The Washington Huskies have suffered an unfortunate amount of injuries along the defensive line this season. Highlighted by defensive tackle Jayvon Parker, who tore his Achilles tendon against Rutgers, coach Jedd Fisch’s team can’t afford many more injuries in the trenches.
But the status of both defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez and edge rusher Zach Durfee is in question ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes, and before he departed, he gave an update on both players.
“I’m expecting Valdez to play, but I’m concerned about Durfee right now,” Fisch said. “We’ll see what that looks like.”
Valdez, a Montana State transfer, has been an impressive addition in the middle of the defense for coordinator Steve Belichick but left the Huskies’ 27-17 victory over Michigan early. He’s No. 4 on the team with 21 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and 1 sack.
Fisch said on Monday that he’s anxiously awaiting the bye week for Durfee, who is dealing with a toe injury and could use the rest. The former Sioux Falls transfer had a breakout game against Eastern Michigan with 2.5 sacks but has struggled to manage his injury since then.
He missed the team’s 24-5 win over Northwestern, was limited against both Rutgers and Michigan and is expected to be a game-time decision on Saturday.