After losing star freshman tight end Luke Hasz for the remainder of the year due to a broken clavicle suffered last week against Texas A&M, the Arkansas offense needed to find someone to fill in at the tight end position.
Though the Razorbacks dropped Saturday's game at Ole Miss, 27-20, redshirt freshman Ty Washington might've proved he's the answer. Washington was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise stagnant offense during the Razorbacks' loss to the Rebels.
The former three-star prospect was a frequent target of quarterback KJ Jefferson's throughout the game, most notably on the first drive. He caught five passes for 56 yards, including a three-yard touchdown that capped off the drive.
For the game, Washington finished with seven receptions for 90 yards and two scores. The native of Leesburg, Georgia, entered the contest having just one career catch. Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said after the game that he was glad to see Washington have the success he did.
"Wasn't that something?" Pittman said. "I took him aside just right before I walked in here and I told him how proud I was of him, you know, seven catches for two touchdowns."
Saturday's game wasn't the first time Washington had played meaningful snaps. He appeared in the Liberty Bowl win over Kansas last season — a game in which he caught a 17-yard touchdown.
"Obviously, my confidence, it helped a lot to be honest from the bowl game," Washington said. "Then coming into the season it took a dip a little bit, but it was always there. But I’d say it definitely boosted my confidence more."
Washington had only seen limited action — primarily on special teams — this season prior to Saturday's game, but he said he just continued to keep working and waiting for his opportunity.
"Like Tom Brady said, you’ve got two plays in practice and he just kept going and making those two plays perfect," Washington said. "At that time, I was probably getting, like, five. And I just kept making those five perfect. Kept going and kept training and doing what I had to do to stay mentally ready. Because if you’re not ready when the opportunity comes, you’re not going to be ready. So I just had to keep going."
Arkansas linebacker Jaheim Thomas said he was proud of Washington for his performance. The work ethic of Washington was something his head coach noticed, too.
"He never griped, never complained," Pittman said. "He was playing behind Luke and he came in and had that type of game. I believe he blocked well, too. That's certainly going to do something well for his confidence and our confidence in him. But for really his first start, to do that was really outstanding. Really happy for him."
Up next for the Razorbacks (2-4, 0-3 SEC) will be a road trip to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC). That game will kick off at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 11 a.m. CT next Saturday and it will air on ESPN.
