UW's Bruener Returns to Scene of His Greatest Game

The Husky linebacker had a huge day against Stanford in 2021.

Twenty-four games and three seasons ago, Carson Bruener drew his first career start at linebacker for the University of Washington football team in a road game at Stanford.

Then a redshirt freshman, the 6-foot-2, 226-pound Bruener replaced Daniel Heimuli, who was a linebacker fill-in the game before for Edefuan Ulofoshio, who was out for the season with a bicep injury.

In a sense, this made Bruener the third-teamer on Jimmy Lake's depth chart, but this legacy player — the son of former UW and NFL tight end Mark Bruener — instead showed himself on Oct. 30, 2021 in Palo Alto, California, to be the Pac-12's top defensive player at any position.

Bruener was everywhere, picking up 16 tackles, a sack and a half, and a forced fumble in a game that the Huskies won 20-13, but wasn't decided until the final 21 seconds on a 20-yard pass from Dylan Morris to Jalen McMillan.

"That was the upcoming of Carson Bruener," said UW starting offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten, who shared the same Husky recruiting class with him. "I always knew that kid was a great player."

This week, Bruener wasn't able to reminisce because he had to dash off to class following Tuesday's Husky football practice, the one day for player media availability.

Yet back in 2021, Bruener admitted to some surprise at being named the starter and informed of his promotion by then defensive coordinator Bob Gregory just two days before the game was held. The injured Ulofoshio must have known something was coming and advised him all week about position nuances.

"I was a little bit shocked, honestly," Bruener told those interviewing him following the game. "I knew I was playing good and both Daniel and I had been splitting plays at the Mike."

Yet demonstrating how quickly things can change in college football, the Stanford game marked the final coaching victory for Lake, was first suspended and fired two weeks later for shoving a player with his team headed for a 4-8 record. Bruener lined up at linebacker next to Jackson Sirmon, who now plays for California. Gregory coaches the safeties for Stanford. Heimuli plays for Arizona.

Bruener went on to start five games that season, return an interception 50 yards against Oregon, pile up 14 tackles against Arizona State and collect 11 tackles in the Apple Cup against Washington State.

Following the Husky football coaching change, Bruener curiously has come off the bench for all 18 games overseen by Kalen DeBoer's staff. He plays almost as much as the starters in Ulofoshio and Alphonzo Tuputala. Six tackles have been his highest output last season and this season.

Bruener has heard all sorts of reactions from his teammates this week in regards to having the game of his life.

"I just kind of leave him alone, because the crazy thing was he almost broke my Stanford record for tackles," Ulofoshio said jokingly, referring to his 18 against the Cardinal in Seattle in 2020. "Obviously it was super exciting to see that."

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