Like His Team, Durfee Starts Well But Disappears at Rutgers

The Husky edge rusher was sidelined for much of the game.

Edge rusher Zach Durfee is shown before the CFP championship game against Michigan. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey -- Two hours before kickoff, chartered busses carrying University of Washington football players drove down a tunnel at Rutgers' SHI Stadium to the edge of the end zone to let them off and the day began promising enough for Zach Durfee.

Wearing a gray suit that seems fairly standard for these Huskies, the junior edge rusher led a group of 15 teammates to the 50-yard line where they locked arms, formed a circle and Durfee began speaking.

That he would assume a leadership role on this team would seem only natural for the 6-foot-5, 256-pound playmaker from Dawson, Minnesota, who might be more physically gifted than any of the other UW players.

Once the game began, Durfee appeared headed for a big night. On the Huskies' first defensive snap, he met Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai behind the line of scrimmage and brought him down for no gain.

On the second series for the UW defense, Durfee got his hands on Monangai again and this time threw him down, once more for no gain.

And then just like that, similar to his football team in Friday night's 21-18 loss, Durfee couldn't close the deal against Rutgers. He didn't make another tackle, no longer was a visible presence and was spotted standing on the sideline during the second half with his helmet off.

Asked about this, Husky coach Jedd Fisch couldn't explain what happened to his talented player.

"I honestly don't know the answer to that," Fisch said. "He did not get banged up to the point he couldn't play. Maybe he had a little fatigue, but physically there was no injury there."

It's been a strange season for Durfee so far. After getting medically cleared to play following an elbow injury and ensuing surgery during spring football, he started the first two Husky games and in particular was a dominant presence against Eastern Michigan, collecting 2.5 sacks in the 30-9 victory.

However, against Washington State in the Apple Cup, Durfee wasn't in the opening lineup and drew just 25 snaps in a reserve role in the 24-19 defeat. A week later, he missed the game against Northwestern in its entirety, coming out in flipflops, shorts, his jersey and a baseball cap to watch his team win 24-5.

Fisch, like most college coaches, is reluctant to discuss injuries in any detail, though sometimes he blurts things out, such as confirming that linebacker Carson Bruener recently suffered a shoulder injury. By Big Ten mandate, he's obligated to share status reports before each game on his players who are ruled out or questionable, but he doesn't have to offer any detail on their medical issues.

At Rutgers, Durfee wore a thick gray brace on his right arm that stretched from his armpit to his wrist and made him look like the cinematic RoboCop, almost mystical in approach.

The only plausible explanation for his partial absence in New Jersey is his elbow still bothers him, limiting his time on the field.

Zach Durfee (5) leaves the field after the game at Rutgers. / Dan Raley

As he headed for the locker room following the game, Durfee was intercepted by an enthusiastic Rutgers coach, who it seems made a point of coming over just to compliment him. Even when the Husky edge rusher plays just short stretches, people easily can see he has an inordinate amount of football ability the way he shoves blockers around.

The challenge for Fisch and his coaching staff is to get Durfee healthy, available and highly productive for longer stretches. It's a terrible thing to see all that talent go unused. The Huskies might get back in the win column if they can regain his full services.

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