Russell Davis Just Missed Hitting for Sack Cycle for Huskies

The Arizona transfer took down UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers three times.

Edge rusher Russell Davis II picks up one of his three sacks against UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers at Husky Stadium. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Russell Davis took the third quarter off, that's the only way to explain it. The University of Washington junior edge rusher might have needed a few extra minutes at halftime to regroup before returning to action against UCLA in his team's 31-19 victory on Friday night at Husky Stadium. Maybe he climbed into the hot tub, got something to eat, did some yoga.

Either way, the 6-foot-3, 234-pound Davis just missed hitting for the sack cycle against the Bruins, going through only the third quarter without one. He piled up three of these defensive bounties by dropping quarterback Ethan Garbers in the first, second and fourth quarters for emphatic losses, and even separating the former Husky from the football on the second sack.

After intermission, Garbers apparently got off easy for the next 15 minutes whereas Davis -- the Arizona transfer playing in just his third UW game after coming off a fall camp leg injury -- otherwise terrorized him.

"I believe he'll be one of our top edge rushers for the years to come," UW coach Jedd Fisch said of a player who followed him to Seattle from Tucson.

Making up for lost time, Davis first showed up on the Husky punt return team against UCLA. He had his helmet pulled off during a pass rush on the Bruins' second possession and had to leave the field, but he would be back.

The Davis defensive carnage began on UCLA's third offensive series, in a scoreless game, when he burst through on a third-and-7 play on the Bruins 21 and sacked Garbers for a 2-yard loss, forcing a punt.

His second sack in the second quarter was his best one. On third-and-9 at the UW 17, with the Huskies ahead 7-3 and reeling a bit near their goal line, Davis with the precision of the Husky team surgeon caught Garbers in mid-throw and stripped the ball clean from him. With his momentum, the opportunistic defender tried to scoop up the football but had to settle for falling on it.

Finally, in the fourth quarter, Davis helped wrap up this game by taking down Garbers for a 12-yard loss on a fourth-and-20 play at the Bruins 35, with the Huskies leading 24-13 and just 3:35 remaining in the game.

"He's strong," Fisch said. "He only knows one way, which drives me crazy as an offensive coach in practice sometimes when we're trying to get certain work done. He only knows how to go 1,000 miles an hour."

Edge rusher Russell Davis II picks up the first of his three sacks of UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers on Friday night at Husky Stadium. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The emergence of Davis, the son of former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Russell Davis, couldn't have come at a better time.

While the Huskies appear to have plenty of capable edge rushers, none had piled up any significant number of sacks since junior Zach Durfee, who had 2.5 against Eastern Michigan, ran into a series of numbing injuries.

Durfee, in fact, made his first appearance in five games against UCLA only to leave the field five plays before Davis' second-quarter strip sack, hunched over with yet another upper-body injury and he didn't return.

Davis logged 23 games as a reserve player for Fisch in two seasons at Arizona and collected 3.5 sacks in 2023. The only thing that's held him back has been a slight frame that's needed a lot more bulk. If there's been an upside to his UW injury, where he was seen using a crutch to come out and watch fall camp, he's been able to put on 20 pounds since coming to the UW.

Now if Fisch can only keep Davis on the field and get Durfee back to good health, the Huskies could be fearsome coming off the edge again, much like it was with the graduated Bralen Trice being invasive in recent seasons.

Davis should be a strong candidate for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors, accolades that UW linebacker Carson Bruener received after the UW beat USC 26-21 two weeks ago in Seattle.

"He's got a great motor," Fisch said of Davis.

Ethan Garbers can verify all of that.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington