The Washington Huskies football team has seen so many running backs go down with injuries this season that the majority of the room has missed time.
Fourth-year Jayden Limar, third-year Jordan Washington, second-year Quaid Carr and second-year Julian McMahan are all likely out for the season due to respective injuries. Freshman running back Ansu Sanoe missed Friday's 38-26 win against the Purdue Boilermakers.
This left only four running backs healthy for Friday's game. True freshman Brian Bonner started, sixth-year running back Trey Cooley was the backup and second-year Ryken Moon, son of former Husky and NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon, was the third running back on the depth chart.
The only other running back healthy in the room was second-year D’Aryhian Clemons, who transitioned from defensive back to running back this past offseason. Both second-year running back Dezmen Roebuck and fourth-year tight end Kade Eldridge received snaps at running back last offseason.
Cooley and Bonner were able to perform well for Washington despite the shorthanded running back room and helped lead the team to its best rushing performance of the season.
The Huskies totaled a season-high 186 rushing yards on 32 carries. Cooley finished the game with 113 yards on eight carries, including a 53-yard touchdown.
5️⃣3️⃣-YD TD for @UW_Football's Trey Cooley 🔥
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 17, 2026
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Bonner ran 13 times for 64 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for another 25 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately for Washington, the solid day on the ground ended on a sour note.
On his last run of the game, Cooley fumbled the ball and was helped off the field with an apparent injury. Head coach Jedd Fisch said after the game that the sixth-year running back was being evaluated for a shoulder injury and would be undergoing x-rays.
If the injury carries through the team's bye week through UW's next matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Oct. 31, then that will make six running backs out of nine who will have missed games.
An injury would also be disappointing season for Cooley, who's playing under his last year of eligibility and has been plagued with injuries throughout his college career.
Cooley previously played with the Louisville Cardinals, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Troy Trojans. He missed all of last season with a knee injury, his only year with Troy. He also suffered a concussion that limited him to just one game with the Yellow Jackets in 2024.
If Cooley is out of action and Sanoe is unable to return from whatever kept him out for the game against Purdue, Bonner, Moon and Clemons would be the only healthy running backs available.