Postgame Quotes: Eastern Washington

SEATTLE – Members of the Washington football team met with the media following the Huskies' 47-14 win over Eastern Washington at Husky Stadium on Saturday, Aug, 31. Read some of what they had to say:

HEAD COACH CHRIS PETERSEN

(Opening statement) "I thought that we had a really good start. It was really clean, for the most part, in terms of first-game jitters. There were a couple of things that we need to get cleaned up on offense. I am proud of our offensive line for allowing Jacob Eason to set his feet. I think our defense did a great job today, on the first few drives, they did an awesome job. It is hard to simulate the tackling that happens in a game, so we missed a few things there, but we will clean up those things. I thought it was really good to get out and get our first win."

(On plays when Eason couldn't set his feet) "We will review the tapes on that. He is a pocket-passer, he likes to stay in the pocket and set his feet, that is his game. I think that he got out of the pocket one time, and I think he got hit and knocked down. That was good to have him feel that and come out clean. This will be a great tape to watch and learn from."

(On what Richard Newton did that impressed him) "He has been impressive since he has been here. He is a hard runner and that is why he was in that Wildcat position, he showed that right away. He puts his head down and legs keeps churning. The big thing about the running back position is vision that comes with it. I am anxious to put the tape on. I know that he was pushing the power forward a lot of the time. As soon as I leave here, I am going to watch some tape because there is a lot of things that you miss on the field. The tape is never as good as you think it is and it is never as bad as you think it is."

(On the thought behind the play call on the 50-yard completion to Andre Baccellia) "That was nice play action. We had to options on that, Eason went to his second read option on that play. We had good play action of Andre Baccellia running down the seam and Jacob Eason threw a good ball. I think the next time, he would have to scramble on. It is nice to see the ball flying down the field."

(On his impressions of Eason's decision making and poise) "He was good. I think that our line did a nice job of getting him the ability to set his feet. It was a really good day one. I don't want to move on too fast, but I know the challenge is going to be a lot different next week. I think it was good for him to get hit a little bit today. He covered the gamete there today."

(On how the defense played as a unit) "I thought it was really good. There are a couple of things that I know Eastern beat us on. We were looking at a lot of offense in preparation for this one, we were looking at Eastern's offensive and Central's offense. There was a lot of offense thrown at these guys. I thought for the most part it was good. There are a few tackling things that we need to work on. We need to make our tackles a little cleaner."

QUARTERBACK JACOB EASON

(On how it felt to play in a real game again) "You dream of things like this. The way we handled practice this week and got the game plan ready and got the small things ready day by day throughout camp, I think this team has done a great job focusing each day. We came out and played like we have been all camp long. It was fun to do, fun to be a part of, and super exciting for me."

(On his touchdown pass to Baccellia) "That was fun. The play was called, and that's something we've been working on all week. You go out there and you do your job. The big plays like that look pretty, and it was exciting to be a part of that. The guys up front and our tight ends put a lot into this week and it showed up out there."

(On his connection with Aaron Fuller) "That's a player making plays. He's got that in him and he's a great target to have. Even some of the things I saw shocked me. You know it's awesome to have guys like that to throw to."

(On his nerves coming into the game) "I'm a little bit older now and I have some experience under my belt, so just coming into today I tried to focus and take it a play at a time. I try to do my job on each call and then take it from there. I just focused on doing my part, being the best quarterback I could each play, and the game took over from there."

(On the importance of the four-touchdown start) "It was fun and it was awesome. We had our great game plan and we went out there and executed. The most important thing is that we were having fun doing it."

WIDE RECEIVER AARON FULLER

(On his overall impressions of the offense) "It's great. We love to see the offense click. The [offensive line] was doing very well, running backs were running very hard, they're in their blocking and making explosive plays, and the connection we have with [Jacob Eason] is pretty impressive as well."

(On whether he practices one-handed catches) "To be honest, [Coach Petersen] doesn't like us doing that so it's more of a game time thing. But everything just clicked because the O-line blocked their butts off and [Jacob Eason] put [the ball in] a great spot for me and I just felt the ball fall into my hand.

DEFENSIVE BACK ELIJAH MOLDEN

(On how it felt to play at home in the season opener) "It felt great, it felt like home. I stepped out on the turf and I was ready. But we were prepared and played well I think, There's some stuff to clean up for sure. One thing I think is we tackled pretty well. But still some stuff to clean up."

(On how the run-stopping helps the defensive backs) "That really helps us out in the back end. So I tell all those guys like Levi [Onwuzurike], if you're on your stuff, it's going to make it easier for us back here and vice versa. So (I'm) very grateful for them.

RUNNING BACK SALVON AHMED

(On how the passing game looked) "It's great. We have to keep practicing and keep developing our relationship when the ball is in the air but right now it's off to a good start."

(On finally reaching the endzone in the third quarter) "It really was, it was a good feeling to finally get in the endzone for a while, but I'm trying not to dwell in the past and move forward."

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Andre Baccellia

Jacob Eason

Aaron Fuller

Richard Newton

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