SEATTLE — University of Washington safety Darin Harris, who was taken from the field in an ambulance after suffering an apparent neck injury early in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, instead suffered a concussion that kept him overnight at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.
Tests done at the hospital determined that Harris had no injury to his spinal cord and his overnight stay was considered precautionary.
Harris, a senior from Federal Way, was hurt making a tackle on Brigham Young tight end Dennis Pitta. Harris fell hard on his face and immediately lay motionless on the Husky Stadium turf. He was kept immobilized before being eased onto a stretcher and placed in the ambulance.
During that time, the entire UW team gathered near its bench and went to one knee in prayer.
In a poignant moment, his mother Valarie Harris came down out of the stands and started for the field. She was initially stopped by a police officer, but then was allowed to continue and ran the length of the field. She joined her son in the ambulance for the trip to the hospital.
“Right now, I think the outlook for Darin Harris is very good,” UW coach Tyrone Willingham said after the game. “There’s no form that we can see right now of any neck injury, so he should be fine from that standpoint.”
Willingham came across the field to check on Harris, who was hurt near the BYU bench, “and you could see when he was down there that he was moving and wanting to get back out there and play. … It was very close (to a serious injury), but I think he’ll be all right.”
Those moments when Harris was surrounded on the field by medical personnel were reminiscent a neck injury suffered by UW quarterback Jake Locker in last year’s game against Oregon State. Like Harris, Locker was placed on a stretcher and taken from the field in an ambulance.
“It’s something we all understand is a part of the game,” Locker said. “Obviously we said a little prayer for him to wish him the best and hopefully it’s nothing too serious. But it’s on your mind when something like that happens to your teammate.”
“It was tough,” added safety Tripper Johnson, who replaced Harris in the secondary. “It just kind of takes the air out of us. But injuries happen in football, so we’ve just got to get it out of our minds and go onto the next play. But Darin is a leader for us, he’s a senior and he’s done a great job the last two games, so it was tough. I just tried to fill in and do the best I could.”
Harris will be evaluated again over the next few days, but it seems likely he will miss next Saturday’s game against Oklahoma.
Husky pups: Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, a true freshman from Lakes High School in Lakewood, was one of several first-year players to see action against BYU.
Kearse made his first collegiate reception in the second quarter and it was a dandy — a 48-yard touchdown grab on a Locker pass that gave Washington a 14-7 lead.
“I was very excited to have my first catch here at Husky Stadium,” said Kearse, who later had a 6-yard reception. “In the Oregon game (a week ago) I was nervous and everything seemed pretty fast. But this game I felt like I was comfortable. Everything just slowed down a little bit.”
Tight end, Kavario Middleton, Kearse’s high school classmate, had four catches for 30 yards. Two other true freshmen, Senio Kelemete of Seattle’s Evergreen High School, and Alameda Ta’amu from Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School, shared time on Washington’s defensive line.
True freshman running back David Freeman from Inglewood, Calif., gained 30 yards on six carries and had two receptions for 11 yards. Another true freshman running back, Chris Polk from Redlands, Calif., gained 14 yards on six carries before leaving the game in the second quarter with a dislocated shoulder (no word on Polk’s availability for next week’s game).
Wide receiver Jordan Polk, a true freshman from Portland, Ore., had two catches for 20 yards and a 6-yard rush.
Freeman, who did not play in the Oregon game, became the ninth true freshman to play for the Huskies this season.
“The young kids are getting better,” said UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano. “Those guys have got to keep developing and getting better every week, and as we keep playing all these games and they get game experience they’re going to keep getting better.
“I was proud of those young kids,” he added. “They made some nice plays today.”
Other injuries: Two UW players briefly left Saturday’s, but later returned. They were Middleton, with a knee injury, and offensive tackle Cody Habben with an apparent leg injury.
Three injured players did not suit up against BYU. They were safety Victor Aiyewa (groin) and tailback Brandon Johnson (calf) and cornerback Byron Davenport (ankle). Aiyewa and Johnson were hurt prior to the Oregon game, but played against the Ducks. Davenport was hurt during fall camp and has yet to play this season.
A better Ballman: Washington punter Jared Ballman was much better Saturday than he was against Oregon. Ballman averaged 35.6 yards per kick last week, and had a pair of shanked punts. Against BYU, Ballman averaged 47.8 yards per kick with a long of 64. Three of his five punts pinned the Cougars inside their 20, and one came to a stop at the three yard line.
“I just calmed down,” he said when asked what the difference was. “I was more confident and I knew I could hit the ball well. I just kept saying in my head that I could crush it and I did.”
New paint job: The roofs of both of Husky Stadium’s upper decks looked a little bit different for this year’s home opener. The north roof had a large “W” logo, while the south roof read, “Go Huskies.”
A first for Foster: Mason Foster’s second-quarter interception was the first of the sophomore’s career.
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