Washington finished non-conference play with exactly the kind of result it was supposed to get against Eastern Washington: a comfortable win, 546 total yards, and 8.8 yards per snap. The numbers were strong, but the matchup matters here. Eastern Washington sat a tier below the Huskies in FCS, so this was the sort of game that should have looked this way.
The passing game carried a lot of the day. Demond Williams looked more settled than he has at any point this season, showing anticipation, good touch on back-shoulder throws, and no real hesitation even after taking a hit and briefly going to the medical tent.
He also threw the offense’s first turnover of the season, an interception that wasn’t entirely on him because he got hit by a free rusher while he was throwing. His average depth of target was the lowest of his career as a starter, though part of that came from the plan: the coaches used short throws to mimic the run game.
The line was steady without being dominant, and it allowed one sack.
The wideouts and tight ends were the most dangerous group on the field. They created explosive plays, won contested balls, and got freshmen involved in real ways.
Jordan Clay and Trez Davis each scored a touchdown, Mason James added a 21-yard catch, and Dezmen Roebuck was perfect on all nine of his receptions for 121 yards. Rashid Williams again showed why he matters so much to this offense with two touchdowns, while Baron Naone stayed involved in the passing game with two catches, including a 75-yard gain that nearly became a touchdown.
The ground game never fully took off. Outside of Brian Bonner Jr.’s 55-yard burst up the sideline, the backs didn’t do much, finishing with 93 yards on 25 carries.
Bonner, a top-100 recruit, clearly has talent and athletic ability, but he still looks like a player learning how to read blocks at college speed. Washington leaned more on Demond Williams scrambling and quick passes that acted like runs.
Against this level of opponent, the line needed to create more consistent movement, and it didn’t. One positive wrinkle: TE Kade Eldrige was used as a short-yardage fullback.
On defense, Eastern Washington did reach a season-high 16 points, but it never really threatened to take control. The pass rush produced seven tackles for loss and two sacks, yet discipline became the bigger story.
An edge rusher was ejected for throwing a punch, and the Huskies finished with eight penalties for 101 yards, including three personal fouls. That said, the defense did get something valuable out of four quarters against a mobile quarterback in Nate Bell, which should matter later in the season.
True freshman corner Jeron Jones stepped into the starting lineup for Emmanuel Karnley and played almost every defensive snap. For a first extended look, he held up well aside from a PI call and finished with one of Washington’s four passes defended. Bell completed 54% of his throws for 152 yards with no touchdowns, and while he had stretches where he made Washington look disorganized, the Huskies mostly kept the lid on and avoided surrendering the kind of explosive plays that could have turned the game.
The run defense was solid, even if it came with more sloppy play. Washington held Eastern Washington to 3.1 yards per rush and 4.2 yards per play overall, and the Eagles never found a real rhythm on the ground.
Nate Bell’s 32-yard run was the biggest individual burst they allowed. Jacob Manu continued to stand out with his physicality and feel for the ball, while the defense also dealt with a targeting ejection on LB Xe’ree Alexander.
Special teams had its moments too. Hunter Green kept rolling with another punt over 60 yards, and for the third time this season a returner had trouble handling one of his kicks cleanly.
Grady Gross made his season debut after winning his eligibility fight with the NCAA and handled kickoffs the way a staff would want, sending almost all of them for touchbacks. The only real blemish there was that he was on kickoff duty because the starter had kicked his first two out of bounds.
From a coaching standpoint, the staff deserves credit for getting playmakers the ball in space early and keeping the offense humming for most of the afternoon. Still, the opponent level has to be part of the evaluation.
The offensive line is not where it was expected to be in the offseason, and the defense’s discipline remains a concern. Three games in, penalties are becoming a theme, and two ejections in one game against an FCS opponent is the sort of thing that cannot carry over into conference play.
Even so, the overall result was what Washington needed. The offense showed a willingness to develop the run game through short passes, which likely remains part of the plan until the backfield gets healthier.
The defense, despite the flags, probably won’t be the main reason this team loses games. Against Eastern Washington, the Huskies got the comfortable win they were supposed to get.
In Other News...
Washington May Get A Key Defensive Boost At Crucial Time
Washingtons defense has managed to hold up despite being shorthanded, with other players stepping in and keeping the unit steady through the absence of a couple of key pieces. Now the Huskies are set to get a notable lift for their next matchup with Minnesota, as fourth-year defensive tackle Elinneus Davis is expected to be back after sitting out with a calf injury.
The same cant yet be said for cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, whose status remains up in the air after a soft tissue injury. For a defense that has already shown it can function without him, the question now is whether the Huskies can get one important reinforcement back while waiting to see if another arrives in time for a crucial stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Opens Big Ten Play With More On The Line Than Usual
Washingtons first Big Ten game at Husky Stadium brings a little more weight than a typical conference opener, and not just because the league switch has changed the stakes for the program. Minnesota comes in as a familiar but infrequent opponent, with the schools having crossed paths 17 times over the years, and the meeting adds another layer to a matchup that already carries some historical texture for both sides.
Jedd Fisch has made clear he respects what P.J. Fleck has built in Minneapolis, pointing to the Gophers as a well-coached group that consistently does the little things right. For Washington, that means the opener is about more than settling into a new conference routine, with an old series edge and a fresh Big Ten chapter both quietly hanging over the night. [Read more 🡒]
Washington's Freshmen Receivers Are Creating A New Problem For Defenses
The Huskies left no doubt in a 48-16 win over Eastern Washington, and the bigger takeaway for Washington may have been the way its youngest pass catchers kept showing up in the offense. With Christian Moss sidelined, true freshmen Mason James, Jordan Clay and Trez Davis have all started seeing more snaps, giving the passing game a different look and adding a layer of depth the staff can lean on as the season moves forward.
Jedd Fisch pointed to the wider use of receivers and tight ends in his weekly news conference, and that shift matters because it gives Washington more ways to stress defenses beyond the familiar names. Clay and Davis each found the end zone against the Eagles, another sign that the Huskies are not just filling reps while waiting for veterans to return, but uncovering more options for a passing attack that already looks more varied than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]