on Friday night against Rutgers, in the sixth game of the season, on the third defensive series, on a third-and-9 play, with two and a half minutes left in the opening quarter.

Let the record show that while the much discussed freshman linebacker wasn't in on the tackle, but the Huskies held the visitors to a three-yard gain and forced them to attempt a 45-yard field goal that missed.

Presence is everything.

Over three hours of football, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Rainey-Sale showed himself to be a rangy and mobile defender, an impressive physical specimen who covers a lot of ground quickly, and looked all along like he belonged out there with the big boys.

"Zaydrius is back," UW coach Jedd Fisch confirmed in his postgame media session. "And that really helps our linebacker corps."

Zaydrius Rainey-Sale drew more than a dozen plays in his UW football debut. | Dave Sizer photo

Coming off offseason knee surgery from his Bethel High School days in the Tacoma suburbs, Rainey-Sale got his feet wet as a Husky by pulling 16 plays, put in all sorts of situations to compensate for senior linebacker Jacob Manu sitting out on Friday night while trying to maintain future eligibility.

"We have had unbelievable confidence in Zaydrius as a true freshman," Fisch said.

Rainey-Sale's only real issue was how to properly dress for his inaugural college football game. He initially came out in white gloves that stretched halfway to his elbow, went with a shorter black pair momentarily and then switched back to the all-white look.

Teaming either with sophomore Deven Bryant or junior Xe'ree Alexander on the second row, Rainey-Sale was credited with a third-quarter tackle when he chased after Rutgers tight end Colin Weber and brought him down after a seven-yard gain.

That was part of a 19-play drive for the Scarlet Knights who reached the UW 2 before they ran out of downs, and Rainey-Sale was on the field much of that time.

Zaydrius Rainey-Sale played for the first time on the third defensive series against Rutgers. | Dave Sizer photo

He seemed confident and highly skilled, backpedaling with ease, as he became the 13th of 28 UW true freshmen to draw playing time this season.

Rainey-Sale came well prepared for his debut, calling out formations and directing traffic on the defense.

Expect him to carry a heavier load as the Huskies turn their attention to the second half of the regular-season schedule, beginning with Michigan next Saturday.

"We'll see him more and more and more," Fisch said energetically.

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