Carson Bruener Has Arguably His Best Game as a Husky

The UW linebacker led all tacklers with 12, had 2 interceptions and added a pair of pass break-ups.

Husky linebacker Carson Bruener (42) comes up with his second interception against USC in the third quarter. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Carson Bruener has turned in some fairly spectacular games for the University of Washington football team in his career.

Three years ago, he made his first Husky start as a redshirt freshman at Stanford and piled up 16 tackles, including a sack and a half and a forced fumble, in a 20-13 victory in Palo Alto, and he was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.

Last season, the junior from Woodinville, Washington, and son of former Husky and NFL tight end Mark Bruener, came up with 14 tackles each on consecutive weekends, doing it two different and decidedly creative ways -- as a starter at Oregon State and as a reserve in the Apple Cup against Washington State.

Yet in Saturday night's 26-21 win over USC, Bruener arguably was never better in his 48 UW appearances, 15 of which have been starts. He finished with a game-high 12 tackles, nearly doubling anyone else who played for either side, and came up with 2 interceptions and a pair of pass break-ups.

"Carson Bruener had a great game," UW coach Jedd Fisch confirmed, calling the collective linebacker effort the best of the season.

Bruener's second interception in the third quarter, in particular, helped change the game's momentum after the Huskies had fallen behind 21-20 and USC had moved the ball and reached midfield looking for more.

He made a leaping grab of a Miller Moss pass over the middle and returned it 16 yards to the Trojans 39. Eight plays later, the Huskies scored the game-winner on Keith Reynolds' 4-yard run on a jet sweep.

USC running back Woody Marks (4) gets pulled down by UW linebacker Carson Bruener. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

With the two interceptions against USC, Bruener now has 3 this season and the team lead, one more than senior safety Kamren Fabiculanan, with each player noting the other's game pass theft contributions in passing as they left the interview room. In his career, he now has 5 interceptions, not bad for someone who doesn't play as a defensive back in constant coverage.

Best game ever?

"It might be," Bruener said. "I haven't really looked. When we go through the film, I can kind of then watch and correct myself on what I did wrong and what I did right, and see what I graded out at. Right now, I feel I played pretty well."

No arguments from anyone on that assessment.

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