Coming off their best showing of the season, Washington's running back room received some good news on the injury front. The Huskies have been primarily led by true freshman Brian Bonner Jr. and sixth-year Trey Cooley for a majority of the year, as both backs have had their fair share of ups and downs in their first season at UW.
However, Jedd Fisch revealed that help might be on the way sooner rather than later.
In the first game of the season against Washington State, the Huskies lost their top two running backs in sophomore Quaid Carr and Oregon transfer Jayden Limar. While Fisch has stated that Carr is likely done for the year, the Oregon transfer has returned to practice.
"Looks like Cooley will be back," Fisch said during his Monday press
conference. "He had that shoulder situation at the end of the game, but he'll be back. He was able to practice yesterday. Jayden Limar has been able to get some practice reps, so we'll see what that looks like, but we're able to get him back into the equation."
Limar, a local product of Lake Stevens, Washington, suffered an elbow injury in the final moments of the Huskies' 24-10 Apple Cup win in Week One. Without their top three running backs, junior Jordan Washington, Carr, and Limar, the Huskies' running game has struggled for most of the season. However, the inexperienced backfield was able to find some momentum in its last outing, rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-26 victory over Purdue.
While the Huskies backfield is looking to gain a crucial body back into their rotation in the coming weeks, they'll be without freshman running back Ansu Sanoe, who Fisch said is dealing with a foot sprain. The injury to the first-year player will mark the fifth injured ball carrier for the Huskies, leaving them with Cooley, Bonner, and sophomore walk-on Ryken Moon for Saturday's contest against Nebraska.
With five games left in the regular season, the Huskies are looking to find a rhythm offensively after showing signs of life in recent weeks under backup quarterback Elijah Brown. As for the ground game, it's looking to replicate its performance in West Lafayette against a stout Nebraska defense.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Football RB Returns to Practice After Elbow Injury
