Washington Huskies take down No. 10 Michigan in title-game rematch

SEATTLE – Jonah Coleman and the Huskies had already celebrated his 4-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter when the referees called the play back.

According to the replay, Coleman’s knee was down with less than 1 yard to the goal line, so the Huskies were going to have to try again. Washington had been in this situation before and failed, notably coming up short against Washington State and Rutgers in goal-line situations.

But this time, coach Jedd Fisch didn’t overthink it. Fifth-year quarterback Will Rogers handed the ball off to Coleman again, and the 5-foot-9, 229-pound running back immediately went airborne before landing in the end zone as Husky Stadium erupted in roars of approval.

Fisch picked up his first signature win for Washington, beating No. 10 Michigan 27-17 in front of sold-out crowd at Husky Stadium on Saturday evening – the crowd of 72,132 was the largest since UW’s 2016 game against USC. The Huskies, who led by two touchdowns early then allowed the Wolverines to storm all the way back, clinched the win with Coleman’s fourth-quarter touchdown.

The victory – at least partially – expunging some of the pain from Washington’s 34-14 loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff championship game less than nine months ago.

Rogers completed 68% of his passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskies (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten). Coleman added 80 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, while junior Giles Jackson, who started his career at Michigan, had 78 yards on four catches and a score.

The Huskies opened the scoring on their second drive of the game. Rogers connected with sixth-year wide receiver Giles Jackson down the middle of the field for a 39-yard completion to get into Wolverines territory, then found Boston in the end zone on a fade route from the Michigan 3-yard line with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter.

It was Boston’s eighth touchdown of the season, tying him for 12th in UW program history for most touchdown receptions in a single season. The Huskies still have six games to play this season.

Rogers and the UW offense doubled their lead 5 minutes into the second half. A successful double-pass play involving the Mississippi State transfer and freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. resulted in a 37-yard gain by sixth-year running back Cameron Davis. On the next play, Rogers connected with Jackson in the front-right corner of the end zone to give UW an early 14-0 lead.

The Huskies were similarly effective to start the game. The Wolverines (4-2, 2-1) punted on its first three drives led by junior quarterback Alex Orji, gaining 47 total yards. Orji completed 3 of 7 passes for 15 yards when Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore made a switch.

He introduced seventh-year quarterback Jack Tuttle on Michigan’s fourth drive.

The former Indiana quarterback led the Wolverines on a seven-play, 75-yard drive to the end zone, punctuated by a 39-yard touchdown run from senior Donovan Edwards.

The Wolverines drove to the Huskies’ 25-yard line during Tuttle’s second drive, too, but UW sophomore edge rusher Jacob Lane’s tackle for a loss on third-and-2 forced Michigan to settle for a field goal.

Washington, however, had a chance to enter halftime with a larger lead. Junior kicker Grady Gross missed a 41-yard field goal wide left to end UW’s first drive of the game. Then, with 4 seconds remaining – and after some poor time management by Washington which limited them to one end zone shot – Gross had a 28-yard field-goal attempt blocked.

Gross, who only missed four field goals during the entire 2023 season, has failed to convert six attempts in his past three games.

Tuttle and Michigan continued their composed comeback to begin the second half with a methodical 11-play drive to the end zone. With the Wolverines on the UW 8-yard line, Tuttle escaped pressure, rolled to his right and found junior tight end Colston Loveland all alone to give Michigan its first lead of the game, 17-14.

Gross finally got to see the ball go through the goal posts with 13:38 remaining. He converted from 28-yards after a sack stalled out Washington’s drive in the Michigan red zone to tie the game 17-17.

The Huskies got the ball back after their second stop against Tuttle, a second consecutive three-and-out to have a chance to retake the lead. However, Rogers threw his first interception of the season as Wolverines linebacker Ernest Hausmann – fully extended – was able to come down with the pick and end UW’s positive drive.

But the UW defense bailed Rogers out. Senior defensive lineman Voi Tunuufi punched the ball out of Tuttle’s arms, and junior defensive tackle Logan Sagapolu recovered on Michigan’s 32-yard line. A 27-yard run by junior Jonah Coleman put the Huskies right back into the red zone and set up his one-yard plunge. Sixth-year senior Kamren Fabiculanan’s late interception against Tuttle helped seal the victory.