Starting CB Byron Murphy, one of a group of premier young players among the seventh-ranked Huskies, will miss Washington’s conference opener Saturday at Colorado and another six weeks with a broken foot, according to a story in the Seattle Times. The UW hasn’t confirmed the injury.
The injury, a fracture of the fifth metatarsal, happened during practice. The redshirt freshman from Scottsdale, AZ., had two interceptions in Washington’s season-opening win at Rutgers.
The Huskies lost three starters in the secondary to the NFL draft, but coach Chris Petersen was pleased with the progress of their successors, including Murphy. His likely replacement is sophomore Austin Joyner.
The Huskies (3-0) are 10-point favorites over the Buffaloes (3-0), who lost the Pac-12 Championship in December to Washington 41-10.
Three other UW players are expected to sit out, according to the Times: WR Andre Baccellia, TE Drew Sample and RB Lavon Coleman, the latter getting concussed during practice.