3 takeaways from Washington’s bowl-clinching win against UCLA

Jedd Fisch just wants to take a second to rest. 

It’s been a busy six-day stretch for the Washington coach and his staff. After arriving back from a disheartening loss against No. 4 Penn State — a game Fisch called “our worst game as a team” — at 5 a.m. last Sunday, UW had a quick turnaround to get ready for UCLA. 

Fisch gave his support staff credit for being available to offer treatment to the players as soon as they got off the plane. He praised his coaching staff for assembling a game plan for the Bruins, who had an extra day to prepare, and he thanked the training staff for keeping the players in good shape during the week.

Now, with a win and bowl eligibility secured, Fisch can finally relax. 

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“I’m excited to take a nap tomorrow, if you’re asking that,” he said with a laugh. “There wasn’t a lot of that going on.”

Washington beat UCLA 31-19 on Friday night at Husky Stadium, guaranteeing its foundational seniors get one more game in purple and gold, with a strong performance from its defense and some questions surrounding its quarterback situation.

But there were other noteworthy moments for the Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten). Here are three takeaways from UW’s win against UCLA. 

‘Deuce’ Davis introduces himself

Russell Davis II — nicknamed “Deuce” — has been waiting for this moment for a long time. 

The junior edge rusher, who transferred to UW from Arizona, missed the first eight games of the season with an undisclosed injury. Davis finally made his season debut Nov. 2 against USC. Fisch praised him for the impact he had with limited opportunities during the Huskies’ 26-21 win over the Trojans, even though Davis didn’t come up with a sack. 

Davis converted those pressures against UCLA, racking up three sacks in an expanded role, including a crucial strip sack with the Bruins threatening in the second quarter. He totaled a career-best 3.5 sacks across 11 games as a sophomore at Arizona last season.

“He’s strong,” Fisch said. “He only practices one way, which drives me crazy as an offensive coach in practice sometimes when we’re trying to get some certain work done and he only knows how to go 1,000 miles per hour.”

Fisch said Davis will be an important part of Washington’s edge-rusher rotation for the foreseeable future, and he doesn’t necessarily just mean next season. Davis played 12 games as a true freshman at Arizona in 2022 and still had a redshirt available entering this season. 

Assuming he plays Nov. 30 against No. 1 Oregon, Davis will only have appeared in four games this season, allowing him to redshirt and potentially suit up for UW in 2025 and 2026. Fisch, who’s repeatedly noted Davis has put on significant weight since arriving at Washington before the season, also praised Davis’ motor and enthusiasm.

“I believe,” Fisch said, “he’s going to be one of our best pass rushers for years to come.”

Keleki Latu (finally) scores

Since transferring to Washington, senior tight end Keleki Latu has generally done everything he set out to do when he chose the Huskies. 

The 6-foot-7, 244-pound tight end has 34 catches for 335 yards, both career-high marks. Pro Football Focus considers him UW’s best run blocker among players who’ve played more than 22 snaps. 

But Friday allowed Latu to check one more goal off his to-do list. With 3:46 remaining in the second quarter and UW on the UCLA 8-yard line, fifth-year quarterback Will Rogers found Latu, who ran through Bruins defenders before diving into the end zone. It’s the first touchdown of Latu’s UW career.

“Amazing,” he said. “A long time coming.”

Latu only has a few more opportunities to celebrate in the end zone while wearing purple and gold. The tight end, who played two seasons at California and one at Nevada, will run out of eligibility after this season. 

However, he still has two games remaining, including a bowl game — another item Latu can now scratch off his list. 

“This will be the first bowl game I’ve ever been a part of,” Latu said. “I’m just really excited to experience this.”

Coleman 1K

It was a seemingly innocuous moment. A 3-yard carry by junior running back Jonah Coleman with 3:36 remaining in a game Washington had already effectively won.

That was the play, however, that got Coleman over 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career.

“Speechless,” he said. 

Coleman quickly found his voice, thanking his offensive line, coaches and the offensive scheme for helping him reach the milestone following his 21-carry, 95-yard performance against UCLA. 

It’s the 24th time a UW player has rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, and Coleman is the 15th player to achieve the feat. This is the second-consecutive season Washington’s had a 1,000-yard rusher, as Dillon Johnson finished the 2023 campaign with 1,243 yards. Before Johnson, UW’s most recent 1,000-yard rusher was Salvon Ahmed in 2019. 

Coleman has been arguably UW’s best offensive player in 2024. He’s had five games with at least 100 yards and has a career-high nine touchdowns. Coleman is also averaging 91.6 yards per game and 5.8 yards per carry. Entering Saturday, his 61 missed tackles forced ranked third among all running backs.