Huskies hold off Eagles in wild 59-52 win

SEATTLE (AP) — Chris Petersen making his debut at home as Washington's coach and quarterback Cyler Miles returning from suspension was supposed to get all the attention.

Vernon Adams Jr., ended up stealing the entire spotlight, even if it came in a losing effort.

"I wish we could have gotten the win," Adams said. "I would have went with zero touchdowns if it would have meant getting the win."

Miles ran for three touchdowns and threw for another in his season debut, and the Huskies withstood a record seven TD passes from Adams in a wild 59-52 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Washington (2-0) avoided a potentially embarrassing loss to an FCS team, taking advantage of a late turnover to finally put away the Eagles (2-1) after blowing all of an early 21-0 lead.

Three years ago, the Eagles nearly knocked off Washington in the Huskies first game ever against an FCS opponent, falling 30-27.

The threat from Eastern — ranked No. 2 in the FCS — was just as scary on Saturday.

"I don't think that was a fluke," Petersen said. "I think they are that good."

Adams finished 31 of 46 for 475 yards. Adams set records for most touchdown passes in a game in school history and a new career high in yards passing. The seven TD passes were the most ever allowed by Washington.

Adams suffered cramps in his legs in the third quarter, but remained in the game. And if his day wasn't full enough, Adams attempted the onside kick after throwing his seventh TD but the loose ball was recovered by Washington.

"He is special for more than just being like a big-play guy or a busted play guy," Eastern coach Beau Baldwin said. "He stands in the pocket and makes throws. He changes protections. He's tough and stays in when he gets blitzed. He's got all the quarterback tools."

The teams combined for 1,109 total yards of offense. There were only three punts and Eastern Washington committed both turnovers.

Washington could not stop the Eagles in the pass game and Eastern Washington had no answers in slowing the Huskies on the ground. It made for a wild, entertaining afternoon that likely drove both defensive coordinators crazy.

The Huskies finished with 356 yards rushing, using their superior size to push around the Eagles undermanned defensive front. But Adams did his part in exposing the weaknesses in the Huskies secondary. He hit nine different receivers and made pinpoint passes all afternoon.

"We have a lot of room to get better covering wise and tackling wise," Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson said.

The difference turned out to be the Eagles' two turnovers that both proved costly.

After Washington took a 7-0 lead, Mario Brown fumbled the ensuing kickoff and three plays later Lavon Coleman scored on a 9-yard run for an early 14-0 lead. But Terence Grady's fumble in the fourth quarter was even more damaging to the Eagles hopes of pulling the unlikely upset.

Down 52-45, the Eagles were deep in Washington territory. Adams found Grady for 16 yards down to the Washington 16, but John Timu ripped the ball free and Travis Feeney scooped up the loose ball returning it to the 35.

Worn down, the Eagles could not stop the Huskies running game and Miles' third TD run proved to be the capper giving the Huskies a 59-45 lead with 7:45 left.

Adams had one last push, throwing an 11-yard TD to Zach Wimberly with 3:14 left but his onside kick — the first time he's tried that in a game — was recovered by Washington.

"I could have kicked it harder," Adams said.

Miles missed the opener at Hawaii as part of his suspension for an off-field issue. Washington looked like a completely different offense than last week at Hawaii thanks to Miles and the threat of his running ability. He was 14 of 24 passing for 180 yards and had a 55-yard catch-and-run TD pass to John Ross.

Miles had TD runs of 1, 3 and 5 yards. The 5-yard TD on the first play of the fourth quarter and ensuing 2-point conversion pass gave Washington a 52-45 lead.

"The offense did a tremendous job of coming back, responding every time," Miles said.

Lavon Coleman had 118 yards rushing and Dwayne Washington added a pair of touchdowns runs. Thompson made his debut as a running back with one series in the first half that was capped by a 57-yard TD run. The linebacker had three carries for 66 yards.

Cooper Kupp had eight receptions for 145 yards and three touchdowns for Eastern. Kendrick Bourne also had eight catches for 114 yards and a score.

"I couldn't be prouder. I mean that," Baldwin said. "I'm not into the whole idea of, 'Oh, did you just expect to play good?' No, but every game whether you win or lose has a lot of things that are positive and negative. There are a ton of positives coming out of this game."