A year ago, the Huskies did this with true freshmen such as Jayvon Parker, Jaivion Green, Tristan Dunn, Lance Holtzclaw and Denzel Boston, rushing them into games far from settled. Boston, a wide receiver, even played the first series at Oregon.
On Saturday night at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Lane from Puyallup, Washington, took a brief turn in the limelight, partly out of need with senior Sekai Asoau-Afoa shaken up and partly as a reward for his play.
“I think Jacob has been making some fantastic progress,” co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said. “We are very, very pleased with him.”
Lane previously had drawn playing stints against Michigan State and California in games already long decided.
The thing about some football coaches is they’re so loyal to their players they tend to over-inflate the talent levels and resort to hyperbole to describe them to the media..
Three years ago, reporters that follow Husky football thought this was the case when then-edge rusher coach Ikaika Malloe, now at UCLA, sat before them and promised that Bralen Trice would be a better player than Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. ![Life in the Huskies' Fast Lane Would Be Another Touted Edge Rusher - Sports Illustrated Washington Huskies News, Analysis and More](https://i0.wp.com/www.si.com/.image/ar_1:1%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1200/MjAyMDQwNDQxNjAyOTA5NzAz/jacob-lane.jpg?w=678&ssl=1)
Trice hadn’t played a down yet and Tryon-Shoyinka was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection who had just gone in the first round of the NFL draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That comparison hasn’t totally evolved but it’s getting closer, with Trice already surpassing his former teammate by earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors last season and receiving preseason first-team AP All-American accolades.
Now comes Lane, who plays the same position as Trice and Tryon-Shoyinka.
“I think he is going to be — and he’s got a chance if he continues to develop — one of the next dynamic edges at the U-Dub,” Morrell said. “He’s been playing extremely well in practice.”
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