Jacob Bandes, sixth-year senior, gets his moment in the sun

'Time is a very valuable thing that a lot of people take for granted.'

Photo courtesy of UW Football.

There is little worth remembering about Washington’s sunny October afternoon spent in Bloomington, Ind., site of a 31-17 defeat, the Huskies’ third consecutive road loss in coach Jedd Fisch’s inaugural season.

Little. But not nothing.

Jacob Bandes is in his sixth season at Washington. He’s played in 54 consecutive games, a number unmatched by anybody on the roster, though he had to wait until this year to become a regular starter. In an era of frequent transfers — whether determined by player or coach — he is something of a rarity, the former star recruit who settled for a multi-season rotational role but stayed long enough to finally see the top of the depth chart.

Bandes’ final go at UW will not find him chasing a national title. But it will include at least one interception, that leaping grab of an Indiana pass deflected by Thaddeus Dixon that granted the 307-pound lineman a rare moment in the spotlight — and a spontaneous, basketball jump-shot celebration befitting an on-field personality which has long been good for a chuckle or two.

“It just came to me,” he said. “It wasn’t planned at all. It was just right off the top of my head.”