Huskies Forced to Shuffle Wide Receivers as Injuries Mount
Against Oregon, Jalen McMillan limped off the field on his own after re-injuring his knee, but fellow wide receiver Germie Bernard needed help in reaching the sideline when he was hobbled by an ankle injury.
Irregardless of how they exited, that was a lot of talent for one University of Washington position group — the much-advertised pass-catchers — suddenly becoming unavailable for who knows how long.
McMillan, a three-year starter who led the 2022 UW team with 79 receptions, tried to play against the Ducks after getting hurt at Michigan State a month earlier and he lasted just a couple of series before he experienced more discomfort and was done.
"I think it surprised him a little that his knee gave," Husky offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said candidly of the 6-foot-1, 192-pound junior from Fresno, California.
As the week began, McMillan was being re-examined by a doctor, though Grubb said his playmaker had suffered no structural damage or strength loss from the latest mishap.
Widely touted as the deepest anywhere in college football, the UW receiving corps should have enough able bodies to serve as replacements for McMillan and Bernard, and keep the yardage-gobbling offense operating at a high level of efficiency. The downside is the position isn't nearly as stacked as it once was.
While McMillan and Bernard haven't been ruled out of Saturday night's home game against Arizona State, their injuries are such that it would be a surprise if they were able to be ready when fifth-ranked UW (6-0 overall, 3-0 Pac-12) faces the last-place Sun Devils (1-5, 0-3).
Bernard, a 6-foot-1, 203-pound sophomore from Las Vegas and always a breakaway threat, became the starter after McMillan was hurt during the Huskies' 41-7 rout of Michigan State in East Lansing.
With both of these players in recovery, the Huskies need yet another third receiver to step up and seamlessly team with junior Rome Odunze and sophomore Ja'Lynn Polk as starters. Odunze remains one of the nation's elite receivers with 40 catches for 736 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Polk is having a highly productive season with 32 caches for 586 yardsd and 5 scores.
Senior Giles Jackson made a strong case to start alongside those two last Saturday when he made a remarkable season debut in the Huskies' deeply satisfying 36-33 victory over Oregon. After missing the first five games with a hand injury suffered in fall camp, Jackson returned ready to play in a big way.
Wearing a protective rubber sleeve up to his elbow, Jackson played a lot more than intended against the Ducks and responded with 6 receptions for 58 yards, which included a 26-yard touchdown grab on his first catch of this new season for him.
"Giles was in the game plan, for sure, but not at the level he ended up contributing," Grubb said of the speedster's clutch outing. "It was pretty awesome to see again another situation where one of our guys was prepared to be in a moment."
Redshirt freshman Denzel Boston is another obvious candidate to play more. He's appeared in all six games and has 2 catches for 23 yards.
UW coach Kalen DeBoer said the biggest adjustment for new receivers thrust into a bigger role is finding a rotation rhythm and working in sync with the other guys.
If McMillan and Bernard are unable to play against Arizona State, the Huskies would be without two of their more uniquely versatile players.
Against the Ducks, Bernard completed a 14-yard pass to Polk, making him a triple threat with his first attempt of the season. He also has totals of 17 receptions for 231 yards and a score, 9 carries for 22 yards and 2 TDs rushing, and 9 kickoff returns for 233 yards, with a long of 51 yards.
McMillan plays the same kind of do-everything game. He has 20 receptions for 311 yards and 3 TDs, 2 rushes for 21 yards and a score, a pass completion for 9 yards, and 5 punt returns for 13 yards.
Some thought had been given to redshirting Jackson this season once he ran into his injury issues. With so many of his fellow receivers presumably entering the next NFL draft, Jackson could have played a prominent role in 2024. However, limiting Jackson to four appearances this season to preserve future eligibility seems unlikely now.
"Who knows, man," Grubb said. "I think it'll be harder now."
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