Huskies Finally Exert Their Will on Someone, Rout Eastern

Getting it right on the third try, the University of Washington football team finally pounced all over an overmatched opponent and sent Eastern Washington back home to Cheney badly bruised and saddled with a 48-16 defeat on Saturday night at Husky Stadium.

In perfect fall conditions for a late-afternoon kickoff, the Huskies (3-0) scored on five of their first six possessions while looking like a Big Ten bully toying with its Big Sky little brother.

Yet as dominant as they were in this one, there were still some unsettling moments

Foremost, the UW saw its season flash before its eyes when quarterback Demond Williams Jr. got hit in his arm by safety McKel Broussard for Eastern (1-3) as he let go of a second-quarter pass that was intercepted at the goal line by fellow safety Marcus Nixon.

He bent over in pain. Headed for the medical tent on the sideline. Had a conversation with UW coach Jedd Fisch.

"I was very concerned," Fisch said.

False alarm.

Williams' funny bone just got dinged.

Demond Williams Jr. lets fly with a pass against Eastern. | Dave Sizer photo

"I really didn't know what happened," Williams said. "I felt like a helmet or like a heavy object go right into my elbow. I was just trying to make sure I was good."

He was -- he finished with 27-for-33 passing with 373 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Freshman left offensive tackle Kodi Greene also left the field in the second quarter, took off his helmet on the sideline and didn't come back out for the next series, requiring John Mills to move from guard to his spot.

Chris Lawson scores his first UW touchdown on a 15-yard pass to open the scoring against Eastern. | Dave Sizer photo

Again, it was nothing serious as Greene simply got a break and was temporarily absent.

What proved to be a problem though was the Husky Stadium crowd was less than half full for the national anthem and no more than two-thirds full thereafter.

Far from impressive showings against Washington State and Utah State, taking on an FCS opponent in Eastern and brilliant Seattle sunshine is bound to make fans consider alternatives. Next up is Minnesota in the UW's Big Ten opener at home. The Huskies will ask for better attendance.

"We need to make sure our crowd is in full force," Fisch said of "Wear black. Pack the place. The students are back. We need all of the energy possible."

Freshman Jordan Clay caught his first UW touchdown pass, covering 3 yards, in the second quarter. | Dave Sizer phot

Team followers weren't the only ones who missed the action in person at Husky Stadium, or at least a good portion of it.

Midway through the third quarter, linebacker Xe'ree Alexander and edge rusher Jacob Lane oddly were ejected on the same play -- Alexander for targeting and Lane for unsportsmanlike conduct, with replays appearing to show the latter lash out at an opponent.

Both left the field for the locker room with 7:51 remaining in the period.

"There was a tussle on the ground," Fisch said of Lane's fracas. "You do that. You can't retaliate."

Demond Williams Jr. threw all four of his touchdown passes in the opening half, two to Rashid Williams, who was coming back from an hip-pointer injury that made him miss most of the Utah State game, and one each to Chris Lawson and Clay for their first Husky career scores.

"For the most part, we played the offense that I like to play," Fisch said.

The normally tight-fisted UW defense gave up a touchdown and field goal on its first two series before buckling down and shutting Eastern down, holding them to a pair of 3-pointers the rest of the way.

Personally piling up stops nonstop, safety Alex McLaughlin had a forced fumble in the second quarter that Alexander recovered at the 50 and led to a quick score.

Zaydrius Rainey-Sale celebrates a tackle for loss against Eastern. | Dave Sizer photo

McLaughlin also had a near interception near the end of the first half that helped blunt Eastern's final possession and led to a Tyler Robles' 25-yard field goal to end the half and put the Huskies ahead 31-10.

At the break, Williams had completed 21 of 25 passes for 260 yards while freshman running back Brian Bonner Jr. had given the rushing game a boost with a 55-yard breakaway run that took him all the way down to the Eastern 6.

Bonner was the yardage gobbler that this team has been seeking, finishing with 6 carries for 81 yards.

John Mills, shown yelling encouragement at Chris Lawson, played tackle and guard against Eastern. | Dave Sizer photo

Unfortuately for the Huskies, Bonner's burst was the one time they didn't reach the end zone in the opening half, with Williams taking his worrisome hit two plays later.

The UW also had another long play that didn't result in points in the third quarter when tight end Baron Naone caught a ball in the flat and chugged 75 yards with it before he was ruled down at the one-foot line.

His touchdown went to freshman running back Ansu Sanoe, who skipped into the end zone for his second score in as many weeks to make it 38-13.

"We were a couple of blocks from being really explosive," Fisch said.

The home team, which finished with 546 yards of total offense, closed out its scoring with back-up quarterback Elijah Brown tossing the ball to freshman Trez Davis for a 2-yard TD and his first career score with 1:10 remaining.

The Huskies now have seven days to prepare for their conference opener at home against the Gophers (2-1).

That should be more than enough time to make sure Demond Williams Jr. has no ill effects from his injury, that Alexander and Lane are repentant and then convince their fans that an 8 p.m. kickoff shouldn't be a deterrent for them.

"We've got to be a lot better if we're going to win next week," Fisch said.

Add us as a preferred source on Google