Any other player might be really bent out of shape if left to deal with the situation that edge rusher Isaiah Ward faces.
He’s a fifth-year player trying to finish strong for the University of Washington football team and position himself for a possible NFL career.
Yet over two games, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Ward — a nephew to pro football linebacker great Bobby Wagner — finds himself relegated to a back-up role to freshman Ramzak Fruean and forced to come off the bench.
While dealing with an assortment of injuries, most recently a shoulder issue, he’s gone from an 11-game starter for Arizona in 2023 to six game-opening assignments to two and none so far in three seasons since joining the Huskies.
“It’s not as frustrating as it’s just a lot of learning lessons, ways to bounce back from life,” Ward said following the opener. “It’s been teaching me a lot in how to stay poised, how to stay consistent in my [medical] treatment and how to be a better teammate.”
He seems motivated enough to finish strong in his time in Montlake rather tha grouse about playing behind a younger guy.
Against WSU in the season-opening Apple Cup, Ward rushed through in the second quarter to sack quarterback Caden Pinnick, strip the ball out of his hands and recover the fumble himself at the Cougars 24.
Yet all of his hard work went for naught when the Huskies drove to the 5, stalled out on offense and missed a 29-yard field goal.
This past weekend, he put a hit on Utah State running back Sesi Vailahi and seemingly separated the football from him, leading to Husky linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah scooping it up and running 49 yards for a touchdown.
However, the officials ruled the Aggies rusher was down on contact and Ward settled for a six-yard tackle for loss in the 16-14 UW victory.
As a redshirt freshman, Ward was really on his way when that season ended in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma.
He led a fierce defensive effort in a 38-24 victory over the Sooners in which he came up with 5 tackles that included a game-securing sack and a forced fumble.
Ward now sees a little of himself in the young and talented Fruean, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound edge rusher in an absolute hurry to make things happen.
“Zak knows how to take criticism and apply it to the field,” Ward said approvingly, which is what he’s doing right now.
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