Washington football looks to have a potential All-Pac-12 cornerback on its hands in redshirt freshman Byron Murphy.
Washington’s defense played a phenomenal game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Rutgers offense had trouble getting anything going as they only managed 14 points. Considering how inconsistent the Husky offense looked, it was an impressive performance.
Redshirt freshman cornerback Byron Murphy had a tall task to step up and replace departed defensive backs Kevin King, Budda Baker and Sidney Jones. Junior corner Jordan Miller needed to step up as well. Both Murphy and Miller had a tremendous game against Rutgers.
Many expected sophomore safety and potential All-American Taylor Rapp to have a huge game. He played well but mostly flew under the radar. However, Rapp could still have a breakout game in Week 2 against the Fresno State Bulldogs and start his quest to top the four interceptions he racked up last year.
Washington needs the defense to step up and play well with how the offense looked. Quarterback Jake Browning struggled to find his receivers on some occasions. Senior receiver Dante Pettis had two plays of more than 50 yards. But one came on a punt return for a touchdown.
Murphy has the potential to be one of the best defensive backs in the Pac-12 for a long time. Few expected him to play as well as he did in his first game starting. He picked off Rutgers quarterback Kyle Bolin twice. That changed the momentum and helped the Huskies secure the victory.
We’ll see in the coming weeks if Murphy can continue his solid performance. Head coach Chris Peterson seems to have found some great young options along the defense. Sophomore corner Myles Bryant had a good game behind Miller and Murphy.
Next: 3 key takeaways from Washington's victory over Rutgers
The Washington secondary will get some huge tests against Pac-12 opponents like the Washington State Cougars and Oregon Ducks. If the Huskies face Sam Darnold and the USC Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship Game, that would be the ultimate challenge. Murphy could be up for it, though, with how well he performed against Rutgers.