UW Huskies ride big second half to pull away from Colorado State in season opener
By Andy YamashitaSeattle Times staff reporter
Just one year ago, Washington entered the 2024 season as a massive question mark. A new coach. A new conference. A new roster. All in the aftermath of the highs of a College Football Playoff championship game appearance, and the lows of watching the coach that led UW there, depart for Alabama.
So it can be easy to forget the 2025 Huskies are also somewhat of a mystery. Washington signed 27 freshmen. It added 14 transfers. Nine of the 22 players named as starters for its opening game against Colorado State weren’t at UW a season ago.
And even if there’s more continuity than a year ago, Saturday was a reminder that it’s still going to take some time for this team to jell.
“It was our first time playing as a team together,” senior running back Jonah Coleman said. “It was feeling it out and seeing what they were doing.”
Washington pulled away in the fourth quarter, beating Colorado State 38-21 in its season-opening game in front of 67,778 fans at Husky Stadium Saturday evening. The Huskies have won 21 consecutive games on Montlake, the second-longest active streak in college football.
“I thought it was a good game,” coach Jedd Fisch said. “A couple things about a first game, you’re going to make some mistakes.”
UW’s win certainly wasn’t as flawless as the final score line might suggest. With 1:39 remaining in the first half, sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and junior center Landen Hatchett’s miscommunication resulted in a botched snap and a UW fumble on the CSU 31-yard line. Coach Jay Norvell’s team immediately took advantage of the error, driving 66 yards and tying the game on redshirt freshman running back Jalen Dupree’s 15-yard touchdown rush.
The Huskies (1-0) allowed the Rams to convert three fourth-down attempts. Williams was sacked three times. Special teams continued to be an adventure at its best and a borderline disaster at its worst.
But, just like he did a year ago, Coleman covered any potential cracks. He tallied 177 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 24 carries, while adding one catch for 22 yards.
Jonah Coleman jumps through the hole and rushes for a first down to the Colorado State 41 with 3:17 to play in the half Saturday at Husky Stadium, in Seattle. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
It’s the sixth time Coleman has accumulated at least 100 yards rushing since transferring to UW, and was just two yards short of his career-high mark — 179 yards rushing against Colorado while playing for Arizona during the 2023 season. Coleman’s 24 carries was the most in his career.
Coleman’s 38-yard rush in the fourth quarter was Washington’s second-longest play from scrimmage.
The 5-foot-9, 228-pound running back burst through a hole behind sixth-year right guard Geirean Hatchett before hitting the right sideline, where a block by sophomore wide receiver Audric Harris allowed him to tiptoe down inside Colorado State’s 15-yard line. Coleman then lowered his shoulder to shrug off CSU safety AJ Noland, before dragging three defenders to the 3-yard line where he was marked down.
Coleman, who joked the 8 p.m. kickoff kept him up past his bed time, was initially credited with a 41-yard touchdown after appearing to fall on top of a CSU defender before referees reversed their decision. It didn’t matter, as Coleman plunged into the end zone on the very next play, effectively sealing the win for Washington.
It was similar to his first score of the day, a 26-yard touchdown rush down the right sideline in the first quarter. Fisch called Coleman’s performance “probably his best night running the football.”
“I’ve had him for four years,” Fisch said, “and my expectation is he will continue to run the football at that level.”
There were some other positives among the first-game gaffes, too. Williams, who earned his first collegiate win as a starting quarterback, also had a strong beginning to his season. He was 18-for-24 passing for 226 yards and a touchdown — a 12-yard pass to junior wide receiver Denzel Boston, who had to fight through defensive pass interference to secure the leaping catch. Williams also tallied 68 yards rushing on 13 carries, including three runs of 20 yards or longer.
Washington’s offensive line paved the way for 283 total yards rushing even though they struggled at times in pass protection. Sixth-year safety Makell Esteen overcame a difficult night as a tackler to intercept Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi for the game’s decisive turnover.
Redshirt freshman nickel Rahshawn Clark’s fourth-quarter sack set up Coleman’s second touchdown. Sophomore tight end and USC transfer Kade Eldridge, a Lynden native, and sophomore running back Adam Mohammed each scored their first career touchdowns. Senior kicker Grady Gross was perfect on extra points and field goals against the Rams (0-1).
This team still needs time to grow and develop together after experiencing some significant roster churn. All of their problems from a season ago were never going to disappear during the course of one offseason.
But this is just the starting point for the 2025 Huskies. There’s a lot of football left to play.
“You just don’t want to see (mistakes) happen over and over,” Fisch said. “And I don’t expect them to.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.