Washington suited up in full pads on Saturday evening inside Husky Stadium for a team scrimmage. The Huskies ran 112 offensive and defensive plays and 20 special teams plays in a practice session that lasted about three hours. “I thought there was some good give-and-take tonight, just as I would expect in a scrimmage like this,” head coach Jedd Fisch said afterwards. “I thought it was fun to watch everybody compete.” We tracked unofficial stats during the scrimmage, and Ryan Walters’ defense had a few high-quality performances on Saturday night.
Washington Scrimmage Recap
Hayden Moore Stands Out
Outside linebacker/EDGE rusher Hayden Moore is adapting to a new position on the Husky defense. On Saturday evening, Moore was easily the stand-out player on the defensive side of the ball in Washington’s scrimmage. Moore made his presence known early, recording a tackle for loss on two consecutive drives early in the evening. He would end up with 3.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, and one stop.
“We moved Hayden down to outside linebacker and EDGE rusher in the middle of Spring last year,” Fisch said after the scrimmage. “We found a better place for him in our opinion.” Fisch also commented on Moore’s performance under the lights that night. “I thought today he showed up, he’s also doing a great job on special teams. He had a nice night and is giving himself a good opportunity to play three weeks from tonight.”
Breaking Down The Position Switch
“Transitioning from Spring, it was definitely a change from inside backer,” Moore said earlier this Fall. “There was a lot of technique to adjust to. But I’m getting more comfortable, and definitely just settling in with the new playbook as well.” Moore is adjusting to the different techniques of the EDGE position, especially as it relates to lining up in a five-down defensive front. “Setting an edge [and] rushing the passer off the edge instead of five yards off the ball is a little bit different,” Moore said. “It’s coming along.”
“I think I’m pretty comfortable in the five down front,” Moore said. “When we get in the five down stuff, I feel like I have a decent amount of length, [and I’m] almost there on the weight.” The Husky EDGE is listed at 6’-2” and 222 pounds. Despite his smaller frame as compared to Zach Durfee and Jacob Lane, Moore has been impressive at his new position, and he showed that on Saturday evening with his performance. “I’m just looking to play anywhere I can help the team, and take that opportunity.” The redshirt sophomore played in the final three games of the 2024 season. As a senior at Regis Jesuit High School (Colorado), Moore recorded 197 tackles (95 solo), 17 tackles for loss, and seven sacks.
Performances To Know
Staying at the EDGE position, Lane and Durfee each had a solid evening as well. Lane notched two tackles for loss, and Durfee had a would-be sack that occurred in the end zone. It was not called a safety on the field, but the 6’-5” EDGE rusher had a clear opportunity to bring down the quarterback. UCF transfer linebacker Xe’ree Alexander had 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack as well. Linebacker Deven Bryant showed up in the stats column with a pass breakup, a tackle for loss, and a stop.
The secondary did not come away with any interceptions on the evening, and Fisch noted that afterwards. “I still want to see us take the ball away,” he said. “But I love the fact that we’re protecting the ball really well. So it’s a catch-22 on that.” Leroy Bryant did have a forced fumble in the scrimmage, stripping the football loose after the receiver hauled in a short flat route. Ephesians Prysock got his hand on a field goal attempt, blocking a 29-yard try. Fisch mentioned those two, as well as Tacario Davis, after the scrimmage. “I think today was a good day for Prysock, and Leroy, and Tacario,” Fisch said. “I thought all three of those guys showed up and had a good day.”
Main Image: Nick Lemkau
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