Washington football vs. Eastern Michigan: Updates, score, how to watch

Here are three instant impressions from Washington’s 30-9 victory over Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon at Husky Stadium.

Another slow start for the offense before it erupts

A week after going scoreless in the first quarter against a middling FCS team (Weber State), the Husky offense was scoreless again in the opening quarter against a middle-of-the pack team from Mid-American Conference, including going three-and-out on its first possession.

Eastern Michigan outgained Washington 82-36 in yards in the first quarter and led 3-0 on a 57-yard field goal from Jesus Gomez.

Washington got on the scoreboard with a touchdown with 9:37 left in the second quarter, capitalizing after a gutsy decision to go for it on fourth-and-one at its 30.

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Conventional methods of thinking might’ve said to run the ball. In fact, there was probably an argument Washington’s offense shouldn’t have even been on the field. 

The UW offense was stuck in first gear. The Huskies had gained 34 total yards on its first three drives. It’s troubles were perhaps best exemplified by quarterback Will Rogers slipping on 3rd-and-3 one drive earlier for a 16-yard loss. 

Facing 4th-and-1 from its own 30-yard line, Washington decided to go for it. Rogers once again faked the handoff, then wheeled out to his right with a defender in pursuit. This time, however, the fifth-year quarterback flipped a short pass to sixth-year wide receiver Giles Jackson, who evaded the Eastern Michigan defense and motored 29 yards up the right sideline. 

One play later, the Huskies were in the end zone, holding a lead they never relinquished. 

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The drive: 5 plays, 14 yards, 1:43.

Next possession: UW starts at own 3.

Time left: 2:31.

With a 30-9 lead with less than 8 minutes remaining, Will Rogers is out of this game at quarterback. Demond Williams Jr. is in.

Rogers finishes 21-for-26 with 261 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Williams' first drive ended with him losing a fumble on a 13-yard rush after completing two passes.

The scoring play: EMU kicker Jesus Gomez hits a 50-yard field goal to cut into UW's lead in the fourth quarter.

The drive: 15 plays, 43 yards, 7:41.

The story: Jesus Gomez, Eastern Michigan's MVP in this one.

The score: Washington 30, EMU 9. 8:09 left in 4Q.

Washington is keeping its foot on the gas. Will Rogers found Jeremiah Hunter for a 24-yard touchdown, the first in a UW uniform for the former California receiver.

The Huskies clearly wanted to get Hunter more involved after he only got two targets and had no catches against Weber State. He's got five catches on six targets for 72 yards and a touchdown today.

Senior edge rusher Zach Durfee is also having himself a game. He's got 2.5 sacks, and Washington's defensive line has generally been in the EMU backfield for a majority of the game. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Elinneus Davis picked up the first sack of his career and Jayvon Parker also added 0.5 sacks after combining with Durfee.

UW will face better offensive lines, surely, but this has been a good showing after some shaky moments against Weber State.

After three quarters, the Huskies lead Eastern Michigan 30-6.

The scoring play: Grady Gross makes a 28-yard field goal, his first of the game, to extend UW's lead late in the third quarter.

The drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 6:04.

The story: Even a couple holding penalties, including a called-back touchdown, couldn't stop this UW offense.

The score: Washington 30, Eastern Michigan 6. 0:50 left in 3Q.

The drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 2:55.

Next possession: UW starts at own 33.

Time left: 6:54 in 3Q.

The scoring play: Jeremiah Hunter beat his defender down the right side of the field and Will Rogers led him perfectly into the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown. Grady Gross had the PAT blocked.

The drive: 4 plays, 58 yards, 2:18.

The story: After no catches in his UW debut last week, Hunter, the Cal transfer, leads the Huskies with five grabs today.

The score: Washington 27, Eastern Michigan 6.

The highlight:

The drive: 3 plays, negative-6 yards, 2:39.

The story: The Eagles backed themselves up on third down with an illegal-formation penalty as the UW defense forced a three-and-out and punt on the first series of the second half.

Next possession: UW starts at own 42.

Time left: 12:15 in 3Q.

Washington's offense is awake. After stumbling through the first quarter, the Huskies' offense was full of explosive plays in the second quarter.

Rogers threw his first touchdown of the game to freshman Decker DeGraaf, a 41-yard strike down the right sideline. DeGraaf has two career catches, both for touchdowns.

Jonah Coleman set up the next score, ripping off a 64-yard run before Rogers found sophomore wideout Denzel Boston for a 13-yard touchdown. Rogers and Boston connected again from the 1-yard line, making it 21-6 at halftime.

UW has outscored EMU 21-3 in the second quarter.

The Huskies put together a successful second quarter after a slow start and lead Eastern Michigan 21-6 at halftime.

The scoring play: Will Rogers throws a second touchdown to a wide-open Denzel Boston, this time from 1 yard out.

The drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 1:27.

The story: This game really has flipped as far as UW's offense is concerned since that fourth-down conversion. Rogers is now 14-of-19 with 182 yards and three touchdowns. Boston has nine catches today — four more than all of last season.

The score: Washington 21, Eastern Michigan 6.

The drive: 3 plays, negative-6 yards, 0:47.

The story: UW's defense backed up its offense on that drive as Elinneus Davis' first career sack backed up Eastern Michigan on second down and ultimately forced the Eagles' first punt of the game.

Next possession: UW starts on own 35.

Time left: 2:00 in 2Q.

The scoring play: Will Rogers hits Denzel Boston on a slant route for a 13-yard touchdown to extend UW's lead.

The drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:36.

The story: Quick — and impressive — response from the Huskies' offense. Why does Jonah Coleman only have four rushes though ... ?

The score: Washington 14, Eastern Michigan 6. 3:07 left in 2Q.

The highlight:

The scoring play: EMU kicker Jesus Gomez hits his second field goal, this one from 29 yards out.

The drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 4:48.

The story: Eastern Michigan sure is not backing down. The Eagles continue to be able to consistently drive on this UW defense so far. But the Huskies keep getting the big plays they need, this time from Zach Durfee, who was questionable going into this one, with a 9-yard sack to push EMU back to the 22-yard line for a long third down.

The score: Washington 7, Eastern Michigan 6. 4:49 left in 2Q.

The scoring play: Will Rogers throws deep to tight end Decker DeGraaf for a 41-yard touchdown along the right sideline to put the Huskies ahead 7-3.

The drive: 6 plays, 82 yards, 3:05.

The story: The Huskies took a timeout before a huge fourth-down attempt at their own 30-yard line. Two plays later, they were in the end zone for the first time in this game. Beautiful play calls on both and a lovely throw from Will Rogers — and this is a whole different ballgame.

The score: Washington 7, Eastern Michigan 3. 9:37 left in 2Q.

The highlight:

On the second play of Eastern Michigan's next drive, EMU quarterback Cole Snyder fumbled at the end of a 25-yard rush and the Huskies recovered for their first forced turnover of the season. Bryun Parham punched out the ball and Cameron Broussard recovered the fumble.

The drive: 3 plays, negative-9 yards, 1:47.

The story: Oof. Sandwiched in between a 14-yard rush to the right by Adam Mohammed were two bad snaps, resulting in losses of 7 and 16 yards. The second loss was on third-and-3 with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. subbed in. The Huskies have now punted on all three drives so far.

Next possession: EMU starts on own 36.

Time left: 13:20 in 2Q.

Another slow start for the Huskies offensively. Will Rogers is 4-for-6 for 28 yards, but the Huskies have punted twice and had one blocked. Washington has been running out redshirt freshman offensive lineman Zachary Henning as a sixth lineman or blocking tight end, as the Huskies don't have sixth-year tight end Quentin Moore today.

Washington's defense has been its saving grace so far, getting a huge stop on 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Eastern Michigan kicker Jesus Gomez kicked a 57-yard field goal, the second-longest in Husky Stadium history, to open the scoring.

Following two complete offensive series by both teams, the Huskies trail Eastern Michigan 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The scoring play: EMU kicker Jesus Gomez drains a 57-yard field goal to put the Eagles on the board near the end of the first quarter.

The drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 3:42.

The story: Second straight drive that ends with Carson Bruener blasting EMU QB Cole Snyder, but the quick-moving Eagles again put a lot of pressure on the UW defense, finding rushing lanes and holes en route to a lead late in the first quarter. After eschewing points from the 3-yard line on their first drive, the Eagles attempt a field goal, resulting in a make that was the second-longest made by an opponent at Husky Stadium.

The score: EMU 3, Washington 0. 0:07 left in 1Q.

The drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 3:36.

The story: UW converted two first downs via the run before getting stood up shortly after. On third-and-2, Will Rogers threw behind an open Keleki Latu on an apparent miscommunication, forcing the Huskies' second punt on their second series.

Next possession: EMU starts on own 8.

Time left: 3:53 in 1Q.

The drive: 11 plays, 29 yards, 5:55.

The story: Starting with great field position after a blocked punt, Eastern Michigan converted a fourth-and-1 at the UW 23 and a clutch third-and-5 from the 13 to get as close as the UW 3-yard line. The Eagles then went for it on fourth-and-goal before Carson Bruener's pressure forced EMU QB Cole Snyder to throw incomplete for a turnover on downs. Clutch showing by the Huskies' defense.

Next possession: UW starts at own 3.

Time left: 7:29 in 1Q.

The drive: 3 plays, 7 yards, 1:36.

The story: UW can't get anything started on offense to start this one, going three-and-out. To make things worse, Eastern Michigan heavily pressures the UW punt team up the middle and blocks the punt. Not ideal.

