Washington Huskies defensive tackle Jayvon Parker was called for a questionable fourth-quarter facemask penalty after making an exceptional stop on Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai in the story of the day for coach Jedd Fisch’s team, a costly penalty at an inopportune time.
Even though the call appeared that it could have gone either way, and the Scarlet Knights scored the game-sealing touchdown a few plays later, that penalty shouldn’t overshadow the junior’s big night.
He racked up 5 tackles and added 2 pressures while being a force for the Rutgers offensive line to contend with against both the run and the pass. Pro Football Focus graded him as Washington’s best defender in the game, giving him an elite 93.0 for his performance on 29 snaps.
Parker has become a critical piece of defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s front and showed just how disruptive he can be against a very good offensive line in the loss before suffering an injury in the fourth quarter.
He needed assistance walking off the field and to the locker room, which could put his status for Washington’s national championship rematch with Michigan in doubt.
The Huskies will be hoping to have him back, as he showed on Friday that he’s evolved into an exceptionally stout run defender, and against the Wolverines’ rushing attack, he could be one of the team’s biggest keys to success.