With receivers throwing passes, an aggressive offense going for points to close out the first half, and a gutsy attempt on a late fourth-down conversion, the Bruins had substance but also flashed some style in their 44-31 win.
This shift from more conservative play calling was evident early in the game, surprising the crowd and the Washington defense alike.
About midway through the second quarter, wide receiver Brandon Breazell was handed the ball on a reverse but pulled up short, throwing deep to an open Terrence Austin for a 57-yard gain and setting the Bruins up for a touchdown.
“Man, all four years I’ve been planning for that play,” Breazell said. “We just started running that play at the beginning of summer camp. I kept telling the coaches, “˜I can throw, I can throw.’ They didn’t even have me there doing it at first. They had Osaar (Rasshan) doing it. I had a little throwing contest, and I showed them I could throw about 65 yards. He said, “˜OK, we’re going to try you out.’"
EMOTIONAL DORRELL: The usually stoic coach Karl Dorrell was noticeably more emotional on the sidelines and in practice last week ““ a change that players responded to.
“There was a change in everybody,” punt and kick returner Matt Slater said. “A change in Dorrell, a change in the coaches. He’s coaching with a sense of urgency, and we got to respond to that. He helped keep us all focused tonight. We got to respond and play for him and represent this university well.
“He’s been more emotional this week than a lot of times I can remember in the last five years I’ve been here. “¦ It was good to see that, and players responded to that. I think it rubs off on the players because he’s our leader out there. We’re looking to him. When we see him with emotion, we can go out and play with emotion.”
Defensive end Bruce Davis noticed a more verbal approach that Dorrell took this past week in keeping his players on task.
“He was fired up,” Davis said. “He stayed in our faces. He definitely wanted to keep us motivated. He didn’t let up (this week). I didn’t like it so much while he was doing it, but I appreciated tonight. It was worth it.”
FIRST TRIP TO END ZONE FOR SLATER SINCE HIGH SCHOOL: After almost bringing one all the way back against Stanford in the season opener, Slater finally took a punt back for a touchdown on Saturday – his first collegiate touchdown.
“I saw a seam when I picked it up,” Slater said. “The guys up front just did a great job of blocking. And once I made a cut, I saw the safety. I just figured let me run the ball and try not to get caught.
“I was just so overwhelmed at the time. I just feel very blessed, kind of speechless. It had been so long since I got in the endzone ““ since high school. I’m just thankful that I was able to make a play to help the team. More so, just thankful that we got the win tonight.”
FIRST SIGNIFICANT PLAYING TIME FOR MAC: Redshirt freshman quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was forced into the game after Pat Cowan went out with a sprained knee, coming in early in the fourth quarter with the Bruins only up 24-17. Though Bethel-Thompson did play against Stanford, this was his first significant playing time.
“It was really fun,” Bethel-Thompson said. “It was exciting. It was really great to see (Chris) Markey running down the field and know that I handed that ball off. It was just fun. It was really exhilarating.”
Bethel-Thompson did not attempt a pass but not because he didn’t want to. Did he lobby offensive coordinator Jay Norvell for a pass attempt?
“Maybe I did,” Bethel-Thompson said. “But (running the ball) was just what we needed to do at that time. He makes the calls, I run the plays.”
BRUCE DAVIS MIND GAMES: Davis laid into Washington freshman quarterback Jake Locker early, using more of a mental approach.
“I let him know that him and I were going to have a nice, long evening together and to get used to my face because he’s going to be seeing it a lot,” Davis said. “And he did. Football is mental as well as physical so not only him but I like to talk out there. That’s just part of my game.
“I’m going to get in their face and at one point in the game, they were all arguing with each other ““ “˜Shut up, you’re supposed to do this. You’re supposed to do that.’ Hey, my job is done. I’ve just got to say a couple words and get them rattled and, hey, it just fell apart from there.”