Will Rogers passes for 4 TDs, Washington routs Eastern Michigan 30-9

SEATTLE (AP) — Will Rogers passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns and rebuilt Washington overcame another slow start to beat Eastern Michigan 30-9 on Saturday.

The Huskies (2-0) failed to score in the first quarter for the second straight week to open the season under new head coach Jedd Fisch. But Rogers threw three touchdowns in the second quarter, including two to Denzel Boston, to help rev up the Washington offense.

“There’s things I have to clean up,” Rogers said. “… This is not a finished product by any means, but we just try and get better each week and see where we can take this thing.”

Rogers completed 10-of-13 passes in the second quarter for 154 yards after his team fell behind 3-0 against the Mid-American Conference foe. He finished 21 of 26 and has completed 78% of his passes for 511 yards in his first two Washington games with five TD passes and no interceptions.

Jonah Coleman rushed 11 times for 104 yards to help Washington win its 16th straight home game, the second longest streak in the nation after Michigan's loss. It was his second straight 100-yard game to start his Washington career.

Eastern Michigan (1-1) blocked a Washington punt and later took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on Jesus Gomez’s 57-yard field goal, the second longest field goal in Husky Stadium history.

It would take a defensive highlight to get the Washington offense rolling. Cameron Broussard’s recovery of Cole Snyder’s fumble following a 25-yard run early in the second quarter set up the Huskies’ first score.

“I'm excited about the way our defense played again,” Fisch said. "That's two games in a row without letting up a touchdown. That’s impressive."

The offense overcame two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and converted a fourth-and-1 on the ensuing drive to take a 7-3 lead on Rogers’ 41-yard pass to Decker DeGraaf. DeGraaf caught the pass at the 5, then tip-toed down the line for the score.

“We were out there after practice on Tuesday working that one specific play for about 30 minutes,” Rogers said. “... So it’s pretty cool to see that come to fruition after all the work we put in this past week on that specific play.”

Gomez added another field goal to make it 7-6, but Coleman opened Washington’s next drive with a 64-yard run. Then Rogers found Boston on a 13-yard slant a few plays later for a 14-6 lead with 3:07 left in the half.

Rogers completed passes of 20, 15 and 11 yards on the Huskies’ final drive of the second quarter before connecting with Boston again on a 1-yard corner route to make it 21-6 at halftime.

“The best thing about Denzel is he’s always hungry for the next one,” Rogers said.

The senior found Jeremiah Hunter for a 24-yard score to cap Washington’s first drive of the second half to make it 27-6 and put the game out of reach.

Washington's defense had seven sacks, led by Zach Durfee's 2 1/2.

THE TAKEAWAY

Eastern Michigan: The Eagles had hoped to grab their fifth win over a power conference team under coach Chris Creighton, a former Seattle high school star. But after opening the season at UMass, then flying to the opposite coast for this week’s matchup, EMU didn’t have much left when the Huskies’ speed kicked in.

Washington: They got the season rolling with wins against Eastern Michigan and FCS Weber State, but the stakes begin to rise next week with the Apple Cup and their Big Ten debut up next. No one expects them to match the offensive fireworks of last season’s national championship runners up, but they’ll need a little more smoke soon.

UP NEXT

Eastern Michigan: Hosts Jacksonville State on Saturday.

Washington: Hosts Washington State at the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field on Saturday.

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25

Washington safety Kamren Fabiculanan (13) nearly intercepts the ball with cornerback Elijah Jackson (25) on a pass to Eastern Michigan wide receiver Terry Lockett Jr. (3) in the end zone during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 30-9. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Eastern Michigan wide receiver Markus Allen (8) looks up as the Washington defense celebrates a tackle, including safety Cameron Broussard (8) and safety Makell Esteen (24) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 30-9. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington head coach Jedd Fisch walks into the tunnel after a 30-9 victory over Eastern Michigan in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington defensive back Dyson McCutcheon (21) tips a pass away from Eastern Michigan wide receiver Oran Singleton and is called for pass interference during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 30-9. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington head coach Jedd Fisch looks on from the sideline as safety Justin Harrington (4) walks by during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Eastern Michigan, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 30-9. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington edge Lance Holtzclaw commits a roughing the passer penalty on a tackle against Eastern Michigan quarterback Cole Snyder (15) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 30-9. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington quarterback Will Rogers jogs off the field after a 30-9 win over Eastern Michigan in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington quarterback Will Rogers looks to throw during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Eastern Michigan, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington defensive lineman Elinneus Davis (90) is greeted by defensive lineman Jacob Bandes, left, after making a sack against Eastern Michigan during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington quarterback Will Rogers (7) hands the ball off to running back Jonah Coleman for a 64-yard gain against Eastern Michigan during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Eastern Michigan place kicker Jesús Gómez, center, is greeted by teammates, including offensive lineman Nicholas Gallegos (65) after making a field goal against Washington during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington's Carson Bruener (42) makes a late hit against Eastern Michigan quarterback Cole Snyder, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington tight end Decker DeGraaf (86) makes a catch for a touchdown against Eastern Michigan linebacker JT Killen (21) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Washington quarterback Will Rogers (7) reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Eastern Michigan, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump claimed without evidence Monday that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' comments that he is a threat to democracy had inspired the latest apparent attempt on his life, despite his own long history of inflammatory campaign rhetoric and advocacy for jailing or prosecuting his political enemies.

