Instant Replay: DeGraaf Ignites Rout with Another TD Catch

The freshman tight end provides first score, momentum in 30-9 victory.

Huskies tight end Decker DeGraaf (86) celebrates a 41- touchdown catch against Eastern Michigan with his teammates. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Into the second quarter at Husky Stadium, nothing was really working for the University of Washington football team whenever it had possession.

Jack McCallister's first punt was blocked. Quarterback Will Rogers tripped on the surface and fell down untouched for a 7-yard loss. A bad snap slipped past quarterback Demond Williams Jr. for a 16-yard loss. The Huskies were a mess.

Yet for the second consecutive week, leave it to an opportunistic freshman tight end named Decker DeGraaf to settle his team down and get it moving in the right direction.

This time, DeGraaf ran under a looping 41-yard touchdown pass from Rogers with a defender all over him to give the Huskies their first points of the afternoon, the go-ahead points for good and the springboard for a 30-9 victory over Eastern Michigan in a two-thirds full stadium on a hazy day.

The week before, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound DeGraaf from San Dimas, California, hauled in a 33-yard scoring pass from Rogers on his first play as a Husky against Weber State. In the second quarter. Up the same sideline. This is beginning to get routine.

He's 2-for-2 with clutch grabs that have put him in the end zone in his young and what looks to be a glorious career.

"I don't think he sees himself as a real momentum-changer, but it seems both plays he's made have been momentum-changers," coach Jedd Fisch said. "I'm not exactly sure why that's been the case."

DeGraaf had plenty of help from the workmanlike Rogers, who finished with his second highly efficient outing, completing 21 of 26 passes for 261 yards and 4 touchdowns. In two games, he's 41 for 52 for 511 yards and 5 scores.

Running back Jonah Coleman had his second consecutive 100-yard rushing effort, picking up 104 on 11 carries, with 64 yards coming on one run.

After a great deal of sloppy play early on, the Huskies trailed their Midwest visitors 3-0 on a 57-yard field goal by Jesus Gomez -- the second longest in history against a UW team, one of three by this big foot from the MAC and his first of two from 50 or more on this day -- when everything changed for the better.

"I think we just had to settle into the game a little bit," Husky edge rusher Zach Durfee said. "I think wet got caught off guard a little bit and we weren't playing our best."

The home team seemed on the verge of giving up more points when Eastern Michigan quarterback Cole Snyder got loose on a 25-yard scramble to the UW 34 only to have linebacker Bryun Parham knock the ball free and safety Cam Broussard fall on it. Paying homage to the transfer portal at this juncture, it was the San Jose State transfer setting things up and the Sacramento State transfer capping it off.

Denzel Boston (12) caught two touchdown passes against Eastern Michigan on Saturday at Husky Stadium. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Things still weren't quite right. An unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty first had to be marched off against the UW -- Jacob Bandes got flagged for ill-advisedly trying to pull a guy out of the pile on the fumble recovery -- and put the ball on the 18.

Six plays later, it was Decker time.

DeGraaf caught the ball in stride at the Eastern Michigan 10, leaving a diving cornerback Dramarian McNulty on the ground behind him and he beat free safety Quintavius Scandrett to the end zone by reaching the ball over the goal-line pylon with 9:37 left in the half. They were scrambling to catch up to him after he left the first line of defense behind him.

"Any time we can get Decker on a linebacker, we feel good about it," Rogers said

The play was set up by a Ryan Grubb throwback moment -- the Huskies went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 30. The gamble paid off with Rogers rolling out, away from a stacked-up interior line, and floating one to Giles Jackson, who raced 29 yards to the 41. DeGraaf was next up with his TD catch on the following play.

"I felt like we needed to do it," Fisch said "When we were a yard short I said, 'We're going for this.' Then I said, 'Are we really going for this?' "

The coach next consulted with his defensive coordinator Steve Belichick just to make sure everyone was on board and he wouldn't be putting too much pressure on his stop unit if it didn't work.

"He had the greatest answer of any defensive coach I've been around," Fisch said. "He said, "Hey, it's our job to stop them no matter where they get the ball.' "

TWO GAMES ‼️
TWO CATCHES ‼️
TWO TOUCHDOWNS ‼️@DeckerDegraaf has had a perfect start to his @UW_Football career 👏#B1GFootball on @bigtennetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/8MIScPsvsf

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 7, 2024

The gamble and the ensuing DeGraaf touchdown got the Huskies moving, scoring on five consecutive series, three to close out the half and two to start the next one.

With 3:07 left before intermission, Rogers found Denzel Boston on a slant coming from the left and between two defenders for a 13-yard touchdown pass and a 14-6 lead.

Just 24 seconds were left when Boston caught a 1-yard scoring toss all alone in the left corner of the end zone and the Huskies felt a lot better about things as they broke for halftime. Boston finished with 3 catches for 32 yards.

After the break, Rogers wound up and threw a dart to Jeremiah Hunter from 24 yards out for the California transfer's first Husky TD and a 27-6 lead, with a bad snap spoiling the extra point. After getting shut out in the opener, Hunter finished with 5 catches for 72 yards.

With 50 seconds left in the third quarter, Grady Gross kicked his first field goal of the season from 28 yards out for a 30-6 lead.

UW edge rushers Zach Durfee (5), who had 2.5 sacks, and Isaiah Ward (91), put pressure on Eastern Michigan QB Cole Snyder. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

DeGraaf wasn't the only Husky who showed up when it was needed on Saturday. After all, the UW defense hasn't give up a touchdown yet after two showings, permitting just four field goals. There's a reason for that, too.

Durfee, according to the Big Ten availability report, was questionable for this Eastern Michigan game, but he not only started the outing he came up with 2.5 sacks -- his first as a UW player -- among 7 in all by the Huskies. He should be questionable every week.

"I was a little concerned about how much he could play," Fisch said. "He wasn't able to practice much this week. We had to see how much we could get him rested and better."

The Huskies, after winning their 23rd game in 24 outings over three seasons and fifth in five tries against the MAC, now get ready to play the Apple Cup in Seattle for the second consecutive year, meeting Washington State next Saturday at Lumen Field.

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