SEATTLE (AP) — Washington made its debut as one of the newest members of the Big Ten Conference with an emphatic victory and the Huskies defense leading the way. Will Rogers threw a pair of first-half touchdowns to Denzel Boston, Jonah Coleman added a second-half touchdown run, and Washington stymied Northwestern in a 24-5 win on Saturday night. The Huskies (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) rebounded from last week’s stinging Apple Cup loss to rival Washington State in their first conference game by thumping the overmatched Wildcats.
The Huskies held Northwestern to 112 total yards, grabbed two interceptions and had a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter. “Our defense just played extraordinary. I don't really know if there's many other good adjectives to describe (it),” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said.
Rogers was excellent in the first half when he found Boston on touchdowns of 46 yards on Washington’s second possession and a 13-yard strike in the second quarter. Coleman scored on an 8-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the fourth quarter, capping a drive where he made an excellent catch then cleanly hurdled Northwestern Evan Smith as part of a 16-yard reception. Rogers finished 20 of 28 passing for 223 yards, while Boston had seven catches for a career-high 121 yards.
“It's going to go down in the books that we won our first game in the Big Ten," Boston said. "I think that's a big thing not only for us but for our alumni to see us continuing what they began years ago..