Newton, Tuputala Praised for Portland State Performances

Running back for the University of Washington football team just got a lot more competitive, with Richard Newton finally getting cleared to play 11 months after tearing up his knee against UCLA and showing what he does best.

The 6-foot, 212-pound junior practiced for the first time without limitations last week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, drawing increased repetitions each day, and finally he earned a doctor's OK on Thursday to play two days later against Portland State.

Yet Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff had agreed it wasn't going to play Newton last Saturday unless they had the game under control over the Big Sky opponent, which they did in winning 52-6. In a quarter's worth of work, the veteran back rushed 10 times for 59 yards, snapping off runs of 16 and 21 yards.

"That's one of the things we need is a guy who can break tackles in open space," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. "I thought that was good for Richard — to show he could get out there and do that."

Going forward, Grubb said everyone should know that the position has turned even more competitive after primarily going with Virginia transfer Wayne Taulapapa, returnee Cam Davis and Nebraska transfer, in that order, with each running for touchdowns against Portland State. Davis did it twice.

Other on offense who played well in the Week 2 game, in Grubb's estimation, were center Corey Luciano, wide receivers Giles Jackson and Jalen McMillan, tight end Jack Westover and, of course, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 

"Corey Luciano I thought really took a step forward," the offensive coordinator said. "I didn't feel we had great center play on Week 1. Week 2, Corey had a lot of calls, different fronts, and the guys were definitely looking to him and he stepped up."

Of the receivers, Grubb singled out Jackson, a replacement starter for Rome Odunze, who sat out with an unspecified injury.

"I thought Giles was the guy who stood out to me because he stepped up with Rome out and filled a lot of roles," the OC said.

On the other side of the ball, co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell specifically highlighted the play of linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala, now solidified as a two-game starter.

"I'm really excited about where Zo Tuputala is right now — two really consistent, strong performances [and] limited ME's out of him, mental errors — so really, really pleased with where he's at," Morrell said. "[He's] just running the show, being physical at the point of attack and then making the plays that come to him."

The 6-foot-2, 238-pound sophomore has accumulated a team-best 12 tackles in two games, with a pair of tackles for loss and a sack. He played little more than a half in each lopsided game. 

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