Apparently, four fingers are plenty.
After missing three games with a hand injury, Washington senior safety Asa Turner returned in the 36-33 victory over Oregon last weekend — despite donning a club on his right hand and a cast on his left thumb.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety still secured seven tackles in 35 snaps, spelling junior starter Kamren Fabiculanan. And a year after whiffing on four tackles attempts against Oregon, Turner — club, cast and all — didn’t miss a tackle.
“I joked with him a little bit the other day. I think that’s the best, since I’ve been around him, that he’s tackled,” UW co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said last week. “He’s tackling well with two clubs on your hands.
“He had extreme focus on it. I know he was really hungry after last year’s game to come out and play well. It’s just great to have him back on the field. I’m really proud of him coming out after a long layoff and being really productive for us.”
Turner’s production transcends statistics. The Carlsbad, Calif., product — who returned to the starting lineup Saturday against Arizona State — handles the Huskies’ defensive shifts and audibles as well.
“From a leadership standpoint, that’s where Asa has his strength of the core and the unit, as one of the leaders,” said co-defensive coordinator William Inge. “Him being able to drive the defense, know exactly what’s going on on the back end and being able to get people aligned, being able to make calls, checks and adjustments … there’s an extreme comfort level when he’s back there of you knowing everyone’s going to be on the same page.”
Thumbs up for Jackson
Speaking of thumb casts, senior wide receiver Giles Jackson — who missed UW’s first six games with a torn ligament in his thumb — also returned against Oregon, contributing six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown in place of injured standout Jalen McMillan.
Jackson — a 5-9, 178-pound senior — excelled despite wearing a hard cast on his thumb, under his glove. The Michigan transfer opened the scoring in the first quarter with a textbook 26-yard touchdown.
It couldn’t come fast enough.
“We were running it in practice all week,” Jackson said. “I just knew this was the same look we were getting in practice. I was low-key hesitant at first. I was literally shaking in my cleats, like, ‘Hurry up. Call hike.’ He called it and I knew, that’s coming to me.”
More passes could continue to come Jackson’s way, considering McMillan and sophomore wide receiver Germie Bernard both missed the game Saturday against Arizona State with injuries. The Huskies likely will lean on Jackson, established standouts Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk, and tight ends Jack Westover and Devin Culp in the immediate future.
But Jackson is plenty capable of playing a part.
“He’s ready for the moment at any time,” said UW associate head coach and wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard. “He has a chip on his shoulder. He kind of reminds me of a smaller receiver that I had in (former Purdue standout and 2021 second-round NFL draft choice) Rondale Moore, who played with a chip on his shoulder 24/7.
“That’s Giles Jackson in a nutshell. It doesn’t matter what the situation is. He’s ready to go. Giles has been through way more than most people even know. When I arrived here I didn’t know how much folks were really in love with the kid, just to be completely transparent. Some of that is self-inflicted and some of it not so much. But I fell in love with him right away.”
As long as Jackson keeps catching passes, Husky fans will love him as well. But depending on McMillan and Bernard’s long-term status, Jackson could conceivably redshirt this season (while participating in as many as four games, plus the postseason) and return in 2024.
For now, Jackson is a tantalizing target for UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
But the cavalry might be coming.
“You don’t replace Jalen McMillan,” Shephard said. “He makes everybody in the room better, because he’s going to require that the defense keep their eyes on him. Because he’s going to be open.
“So certainly that is definitely a piece in the offense that we’d like to have back, and he’s working toward it. The kid is busting his butt. Obviously you guys saw him out there on Saturday for the first eight plays, and then he had a minor setback. But he’s doing great. He’s in great spirits. He’s working on himself, to make sure he’s a piece of metal going forward so that he can go through anything.”
Extra point
- UW senior defensive lineman Tuli Letuligasenoa missed the game Saturday with an apparent injury. Junior Faatui Tuitele started in Letuligasenoa’s place.
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