Ross On Three TDs In His Return: ‘It Felt Unreal’
September 03, 2016 | Football, General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
John Ross said it felt like a movie.
In the first quarter of Washington's 48-13 victory over Rutgers at Husky Stadium, Ross sprinted down the field. Quarterback Jake Browning dropped back to pass. He lofted the ball downfield.
As Ross looked back to see the ball in the air, the stadium went quiet. He couldn't hear a sound. He tracked the ball all the way into his hands.
And, just before making a catch he would take into the end zone for a 38-yard score, he thought to himself, "I'm really back."
After missing last season with an injury. Ross has been waiting for this moment for a long time.
To be able to take the field again, well, "It felt unreal," he said. "It felt really good. I'm grateful. I'm blessed. I'm just really, really happy."
Once he found the end zone, the silence was replace by cheers from the crowd and he was shocked back to reality by his teammates, who followed him across the goal line to celebrate.
"Honestly, that's one of my favorite things to watch," said Dante Pettis, when asked about his teammate's touchdown. "It's like, 'dang.' He's good. He's very good."
Ross didn't stop with one score. He followed that up with a 50-yard touchdown reception and a 92-yard kickoff return – his sixth career touchdown of 90 yards or more. He finished the day with five catches for 90 yards and the two scores in addition to the kick return.
"He's an explosive guy," Washington coach Chris Petersen said with a smile.
Browning added, "I thought I missed him on a few, but I tried to put it out there, let him have a chance. There wasn't a lot of safety help, just let the guy go make a play."
After being forced to wait so long to get back on the field, Ross was asked if he was a little more excited than usual to take the field. But, in typical Ross fashion, he just shrugged and smiled.
"I'm a mellow person," he said. "A lot of guys listen to hip-hop before the game. I just listen to R&B. I'm more relaxed. I don't really like being that hyped. I'm more of a quiet person."
He also deflected the attention to his teammates.
"Jake threw two great balls," he said. "We've repped that so many times in practice, so I would expect nothing less. Jake put it right in position. I'm glad he did."
While the opener was a success, there is still a long season in front of Ross and the Huskies.
"It was good out of the gate, Game 1," Petersen said. "But we're going to have to be even better, because now it's on tape. People aren't just going to allow that to happen easily. We've got an explosive playmaker there and I think it's going to help some of the other guys."
Ross put on a show in his return and, in the process, gave Washington's opponents something to pay attention to. It was a strong start for Ross and sign of good things to come for the Huskies' offense.
Like a scene out of a movie, Ross' return was worth the price of admission.
