People Tried to Stay Unnoticed and Get Noticed at UW Spring Practice No. 12

Saturday's workout was a little sloppy for the Huskies yet competitive.

Jacob Bandes had an interception in Saturday's practice. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Temperatures were in the low 50s with a light drizzle at Husky Stadium, conditions not exactly conducive for a new University of Washington football team going through a dramatic remake. On Saturday, it was cold in Montlake -- and it showed during a 12th spring practice filled with repeated fumbled snaps, dropped passes and muffed interceptions.

Still, new coach Jedd Fisch liked what he saw in the overall competitiveness from his Huskies, who seemed to celebrate the most when a couple of veterans stepped up and each gave a preview of what he could do.

Midway through the workout, new tailback Jonah Coleman, who arrived with Fisch from Arizona, ran up the middle from 13 yards out, viciously knocked down cornerback Ephesians Prysock, another Arizona refugee, and bulled into the end zone.

While Prysock clapped his hands in frustration as he kneeled on the turf, the 5-foot-9, 225-pound Coleman was immediately surrounded by offensive teammates who reveled in his physicality while quarterback Will Rogers came flying in for a chest bump.

Three series later, Husky linebacker Carson Bruener, firmly established as a defensive leader on this team with no restrictions in terms of starting, intercepted a Rogers pass deflected high into the air at the line of scrimmage, took off up the left sideline toward Lake Washington and scored from 50 yards out. Another round of back-slapping and cat-calling broke out.

It was plays like this that give Fisch hope as he comes down to the final two practice sessions and next Friday night's spring game with his new team. Besides, he said the inclement weather was just temporary by all accounts he's heard.

"I think Friday night's forecast is 70 degrees and sunny for the spring game," the coach said. "Might as well get a little of this in there first before we go into the summer months that all of you guys brag about. I'm looking forward to that. But today was great. We had a lot of plays, I thought good competition, it was fun."

As the Huskies went through their paces, a solitary figure with his face somewhat hidden by a gray hoodie and wearing shorts and flip flops, with his right elbow wrapped tightly in an ace bandage, came out and sat down on a metal bench and watched practice unfold. This was 6-foot-5, 255-pound senior edge rusher Zach Durfee, making his first practice appearance since getting hurt two Saturdays prior and having surgery.

Another person trying to stay incognito while watching practice from an upper concourse area was former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, whose son Brennan is the UW offensive coordinator. On the 40-yard line, in section 107, the older Carroll wore sunglasses and sat under a blanket with presumably his wife.

Once his cover was blown, Carroll was approached by group after group who requested photos with the famous football coach, to the point he finally had to pack up and leave.

Back on the field, the ever improving Elinneus Davis, a redshirt freshman defensive tackle from Minnesota, same home state as Durfee, and one of the spring's breakthrough players, came rushing through to knock down a pass by freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr.

Running back Daniyel Ngata, who transferred in a year ago from Arizona State, snapped off one of the longest runs from scrimmage, picking his way through the defense for a nifty 20-yard gainer. Later, he was the closest player to getting injured on Saturday, shaken up on a run, but he came out of it OK.

Sixth-year senior defensive tackle Jacob Bandes, always the loudest and most vocal UW player on the field, likewise intercepted a deflected pass that went straight up in the air, and he then went to the sideline and watched it with teammates on a big screen.

Fisch acknowledged that all of those aforementioned guys were noticeable players on Saturday, along with wide receiver Denzel Boston, safety Makell Esteen, nickelback Dyson McCutcheon and offensive linemen Zach Henning and Drew Azzopardi.

Fisch told how former Husky defensive tackle Vita Vea, who plays for the Tampa Bay Bucs and the coach doesn't know, and cornerback Marcus Peters, who he's well acquainted with from their time spent with the Los Angeles Rams, have made plans to attend the spring game, which could draw upwards of 30,000-plus.

They've been added to the growing list of Husky VIPs, which include defensive tackle Danny Shelton, quarterback Jake Locker, safety Lawyer Milloy and offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy, each serving as honorary coaches.

Fisch was asked about freshman quarterback Dermaricus Davis exiting the team earlier in the week for the transfer portal, actually for the second time since he came to Washington, and seemed to shrug. The Huskies currently have Rogers the Mississippi State transfer, Williams the freshman and junior walk-on Teddy Purcell as their remaining QBs.

"Competition is the central them to our program," he said, referring to the player known as MarMar. "I always welcome guys who want to stay and compete, but I also honor their wishes and wish them the best."

Fisch said he doesn't necessarily have to have a third scholarship quarterback on hand at all times, something his UW coaching predecessor Kalen DeBoer used to say was mandatory.

"I don't think you need it -- only one plays," the Husky coach said. "We've got three right now. I'm sure we'll add one or two more. We might add a scholarship guy and we might add a walk-on. How many reps can you get? We're trying to get two guys ready for every game."

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