The game began in a rain storm. Next the sun came out. Then another rain squall came through to open the second half. Sunshine appeared once more.
The weather on Saturday afternoon at Husky Stadium was not unlike the outing that University of Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston had in a 42-25 victory over Illinois — perilous at times, but overall unforgettable when it came to enjoying a career moment.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior finally walked off the field after averting what appeared to be a serious injury and he was able to bask in a 10-catch, 153-yard performance that were Husky high-water marks for him, plus he threw and caught touchdown passes.
Whew.
A TD throw, really?
“I played quarterback in Little League when I was younger for about six years,” Boston said. “It felt great to me.”
Forty seconds before the first half ended, Boston caught a backward pass from quarterback Demond Williams Jr. that would be considered a lateral and he stood in there and fired a 12-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Jonah Coleman in the end zone, giving the UW the lead for good at 21-17.
“I’m just glad he called the play and believed in me and I just delivered the pass,” Boston said of UW coach Jedd Fisch, who made tapped his receiver after seeing him throw in practice.
Ah, but he’s still a NFL-bound wide receiver, probably a first-round draft pick. Yet all of that seemed to be threatened midway through the fourth quarter when he tiptoed down the sideline for a 25-yard gain to the Illinois 11, only to be left writhing in pain on the field after getting tackled.
Boston had to be helped to his feet and then appeared to limp badly before loosening up and starting to jog a little.
With the Huskies in a timeout, he tried to rejoin the offense, only to get pulled away by the medical staff.
“It was just a little tweak,” said Boston, who acknowledged the trainers were just doing their job, going through proper protocols with him.
A short time later, Boston came back on the field with center-turned-tight end Zach Henning to finish the drive, waving his arms to get the crowd into it.
He was just decoy as the other tight end Decker DeGraaf caught a 2-yard touchdown pass for the game’s final points and left the ball spinning on its end in the end zone.
Boston and his teammates will today break for a bye week and try to finish strong in their final four outings, possibly favored in every game except against Oregon.
For the season, the UW wide receiver has 44 catches for 668 yards and 7 touchdowns, and has thrown for another and returned a punt for yet another, which is quite a football resume.
“We’ve got a lot ahead of us,” Boston said. “If we just keep working, good things are going to come to us.”
On Saturday, good things did come to him and he was able to sidestep the bad.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
About the Author
