Will Rogers passes for 4 TDs, Washington routs Eastern Michigan 30-9
SEATTLE -- — Will Rogers passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns and rebuilt Washington overcame another slow start to beat Eastern Michigan 30-9 on Saturday.The Huskies (2-0) failed to score in the first quarter for the second straight week to open the season under new head coach Jedd Fisch. But Rogers threw three touchdowns in the second quarter, including two to Denzel Boston, to help rev up the Washington offense.
“There’s things I have to clean up,” Rogers said. “… This is not a finished product by any means, but we just try and get better each week and see where we can take this thing.”
Rogers completed 10-of-13 passes in the second quarter for 154 yards after his team fell behind 3-0 against the Mid-American Conference foe. He finished 21 of 26 and has completed 78% of his passes for 511 yards in his first two Washington games with five TD passes and no interceptions.
Jonah Coleman rushed 11 times for 104 yards to help Washington win its 16th straight home game, the second longest streak in the nation after Michigan's loss. It was his second straight 100-yard game to start his Washington career.
Eastern Michigan (1-1) blocked a Washington punt and later took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on Jesus Gomez’s 57-yard field goal, the second longest field goal in Husky Stadium history.
It would take a defensive highlight to get the Washington offense rolling. Cameron Broussard’s recovery of Cole Snyder’s fumble following a 25-yard run early in the second quarter set up the Huskies’ first score.
“I'm excited about the way our defense played again,” Fisch said. "That's two games in a row without letting up a touchdown. That’s impressive."
The offense overcame two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and converted a fourth-and-1 on the ensuing drive to take a 7-3 lead on Rogers’ 41-yard pass to Decker DeGraaf. DeGraaf caught the pass at the 5, then tip-toed down the line for the score.
“We were out there after practice on Tuesday working that one specific play for about 30 minutes,” Rogers said. “... So it’s pretty cool to see that come to fruition after all the work we put in this past week on that specific play.”
Gomez added another field goal to make it 7-6, but Coleman opened Washington’s next drive with a 64-yard run. Then Rogers found Boston on a 13-yard slant a few plays later for a 14-6 lead with 3:07 left in the half.
Rogers completed passes of 20, 15 and 11 yards on the Huskies’ final drive of the second quarter before connecting with Boston again on a 1-yard corner route to make it 21-6 at halftime.
“The best thing about Denzel is he’s always hungry for the next one,” Rogers said.
The senior found Jeremiah Hunter for a 24-yard score to cap Washington’s first drive of the second half to make it 27-6 and put the game out of reach.
Washington's defense had seven sacks, led by Zach Durfee's 2 1/2.
GOMEZ FROM DEEP
Gomez added field goals of 29 and 50 to his first quarter 57-yarder, giving him an EMU school record for most FGs of 50-plus yards in a game.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised,” EMU coach Chris Creighton said. “He’s super talented. He’s made of all the right stuff, and he got his opportunities today and nailed them.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Eastern Michigan: The Eagles had hoped to grab their fifth win over a power conference team under Creighton, a former Seattle high school star. But after opening the season at UMass, then flying to the opposite coast for this week’s matchup, EMU didn’t have much left when the Huskies’ speed kicked in.
“Didn’t go the way we wanted to, but I think we’re going to learn a lot from this," Creighton said. "I still really like and believe in our team and what we’re capable of. So this is a huge test that we’re going to get better from.”
Washington: They got the season rolling with wins against Eastern Michigan and FCS Weber State, but the stakes begin to rise next week with the Apple Cup and their Big Ten debut up next. No one expects them to match the offensive fireworks of last season’s national championship runners up, but they’ll need a little more smoke soon.
UP NEXT
Eastern Michigan: Hosts Jacksonville State on Saturday.
Washington: Hosts Washington State at the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field on Saturday.
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