Lawson, Moss Put On A Show Bidding For Starting Role

Thursday's University of Washington football practice signaled the first day of full contact for the Huskies.

Yet the cracking helmets and popping pads were somewhat upstaged by a full-on wide receiver audition for Chris Lawson and Christian Moss.

In competition for the third starting spot left vacant by Denzel Boston, Moss drew much of the conversation over the first five practices and appeared to emerge as the early favorite to open this season alongside returnees Dezmen Roebuck and Rashid Williams.

However in Thursday's practice No. 6 conducted on a warm fall day in Montlake, Lawson made his move.

The 6-foot, 180-pound second-year player from San Francisco had maybe his best practice as a Husky, coming up with a 45-yard diving catch two snaps into the 11-on-11 team play and later 17-yard and 22-yard receptions, and he took a fly sweep 56 yards unheeded to the end zone.

Christian Moss hauls in a pass during a spring drill. | Dave Sizer photo

Lawson and Moss actually played together with the No. 1 offense, with Roebuck absent for some unspecified reason.

"Losing Denzel Boston, obviously there's a huge opening at receiver," Husky safeties coach Taylor Mays said. "Look at Chris Lawson and look at Christian Moss, and both of those guys are openly stepping up trying to take that role and those guys have been making awesome plays."

Moss hardly sat back and just watched his teammate put on show.

Chris Lawson remains a candidate for the third starting wide receiver position. | Dave Sizer photo

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Kennesaw State transfer caught a pair of touchdown passes covering 13 and 10 yards.

Replaying their highlight reel, Lawson got things started early on when slipped behind Husky safety Alex McLaughlin and extended himself to make a diving catch of a Demond Williams Jr. throw covering 45 yards.

With Guns N' Roses blaring over the audio system, Moss responded by running to the left pylon to haul in an Elijah Brown pass and score on the 13-yarder.

On the fly sweep, Lawson lined up in the slot on the left side, took a handoff from his quarterback and burst through a huge hole over the right side.

No one in the secondary came close to the Bay Area product as he sprinted into the end zone. It was such a electric play, he accepted teammate congratulations nearly the entire way back to the purple sideline area.

Not to be totally outdone, Moss finished off this wide-receiver exhibition by running to the back corner of the end zone, leaping high for a Williams 10-yard throw, crashing to the ground with the ball and jumping back on his feet with one arm raised in the air.

"They've won some, we've won some," Mays said pragmatically. "I've been happy our receivers have been playing so hard because it just elevates our style of play."

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