Washington Huskies Finally Have Their Running Back No. 1

The Washington Huskies football team was unable to hold onto a two-possession lead in a 25-21 loss to the No. 19 USC Trojans on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

The Huskies offense again failed to come through this season and are still searching for a performance with more than 24 points scored against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent this season.

One of the few bright spots for Washington in Saturday's loss was the arrival of first-year running back Brian Bonner Jr.

The Huskies running back room has been hit hard with injuries since the offseason began.

Following last year, the team's top two running backs, Jonah Coleman and Adam Mohammed, entered the NFL draft and transferred to the Cal Golden Bears, respectively.

The assumptive starter entering the offseason, third-year Jordan Washington, suffered a neck injury that's left his status uncertain for the rest of the year.

The top two running backs on the depth chart to begin the regular season, second-year Quaid Carr and fourth-year Jayden Limar, both suffered long-term injuries in Week 1 against the Washington State Cougars that could keep them out for the rest of 2026, as well.

A reserve running back, second-year Julian McMahan, suffered a foot/ankle injury in the week of practice leading up to UW's Big Ten opener against the Minnesota Golden Gophers that has left him out for the season as well.

As a result of the list of injuries, Bonner, one of the top recruits in the Class of 2026, has split carries in games against the Eastern Washington Eagles on Sept. 19 and the Gophers on Sept. 26 with sixth-year running back Trey Cooley.

In those two games, the 6-foot, 205-pound running back totaled 13 carries for 104 yards. He had 22 carries the whole year entering Saturday.

Bonner nearly matched his carry total in the game against the Trojans alone and finished with 19 totes for 89 yards. He caught a pass for two yards, as well, giving him more than 90 yards from scrimmage on the night.

For the season, Bonner has totaled 215 yards on 41 carries, good for 5.2 yards per run.

With the injuries in the running back room and the inconsistency on the offensive line, it's been a struggle this season for Washington to get the run game going. However, if Saturday was a sign of transition for Bonner as the de facto No. 1 back on the team, there might be able to get some consistency from the backfield.