Next possession: EMU starts on UW's 32.

Time left: 13:24 in 1Q.

Eastern Michigan won the coin toss and chose to defer, so the Huskies will start with the ball on offense.

Washington has 133 potential FBS opponents entering the 2024 season. Steve Hoffmann roots for the Huskies against 132 of them. 

Few families — if any — bleed purple and gold like the Hoffmanns. Steve spent five seasons playing on the defensive line at Washington from 1991-95, redshirting during UW’s national championship season and playing in the Whammy in Miami during the 1994 season. He can still hear the roar of Husky Stadium on third down when he reminisces about his time with the Huskies.

Steve met his wife, Heidi Hoffmann (née Hills), on Montlake, where she played for the women’s basketball team from 1993-96 with her sister, Molly. His brother, Dave Hoffmann, was an All-American linebacker at Washington, and will be an honorary captain for the Huskies this Saturday. Molly’s husband is former UW quarterback Brock Huard. 

But make no mistake. This Saturday, Steve and Heidi will be wearing Eagle green and white at Husky Stadium. 

“We actually told all our friends coming to the tailgate, ‘You’d better be wearing green and white,” Steve said. “Because that’s what it’s all about on Saturday.”

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Jacob Otten knew something was wrong as soon as he entered his office at Husky Stadium. The corner where he kept his 12 championship rings was empty.

“It sucked,” Otten, UW football’s third-year director of technology said Friday. “Just walking in, seeing where they were displayed in that back corner and all of a sudden looking and they weren’t displayed there anymore, I was like, that’s not good at all.”

Washington athletics was the victim of a theft this week, a UW athletics spokesperson told The Seattle Times on Friday afternoon.

“We can confirm that a theft occurred between September 4 and 5 on the athletic campus,” the UW athletics spokesperson said. “The incident was promptly reported to authorities.”

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Can’t overlook the Eagles

Eastern Michigan under coach Chris Creighton has earned its reputation as a dangerous opponent for the former Power Five teams. 

The Eagles had never beaten a Power Five school, despite playing its first season of football in 1891, when Creighton was hired before the 2014 season. He led Eastern Michigan to its first Power Five victory on Sept. 9, 2017, defeating Rutgers 16-13. Since then, Creighton’s Eastern Michigan teams have upset Purdue, Illinois and Arizona State. 

Creighton’s physical style of play is led by a defense that surrendered more than 30 points only three times during the 2023 season. Eastern Michigan also played four one-score games a year ago, going 2-2 in them. 

The Huskies simply can’t overlook the Eagles given their pedigree under Creighton, even with the Apple Cup looming in a week.

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Chris Creighton will stand on the visitors’ sideline inside Husky Stadium.

But don’t let the sideline deceive you.

On Saturday, he’ll be home.

In 1981, a 12-year-old Creighton moved from San Jose to Seattle, when his father was named rector at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Laurelhurst. He spent six years living on Northeast 45^th Street, a mere two miles from Husky Stadium and Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

“You’re just right smack dab in the middle of it,” said the Eastern Michigan coach, whose Eagles will meet Washington for the first time this weekend. “So I became a fan real quick.”

Creighton’s newfound fandom yielded lifelong memories. He attended countless men’s and women’s basketball games with his dad, Michael, a season-ticket holder. He walked along the wetlands bordering Union Bay, trudging south to Husky Stadium on fall Saturdays. After wins, he joined a crowd of kids loitering outside the locker room, hoping to receive a sweatband — a priceless souvenir — from quarterback Steve Pelluer.

On a clear Halloween afternoon in 1981, Creighton was among 53,504 who participated in the first “wave” inside Husky Stadium.

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Quentin Moore, Washington’s sixth-year tight end, was tackled and injured by an ineligible Weber State player, a Big Ten spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“With 8:03 remaining in the second quarter of Saturday’s game between Washington and Weber State, a Weber State defender entered the field after the ball was snapped and eventually made the tackle following a 14-yard completion,” the statement said. “The late addition of the eleventh defender was not seen by officials.”

On Tuesday evening, a UW football spokesperson told The Seattle Times the program sent video of the play to the conference. The officiating crew — referee Francisco Villar, umpire Dan Montgomery, linesman Jeffrey Johnson, line judge Gary Schidmeyer, back judge Devin Aller, field judge Matt Dornan, side judge Joel Clay, center judge Kyle Harbour and replay official Keith Zirbel — that missed the call were from the Big Ten. 

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People who were disappointed they could not watch Washington’s football game last Saturday night on Comcast are not likely to feel any better this Saturday.

The cable provider and the Big Ten Network still have been unable to resolve their carriage dispute. If a deal is not reached, the Huskies’ game against Eastern Michigan at 12:30 p.m. will be blacked out on Comcast on the West Coast.

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