Coleman Rushes for 127 Yards and 3 TDs as UW Grinds Out 35-3 Victory

Coach Jedd Fisch opens with a Husky win his first time out.

Running back Jonah Coleman (1) breaks into the clear against Weber State in the first quarter. / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Unlike the unresolved stalemate between the Big Ten Network and Comcast, blacking out the weekend telecasts for local audiences of the conference's four newest members, the Washington-Weber State football game had plenty of separation and a firm conclusion.

In case you missed it -- and chances are you did unless you watched it in person on Saturday night in a three-quarters full Husky Stadium -- here's what happened, without commercial breaks.

Following the 8 p.m. made-for-TV kickoff that seemed needless, in Jedd Fisch's UW coaching debut, the Huskies were more workmanlike than DeBoer/Grubb pass happy and wore down their Big Sky visitors with a bruising rushing attack fronted by Jonah Coleman to take a 35-3 victory.

The 5-foot-9, 229-pound Coleman, miffed that he didn't turn up on any preseason running-back watch lists, might rate consideration now after rushing 16 times for a game-high 127 yards and 3 touchdowns, with a fourth scoring run negated by penalty.

"It was fantastic running by Jonah, who's very hard to tackle," Fisch said. "It seems like we had some pretty gaping holes at times."

Coleman, an Arizona transfer, was believed to be the first running back to surpass the century mark in rushing in his initial Husky game since Charlie Mitchell picked up an even 100 yards against Pacific in 1960 in his debut, according to a school official.

The Huskies nearly scored twice before officially putting points on the board. It was all a big tease in the a first quarter that went scoreless.

Coleman got off to emphatic start, breaking a 25-yard gainer on the Huskies' very first offensive play of the season, then zipped around the right end on the next play to streak into the end zone from 44 yards out -- only to have tight end Quentin Moore's holding penalty negate the score.

"I saw it right when I got to the end," Coleman said of the flag. "I was going to go to the sideline and celebrate with everybody. I looked over and it was, 'Next play.' "

After the Huskies ran out of downs on the Weber State 39 and went back on defense, UW edge rusher Zach Durfee got his hands on a second-and-10 Weber State pass in the right flat, but he couldn't hang onto it. Forty-five yards from the end zone, Durfee had no one in front of him.

The Huskies were done teasing their home crowd. They opened the second quarter and marched 65 yards in 7 plays for a 5-yard Coleman touchdown run. At the 12:15 mark, the determined little back ran into Weber State safety Angel King at the goal line, bounced off him, kept his feet and the UW had a 7-0 lead.

The weekend before, Coleman posted a cryptic message on social media -- no watch lists -- and conceded the situation greatly motivates him and his teammates.

"No watch lists at all," Coleman said. "No accolades for no one on the team. We feel like we've got some good guys on this team. Actions speak louder than words."

A couple of possession changes later, the UW put together an even quicker scoring drive. Beginning on the 28, quarterback Will Rogers completed four consecutive passes to get his team all the way down the field, finishing it off with a 33-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Decker DeGraaf -- on his first college play -- who caught it on the 10 and waltzed in for a college score and a 14-0 lead.

DeGraaf was pressed into duty after Moore, the UW's senior starting tight end, got hurt on the previous drive after taking what appeared to be a hit on the knee on a 14-yard reception. He had to be helped from the field, unable to put much weight on his injured hinge.

Rogers, the Mississippi State transfer, was efficient in his first time out with the UW. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 250 yards and DeGraaf's score. His favorite target was senior wide receiver Giles Jackson, who caught 10 passes for 98 yards.

While the Huskies liberally substituted throughout their lineup, they tried several different combinations across the offensive line.

For instance, they put four different players at left tackle in redshirt freshman Soane Faasolo, the starter; sophomore Drew Azzopardi, who began the evening as the No. 1 right tackle; senior Enokk Vimahi, who opened at right guard; and redshirt freshman Kahlee Tafai, who came off the bench late. The Huskies switched Azzopardi and Vimahi from right to left on every other play on one series. They inserted sophomore Landen Hatchett at right guard, left guard and center -- seemingly everywhere but at left tackle.

"Really, for the most part, we ran the ball well throughout the whole game," Fisch said. "No matter what the mix amd match was, regardless of who it was."

Huskies freshman tight end Decker DeGraaf (86) catches a touchdown pass against Weber State in the second quarter. / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

With this continually changing O-line, Coleman piled up 74 yards rushing on 8 carries by halftime. There was plenty more to come.

Coming out of the halftime break, the Huskies returned to their original starters up front -- i.e., Faasolo at left tackle -- and fed the ball five times to Coleman. He capped off a 12-play, 90-yard drive with a bull-like 5-yard run into the end zone for a 21-0 advantage.

On his third carry of the drive, the 5-foot-9, 229-pound Coleman crossed the century mark, giving him three career college games of 100 yards or more.

Later in the quarter, Coleman broke a 14-yard run to the Weber State, jumping over a defender and dragging two others while coming up just short of the end zone. The Huskies rewarded him by calling his number for a 1-yard TD run over right guard and a 28-0 lead.

The visiting Wildcats averted a shutout with a 28-yard field goal from Kyle Thompson shortly before the third quarter ended. That was it for the Utahns.

By now, it was time for the Huskies to unveil more freshmen. With one play left in the third quarter, they inserted first-year quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and running back Adam Mohammed, who largely were responsible for next moving the UW 74 yards in six plays for the game's final points.

The shifty and physical Mohammed broke a 32-yard run to the Weber State 1 on his second carry. Following a Husky false start, Williams found sophomore Denzel Boston with a 6-yard TD pass and the lead settled at 35-3.

The UW finished with 204 yards rushing on 35 carries, with Mohammed finishing with 39 yards on just two rushes.

The game ended well after 11 p.m. with the outcome apparent and the stands virtually empty. Fisch thanked everyone in the media for staying so late.

The Huskies will host Eastern Michigan next Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. kickoff. No word if Comcast will make it available to the Seattle viewing public that won't be in house..

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