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Washington’s Deuce Davis Continues Havoc at EDGE
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- Washington’s Deuce Davis Continues Havoc at EDGE
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor
Sunday afternoon saw the first reps that Russell "Deuce" Davis II has taken since his three-sack performance in the UCLA game of 2024. That year, he played just 34 defensive snaps before injuries sidelined him for all of 2025. In the Apple Cup, Davis recorded a sack on his first play back. He appeared on the field for 12 plays in that game, bringing his total snap count to 46 in a Husky uniform. That averages out to one sack every 11.5 plays.
The Pro Football Focus numbers take it one step further as well. In that stretch, Davis has recorded 11 quarterback pressures to average one pressure every four plays on defense.
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Deuce Davis' Production
"That is Deuce Davis," Jedd Fisch said during his Monday press conference after the Apple Cup. "That guy is an unbelievable pass rusher… It was his first game back after a whole year, and [he] was able to be productive gives us an opportunity to get him some more plays this coming week."
For defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, Sunday's game was his first opportunity to see Davis play live. Said Walters, "Coach Fish was like, 'As soon as he plays, I guarantee he's going to get a sack.' And sure enough, like the first play he was in, he got a sack."
After earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors for his performance against UCLA, Davis essentially missed 20 months of action due to injuries. An elbow injury shortly after the UCLA game kept him out of the 2024 season finale and Sun Bowl. He then suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the entire 2025 campaign and all of Spring practice this past April. Davis was finally cleared to play during Fall camp in August and he made a statement right away in his first game back.
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"It brings us joy as a staff just because of the adversity he's faced," Walters said of Davis. "So to see him get out there and make that play right from the jump was super, super fun to watch."
EDGE Personnel
From a personnel perspective, Davis' return to the field provides another layer of depth for the EDGE rushers. The Huskies rotated five different EDGE rushers throughout the Apple Cup. Jacob Lane and Ramzak Fruean started the game, while Isaiah Ward and Logan George also entered, along with Davis. Ward forced a fumble and jumped on the loose ball . He finished with an 89.9 defense grade according to Pro Football Focus, the highest on the team that day.
"The more plays Deuce [Davis] can play, the more plays Isaiah Ward can play, that allows Jacob Lane, that allows Logan George, and that allows Ramzak [Fruean] to be a part of a rotation," Fisch said, listing the talented depth at the position. "I think it's good for everybody."
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The EDGE rusher group as a whole totaled 10 quarterback pressures in the win. Davis played the fewest snaps of the group with 12 on Sunday, as the staff continues to slowly build up reps considering his long absence from game action. But if the production continues to be there, expect Davis to see the field more frequently in pass-rushing situations.
Main Image: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
