Richard Newton had 48 offensive touches a season ago and played nearly 100 snaps on offense. This fall, the offensive role was much, much smaller.

In a feature for The Seattle Times, Newton opened up on his decision to stay with UW this season despite a role that has been whittled away each year since a breakout in 2019. “We’re winning games,” he told The Times’ Mike Vorel, and added that he’s good to be part of a team after enduring hardships with the Huskies.

“I could have gone somewhere else and probably played a lot more. But this was more of a down-the-line decision,” he told The Times. “I’ve always wanted to be a Dawg, man. I’m really loyal to the purple and gold. This decision, for me, was bigger than football. It’s a character thing, to stick it out. I wanted to spend my last year with my brothers, no matter what the role was.”

A 6-foot senior from Lancaster, California, Newton signed with UW in 2018. He committed to Chris Petersen, played for Jimmy Lake, and stayed for Kalen DeBoer.

His best came in 2019, when he emerged as the clear No. 2 behind Salvon Ahmed. He ran it 117 times for 498 yards and 10 touchdowns. He played in only two games in 2020 and then tore his ACL in his fourth appearance of the 2021 season.

Last year, he backed up Wayne Taulapapa and Cam Davis, running 45 times for 213 yards and a score.

In an era of college football where transfers are all but encouraged if a player isn’t dominating snaps on Saturdays, Newton is a throwback.

And, on Monday, he can potentially receive the ultimate reward for patience and loyalty when UW plays for the College Football Playoff National Championship. Kickoff against Michigan is at 4:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.