The Huskies special teams are starting to take shape and the defense made several highlight plays during Tuesday's practice.
SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies football team entered Tuesday's practice coming off a weekend full of praise by going full-pads, albeit not quite full contact.
Even with the dialed-back contact, the Huskies still continued to do what they've preached doing the entire offseason: progress.
Here's several notes and observations from the 10th practice of fall camp for Washington:
Jayden Limar takes step forward
Fourth-year running back Jayden Limar, who transferred to UW this offseason from the Oregon Ducks, was named by head coach Jedd Fisch before training camp began as splitting first-team reps with second-yea running back Quaid Carr.
Before Tuesday, those two backs, plus addition running backs on the team, were all showing flashes of solid play both in the run and passing game.
Tuesday was the Limar show. On back-to-back plays, Limar broke out a first-down run and a first-down catch-and-run.
Limar and Troy transfer and sixth-year running back Trey Cooley are the two most veteran backs on the roster, and the experience of the former combined with the ability of Carr could lead to a solid backfield tandem for the program.
Defense once again a highlight
It's been hard-pressed this fall training camp to go through a session where the defense doesn't make a play. And that was the case again Tuesday.
Linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah intercepted a pass in team drills off a tip thrown by third-year quarterback Demond Williams Jr. Fourth-year cornerback Emmanuel Karnley nearly intercepted a pass from Williams himself after first-year wide receiver Trez Davis slipped running his route.
Special teams nearing final form
The team's special teams unit has been one of the hardest to pin down this fall training camp, in large part due to the lack of ability to run full return drills without reps.
Even with that fact, the special teams is nearing developing a depth chart, even though special teams coach Chris Petrilli still says it's "wide open."
"It's still wide open," Petrilli said after practice Tuesday. "(Rahshawn Clark) and (Dezmen Roebuck) have done it before for us. So those guys are battling it out, but you got (Chris Lawson) back there and you see Mason James back there, so right now, we still have another week of repping everybody, getting a look at everybody, same with kick return. Next week we'll start tightening down the lines a little."
Petrilli is also attempting to figure out the coverage unit on the team. Head coach Jedd Fisch hasn't showed away from allowing starters on offense or defense playing on special teams. First-year edge rusher Ramzak Fruean, who's likely the fastest defensive lineman on the team, is a potential candidate to play on the kickoff coverage team.
Other notes
-- Christian Moss continued his stellar training camp by reeling in another touchdown. James and Lawson also had touchdown receptions.


