Fisch Confident of Valdez Return for Iowa, Not So Much Durfee

The two Husky defenders were greatly limited in playing against Michigan.

Sebastian Valdez (50) and Zach Durfee (5) are trying to overcome injuries. / Syklar Lin Visuals

Missing two of his best defensive players to injury for much of the Michigan game, University of Washington coach Jedd Fisch expects one of them, senior defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez, to be ready to play on Saturday against Iowa, while the other, junior edge rusher Zach Durfee, remains questionable until game time once more.

Valdez and Durfee appeared in the first half of the Huskies' 27-17 victory over the Wolverines, but were held out thereafter. Valdez's injury wasn't specified, but Durfee continues to deal with a toe injury that has disrupted his season.

"We need the bye week," Fisch said of getting Drufee healed. "We need him to have that full week of real recovery, I would say, before he's playing at the level he played in training camp."

Also, the Husky coach said junior edge rusher Russell Davis II, who's recently been in uniform on game day, should be ready to play for the first time this season at Iowa after getting hurt early in fall camp. He was seen using a crutch in August.

"He's good to go this week," Fisch said of a player who followed him to the UW from Arizona, where Davis appeared in 23 games. "He'll be one of the the first long-term training camp injuries that will be cleared."

Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Soane Faasolo, who started the first three games for the Huskies on the left side, was in uniform against Michigan but didn't play for the first time this season, because of an unspecified injury. JC transfer Max McCree has stepped in for Faasolo as the starter for the past three games.

"Last week, he wasn't able to take a ton of reps in practice," Fisch said of the 6-foot-8, 325-pound Faasolo.

Fisch seemed less optimistic about regaining the services of senior tight end Quentin Moore and sophomore wide receiver Kevin Green Jr., who suffered leg injuries in the season opener against Weber State and in an August scrimmage, respectively.

Moore was the starter and the best blocker among the UW tight ends, but he was hurt on a freak play, when a Weber State player left the sideline because his team was short-handed and hit Moore from the blind side on the knee and lhe had to be helped off the field.

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