3 Stars of the game in Washington's season-opening win versus Colorado State

The Washington Huskies handled business in their week one matchup against Colorado State, despite the game being closer than anticipated for most of the game. The Huskies pulled away late after their offense and defense finally started to put it all together, with several players making big plays down the stretch to secure the victory.

Here are three of those players who deserve some extra recognition for their efforts.

1. Jonah Coleman

Coleman is the obvious pick for player of the game, as his impact single handedly swung the momentum towards the Huskies early and late into the game. In Washington's opening drive of the season, Coleman recorded 51 of Washington's 59 yards on the ground and through the air – finishing it off with a 26-yard rushing touchdown.

Later in the game, Coleman had a back-breaking, 38-yard run where he broke multiple tackles and nearly scored after his leg barely touched the ground when falling on top of a Colorado State defender. He scored the game-sealing touchdown on the very next play.

Overall, Coleman finished with 199 all-purpose yards, avergaing 7.4 yards per carry on 24 rushing attempts. The Huskies offensive line deserves a lot of credit, as well – no singular player ended up making this list, but all of them deserve kudos for how they protected Coleman and Demond Williams Jr. all game. Drew Azzopardi and true freshman John Mills in particular played amazingly.

2. Demond Williams Jr.

It wasn't necessarily the flashiest game, but Williams Jr. certainly was efficient in Washington's first win of the season. He simply got the job done Saturday night, making sound decisions and being a playmaker with his legs to be an efficient conductor of the Huskies offense.

Williams Jr. was an efficient 18 for 24 in passing attempts (75%), throwing for 226 yards, including a well-placed 12-yard touchdown pass that Denzel Boston made an incredible catch on. He also hooked up with Boston for a 39-yard gain, his longest of the night, keeping the Colorado State defense on its toes by mixing up deep shots with short, quick passes throughout the night.

But perhaps Williams Jr. was most impactful with the plays he made using his legs. Factoring out the losses on three sacks that he took, Williams Jr. ran the ball 10 times for 93 yards, including a long, 28-yard scramble. His ability to extend plays with his top-end speed will be a major factor for the Huskies, and certainly was in this game.

Williams Jr. did make some inaccurate throws and held the ball too long at times, but he should improve on that as the season goes on. Overall, I'd rate his performance an A-.

3. Alex McLaughlin

The Huskies defense didn't leave the best impression on fans during this game, but Northern Arizona transfer Alex McLaughlin was an unsung bright spot. The 6-foot-2 safety made his presence felt all game long, as he was second on the team with eight tackles, many of them being huge open-field, 1-on-1 tackles that prevented big gains.

McLaughlin recorded one tackle for loss of nine yards, in which he sniffed out a Colorado State reverse play and wrapped up Jordan Ross deep in the backfield.

Beyond the box score, the main reason McLaughlin ends up on this list is because of the energy he played with. He was constantly yelling in celebration after each big play by both himself and his teammates, and I also caught him talking some trash to opposing Rams players on occasion. That kind of intensity will rub off on the rest of the Huskies defense over time, and he will be a crucial culture setter for a Huskies defense that needs to improve.