Originally published Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 7:31 PM
At long last, Cody Bruns back in end zone he once knew well
Senior wide receiver scores on a 3-yard pass
Seattle Times staff reporter
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BOULDER, Colo. — During his days at Prosser High School, Cody Bruns caught a state-record 72 touchdown passes.
When he signed with Washington in 2008, few could have expected he'd have to wait until the tail end of his career to get his initial college touchdown.
But Saturday, when Bruns finally got his first score as a Husky on a 3-yard pass from Keith Price in the first half of UW's 38-3 victory at Colorado, he didn't care that he'd had to wait so long. Better late than never, he said.
"I actually threw one before I caught one," he said with a laugh, recalling a touchdown he tossed in 2008 to quarterback Ronnie Fouch. "So it's kind of funny how that works."
The touchdown Saturday opened the scoring for UW and came on a second-down play when Bruns slid into an open area near the sideline, caught a short pass and then dove into the end zone.
"I wanted to make sure I got in," he said. "I wasn't going to let anything stop me from getting in."
Few TDs have been more popular among UW players, all of whom know the tough road Bruns has traveled during his Husky career, which includes redshirting last season after the sudden death of his father.
"That guy has been through so much, I'm really proud of him," Price said. "He definitely deserved it."
Bruns, in fact, thanked Price when he got to the sideline, saying it was a tribute to all the time the quarterbacks and receivers spend working out during the season and offseason.
By the time he got to the locker room, his phone was already exploding with texts from friends and family, and he planned to immediately call his mother.
"It's just a fun time for everyone," he said.
ASJ gets his kicks
The experiment of tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins playing defensive end appears to now be a regular part of the game plan as he again got a dozen or so snaps in obvious passing situations.
And this time, he had something to show for it, recovering a fumble forced by Josh Shirley on a sack in the third quarter.
"Josh Shirley made a great play and knocked the ball out," Seferian-Jenkins said. "I wish I would have picked it up and scored, but I was just worried about getting on the ball for the team."
Seferian-Jenkins did not make any tackles and said while he feels good about his progress, he also said he still has a long way to go.
"I was really close to getting two or three sacks today," he said. "It's frustrating, but I felt all right about it."
Seferian-Jenkins also caught his 11th career touchdown pass, setting a record for Husky tight ends. That came on a 3-yard pass in which Price was hit hard on a blitz as he threw.
"I saw him just get blasted and I was like 'That probably hurt,' " he said. "I was like 'I've got to catch it so it's worth it.' "
Trufant sits out
Senior cornerback Desmond Trufant sat out, still struggling with a hamstring injury suffered against California. Sarkisian, though, said Trufant should be able to play against Washington State on Friday.
"We got to (looking at) it and he's just not 100 percent," Sarkisian said. "We know who we are playing next week and how much they are going to throw the ball and we are going to need Desmond next week and by holding him out I think we will get a 100 percent Desmond Trufant next week."
First-time TDs
Also scoring the first touchdowns of their careers were two true freshmen, receiver Jaydon Mickens and running back Kendyl Taylor.
Taylor had the best day of his career with 78 yards on nine carries along with the 23-yard TD in the third quarter on a pass from Price.
"I'm just getting more comfortable with the offense and how things are going," said Taylor, who started at receiver in the opener before moving to tailback after Jesse Callier was lost for the season. "Definitely being the backup now, I have to take the lead and help balance out Bishop Sankey."
Shades of 2008
Colorado fell to 1-10 with the defeat, and other than a 35-34 victory over Washington State, it hasn't come within 25 points in Pac-12 play, falling to 1-7 in conference action.
Washington senior safety Justin Glenn, who was part of Washington's 0-12 team in 2008, said he saw some similarities between that team and the 2012 Buffaloes.
"They looked dead," he said. "Cody (Bruns) and I were talking about that because we've been there. I think back to our freshman year, and you just don't have hope. Coming into a game, it's just not the same. It feels great to be on the opposite end of that."
NOTE
• True freshman Shaq Thompson intercepted a pass in the first quarter and is tied for the team lead with Marcus Peters with three.
Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com