With the election now just 50 days away and early ballots already being mailed out in some places, this year’s presidential campaign was among the most turbulent in American history even before Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt. Trump was safe after the incident in Florida and praised the Secret Service for protecting him but didn't shy away from blaming his opponents.

“Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out,” Trump said in comments to Fox News Digital.

The Republican former president's statements are a sharp departure from how he reacted after an assassination attempt in July during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which a bullet grazed his ear.

Then, Trump called for national unity, saying in a social media post that “it is more important than ever that we stand United.” A few days later, though, the former president returned to his usual commentary where he has sharply criticizes Democrats and relishes political bombast.

While authorities continue to investigate the motives of both the gunman in Pennsylvania and the person arrested Sunday in Florida, Trump has made clear that he sees attempts on his life as politically motivated — and blames his rivals for them.

That's despite Trump himself drawing repeated criticism for his rhetoric. He has talked about prosecuting his political rivals and alleged without evidence that Democrats have brought the felony cases against him for political reasons.

In a post on his social media site on Monday, Trump again claimed that he had been the target of politically motivated attacks, writing that the left “has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust.” He said “it will only get worse” and then veered into comments about immigration, even though there is no evidence the person arrested in connection with the apparent assassination attempt was an immigrant.

That follows the former president during last week's debate and in the days after it amplifying false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets. The community days later evacuated schools and government buildings amid bomb threats, adding to the sense of an especially unstable and tense moment in America even before Sunday’s stunning development.

Biden, by contrast, sought to steer clear of politics. He decried the apparent assassination attempt and said on Monday that America must work to stop the scourge of political violence.

“America has suffered too many times the tragedy of an assassin’s bullet,” Biden said at the start of an address to the National HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia. “It solves nothing. It just tears the country apart. We must do everything we can to prevent it and never give it any oxygen.”

Biden in his speech added that Ronald Rowe, the acting director of the Secret Service, was in Florida “assessing what happened and determining whether any further adjustments need to be made to ensure” Trump’s safety.

After Trump's shooting in Pennsylvania, Biden initially called on the nation to lower the political temperature, though he, too, eventually pivoted back to criticizing Trump as a threat to the nation's founding principles.

Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley said Sunday's “deeply troublesome” event coming on top of an already dramatic year with an election looming has created “a kind of uncertainty across the land.”

Brinkley said, “2024 has just unspooled in a chaotic and frightful fashion. It’s impossible for anybody to get footing in their daily lives with a news cycle that is so constantly grim and absurd.”

Trump had already been scheduled to spend Monday at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, according to a person familiar with his schedule. That now includes a briefing in person from Rowe, who is leading the Secret Service after its director resigned following the Pennsylvania shooting, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Rowe arrived in West Palm Beach on Monday morning.

On Monday night, Trump is expected to speak about cryptocurrency live on the social media site X for the launch of his sons’ crypto platform, followed by an expected return to the campaign trail on Tuesday for a town hall in Flint, Michigan. He has appearances later in the week in New York, Washington and North Carolina.

Harris, meanwhile, was meeting with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at the 1.3 million-member group’s headquarters in Washington as the Democratic presidential nominee hopes to lock yet another labor union’s endorsement. She was scheduled on Tuesday to campaign in swing-state Pennsylvania and planned later in the week to speak in Washington, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Harris' husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, was planning to attend campaign receptions in Washington and New York on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Their returns to the campaign trail are likely to be overshadowed by questions about the armed man engaged by Secret Service agents at the former president’s Florida golf course. The FBI was leading the investigation and working to determine any motive.

Beyond the first attempt on Trump’s life when he was grazed by a bullet at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the campaign was whipsawed over the past six months by Trump’s historic criminal trial and conviction; the crisis and eventual end of Biden’s reelection campaign after his floundering debate performance; and Harris taking his place, fundamentally shifting the race.

In August, Trump’s campaign disclosed it had been hacked and said Iranian actors had stolen and distributed sensitive internal documents. The Justice Department is preparing criminal charges in connection with the hack.

Trump's blaming the Democrats for saying he is a threat to American democracy is a theme his allies have also picked up on, seeking to link those arguments to Sunday's detention of a suspect. Investigators have not commented on the suspect's potential motives.

Republican strategist David Urban, a Trump ally, said it was too soon to know how that might affect the days and weeks ahead in the campaign, but in his conversations with those in Trump’s orbit, he was picking up a deep sense of shock and uncertainty.

“We’ve said unprecedented so many times this year," Urban said. “I don’t know if we can even say the word anymore.”

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Ayanna Alexander in Philadelphia, Steve Peoples in New York and Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., contributed to this report.

A newspaper is displayed in a vehicle outside of the Mar-a-Lago estate after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Police officers direct traffic near Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

FILE - The motorcade for President Donald Trump arrives at Trump International Golf Club, Feb. 15, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)