UW’s new era starts strong as Jonah Coleman powers Huskies to blowout win

SEATTLE – As Jonah Coleman stumbled into the end zone, both of his hands flew to his head in disbelief.

The junior running back had already been denied his first Washington touchdown by the referees minutes earlier. On his second carry of the game — his first was a 25-yard run down the right sideline — Coleman cut back to his right and exploded for a 44-yard dash to the end zone.

His celebrations were cut short by a yellow flag. Holding on sixth-year tight end Quentin Moore. No touchdown.

So Coleman must’ve been exasperated as the referee tossed another flag as the Arizona transfer powered into the end zone with 12:15 remaining in the second quarter. Instead, he got a reprieve. Illegal substitution. Defense. Touchdown stands.

Washington (1-0) took care of business late Saturday night, beating Weber State (0-1) 35-3 in front of an announced attendance of 66,984 fans at Husky Stadium. It’s the first win for coach Jedd Fisch at Washington, and his eighth-consecutive victory including his Arizona tenure.

Coleman’s delayed celebrations started the scoring for Washington after a cautious, cagey first quarter that ended scoreless. Weber State had some moderate success running the ball, especially in short-yardage situations, and UW’s offense struggled before Coleman’s 5-yard plunge early in the second quarter.

Quarterback Will Rogers delivered his first passing touchdown for the Huskies on the next drive. Some tricky play-action allowed true freshman tight end Decker DeGraaf to slip unnoticed down the right sideline out of the backfield and Rogers hit the Glendora, Calif. native in stride for a 33-yard yard touchdown. It was DeGraaf’s first career catch and first career touchdown.

DeGraaf’s involvement, however, was partially enforced by injury. Seven minutes into the second quarter, Rogers connected with Moore across the middle of the field for a 14-yard catch. Moore stayed down injured for several minutes before being helped off the field by teammates. He appeared to be avoiding putting pressure on his left leg and did not return.

Washington almost began the second half with a big play, too. Redshirt freshman receiver Keith Reynolds returned the opening kickoff 70 yards, but it was negated by an illegal block in the back.

That didn’t matter for the Washington offense, which methodically marched 90 yards on 12 plays. Coleman capped the drive with another 5-yard touchdown run, this time dragging several Weber State defenders into the end zone with him. He also broke the 100-yard threshold for the third time in his career during the drive.

He’s the first player to rush for 100 yards during his UW debut since running back — and former Seattle Central College president — Charlie Mitchell had exactly 100 yards against the University of the Pacific during the season-opening game of the 1960 season.

Coleman added a third touchdown on Washington’s next drive, punching into the end zone from the 1-yard line with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter. It’s the second time he’s ever scored three touchdowns in a game, tying his career-high mark. Coleman scored three touchdowns in a 44-6 Arizona win against Washington State on Oct. 14, 2023.

For context, Coleman only had five touchdowns during the entire 2023 season.

Weber State finally scored when senior kicker Kyle Thompson — who missed from 48 yards in the first quarter — nailed a 28-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter. It was the Wildcats first trip into the red zone. The Huskies answered quickly, as freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. threw his first career touchdown to Boston, who hauled in his first receiving touchdown.

Coleman finished the game with 127 yards on 16 carries. He also had two catches for 19 yards. Rogers threw for 250 yards on 20-for-26 passing. The Mississippi State transfer was also 4-for-5 on third down for 33 yards, though he was sacked twice. Sixth-year receiver Giles Jackson led the team with 10 catches and 98 yards receiving.

Sixth-year linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala led Washington’s defense with six tackles. Senior cornerback Thaddeus Dixon added two pass breakups while playing a majority of the starting snaps with junior cornerback Ephesians Prysock.