In the Big Ten Network nightcap, Washington moved t0 1-0 on the last day of August. Jedd Fisch called Washington’s 35-3 victory over Weber State on Saturday night a good team win. “The idea of keeping a team to three points – really good. Can’t be much better than that,” Fisch said of the defense following the game. Steve Belichick’s group held Wildcat quarterback Richie Muñoz to less than 100 yards passing and a 34% completion percentage. Fisch also credited the offense as being efficient for most of the game. It averaged 7.2 yards per play and finished with 482 yards, distributing the ball to nine different Huskies.
Tempo Sparks Momentum
Washington’s first four drives resulted in two punts, a turnover on downs, and a touchdown. This game was scoreless through the first quarter, and it took a bit for the Huskies to find their groove. But on the fifth drive of the game, Washington found a spark. Late in the second quarter, Will Rogers III constructed a four-play touchdown drive that spanned 72 yards. Four different Huskies caught a pass on the drive that began at the team’s own 28-yard line.
We saw Washington run with tempo on every play during this possession. It was the first drive of the game where they ran with pace between every snap. After the first play resulted in an 18-yard completion to Giles Jackson, the Huskies quickly went to the line. Rogers delivered another pass to Cameron Davis for eight more, and then Denzel Boston caught one for 13.
Still moving quickly, Washington put Boston in motion to the far side of the field, allowing tight end Decker DeGraaf to slip out on a wheel upon the snap. Virtually uncovered, DeGraaf caught Rogers’ 33-yard pass on the run. The true freshman walked into the end zone untouched. DeGraaf turned his first snap as a Husky into Washington’s first passing touchdown of the season.
Rogers and Williams Find End Zone
Six different Huskies caught a pass on Saturday night for a total of 278 yards and two touchdowns. Rogers finished 20 of 26 with 250 yards and a touchdown. Demond Williams Jr. had the team’s other passing touchdown. Weber State dealt with some attrition in the middle and back end of its defense over the offseason, and Washington was able to take advantage. Of the Huskies’ five touchdown drives, four of them were composed of seven plays or less. Those four averaged 69 yards and were built on the passing game. In the game as a whole, Washington completed eight “big play” passes for more than 15 yards.
Fisch said after the game that he tried to get Jackson over the 100-yard mark with a fourth-quarter target. He would end up just short, finishing with 10 catches and 98 yards. Fisch also said he wanted to get Boston a score because of the way he had been practicing he felt he earned an end zone target. Boston caught the game’s final touchdown on a pass from Williams.
Jonah Coleman Makes Statement
Washington introduced itself to the Big Ten in “Big Ten” fashion. It ran the ball 35 times for 204 yards and was led by Jonah Coleman. The junior running back had a historic Husky debut with three rushing touchdowns, 127 rushing yards, and an average of 7.9 yards per carry. Coleman became the first Washington running back since 1960 to rush for more than 100 yards in his debut as a Husky.
“We had some pretty gaping holes that Jonah was able to run through untouched,” Jedd Fisch said following the game. “You get Jonah with a head of steam, he’s a very hard guy to tackle.” Coleman had seven carries for more than 10 yards with a long of 25 yards. Not only can Coleman run through tacklers, but his lateral agility and quickness are a big part of his game. When the hole is there, he explodes through it. But he can bounce to the outside with ease and beat defenders to the corner.
“I think it was his best game of his career,” Fisch said after the game. The head coach said he fits their scheme perfectly. That was evident on Saturday night as he carried this team to victory over Weber State.
True Freshman Standouts
A handful of Washington true freshmen took their first collegiate snaps on Saturday night against Weber State. Williams Jr. came into the game at quarterback on the final play of the third quarter and finished the game out for the Huskies. On his first drive, he orchestrated a seven-play, 74-yard touchdown drive. Williams rushed for 14 of those yards and tossed 26 yards through the air.
On this same drive, we saw running back Adam Mohammed for the first time. On his second collegiate handoff, Mohammed rushed up the middle for 32 yards. The true freshman ran over tacklers and dragged a defender down to the one. He was ruled just short of the goal line after review, but the physical run was impressive.
“He’s clearly built in a way that he can handle this type of game,” Fisch said of Mohammed after the game. Mohammed carried the ball two times for 39 yards on the night. Once ruled short of the goal line, Fisch said the call in the huddle was a handoff to Mohammed to give him the score. But a false start backed them up five yards, and the ensuing play was Boston’s reception touchdown. Audric Harris also took snaps on offense. Defensively, freshman Rahim Wright II recorded a tackle, while Khmori House and Rahshawn Clark got some snaps.
