Huskies: John Ross Back With a Bang as He Enters Record Books
By Paul Taylor
John Ross shows the Washington Huskies and the rest of the Pac-12 what they’ve been missing, as he marks his return from injury with a dazzling three-touchdown display.
After missing the entire 2015 season with a torn ACL, John Ross had an explosive return on Saturday for the Washington Huskies. He returned a kickoff 92 yards in the second quarter to put the Huskies up 31-3, and all but secure their season-opening win against Rutgers.
It was the fourth kickoff return for a touchdown by Ross in a Huskies uniform, setting a new school record. (The return also represented his fifth career touchdown of 90 yards or longer – another UW record.)
The Long Beach, California native discussed his record-breaking moment after the game, with Adam Jude of The Seattle Times and the rest of the media: “I actually did not know that.
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“I was just so happy for the group of guys that were blocking for me. They do such a good job and I really couldn’t do it without them.”
While the humble attitude displayed by Ross is refreshing, make no mistake about how important he is to the Huskies’ offense this season. Expected to boost the passing game he did just that, with touchdown receptions of 38 and 50 yards during the first quarter.
Certainly, Jake Browning was happy to see the junior in action, and the two combined five times for 90 yards. Their ability to connect on the field cannot be underestimated, especially given the departure of Jaydon Mickens and Joshua Perkins, who were the Huskies top two pass catchers last season.
Speaking to Mason Kelly of gohuskies.com, Browning said: “I thought I missed him on a few, but I tried to put it out there, let him have a chance.”
Unsurprisingly, Ross was full of praise for his quarterback: “Jake threw two great balls – we’ve repped that so many times in practice, so I would expect nothing less.”
Overall, the 5’11”, 196 lb receiver was just excited to be playing again. In addition, you get the feeling he will appreciate it even more, after dealing with last year’s frustrations.
Ross said: “It felt really good. I’m grateful. I’m blessed. I’m just really, really happy.”
No doubt his coaches, teammates and fans feel the same way. Long may it continue.
Next: 3 Key Games for the Huskies
Were you fortunate enough to attend the Huskies home opener and watch Ross in person? Should we expect more of the same from him for the rest of the season? Let us know in the comments section.