Newton Received a Wake-Up Call When He Was Pulled From the Husky Rotation

It was almost as if Richard Newton scored on his dazzling 54-yard scamper early in the fourth quarter against Arizona last season, disappeared up a tunnel at Husky Stadium and never came back 

That was only partially true.

The University of Washington running back didn't head for the tunnel at that moment. 

In one of the more confounding story lines of the Huskies' short pandemic season, of which there were many, the superbly talented Newton found the end zone with his mad dash and he never stepped on the field again that day or in the ensuing two football games.

The UW fans  and the media were left to wonder what the 6-foot, 215-pound running back from Lancaster, California, might have said or done to get shut down like that. The coaching staff never adequately explained what his transgressions were. 

Finally on Saturday, Newton met with the media for the first since he disappeared completely from the backfield rotation, where he dressed for games against Utah and Stanford but never stirred from the bench. 

The suggestion was made by Husky coach Jimmy Lake at the time that his talented running back wasn't giving the proper effort to all of his duties, such as pass protecting.

Newton's downfall came after he scored 11 touchdowns and even threw for one as a redshirt freshman in 2019, and then was named to the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which is given to the nation's most outstanding back. It was like a kiss of death. 

"A lot of it had to do with what was going on, COVID and the short season, and I had to step back and re-evaluate what I was doing this for," Newton said. "It was kind of like an eye-opener for me. I guess just not playing and not getting on the field where I feel like I could help. That was probably the worst feeling — is feeling you could contribute but you don't."

For spring practice, however, the sophomore showed up noticeably determined and definitely well-muscled, and UW running-backs coach Keith Bhonapha and Lake raved about the new Newton. He broke several tackles to score on a 15-yard run in the spring game. 

"I'm not going to harp on last year," Bhonapha said. "Richard has shown he wants to be consistently great."

Newton said he readdressed his situation at the UW and what went wrong, and decided he had to work harder. He returned with a noticeably defined physique that includes bulging biceps. 

The result has he's run No. 1 at his position more than anyone else in a running back room that is stacked with former starters and sixth-year seniors Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant, promising freshman Cam Davis and extremely eager freshman Jay'Veon Sunday.

"What's different about myself is basically my mindset," Newton said. "I'm not really worrying about the past or past seasons. I'm just trying to be the best version of myself, you know. I'm constantly growing and I'm obsessed with getting better and improving always. My mindset when I have the ball is I never want to make it easy for anyone to tackle me — I want to be the hammer, and not the nail."

Most certainly, he doesn't want to be a bent or a rusty nail. It's time score more touchdowns again and return to play another day.