Washington QB Keith Price started his 2013 season the exact same way his dismal 2012 campaign ended at the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, being intercepted by a Boise State defender.
His pick in the season opener would be the last mistake Price would make in a dominant 38-6 victory over the Broncos as Washington returned to a newly renovated Husky Stadium. Price completed 22 of his next 30 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns, a performance that greatly impressed NFL Network and NFL.com analyst Charles Davis, who called the game for Fox Sports 1.
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"Keith Price looked dynamic," Davis told NFL Draft 365. "They have gone to the hurry-up spread offense and he is now a point-guard looking quarterback. Distribute, distribute, distribute."
Price did so without his top target. All-America tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins was suspended for the game.
Price showed poise, though, even after the shaky start.
"His first pass of the night, he got picked off. After a rough last season, he could have folded. Everyone was thinking 'Uh oh, here we go again.' He didn't fold. He was sensational," Davis said.
It was a stellar turnaround for Price, who threw 19 touchdowns against 13 interceptions last season and was constantly battered behind an offensive line that allowed 38 sacks. Compare that to his sophomore season when Price had a school single-season record 33 touchdown passes against 11 picks and looked like a rising star.
That adversity could have shattered Price's psyche. Instead, he looks rejuvenated, ready to lead the Huskies over the seven-win hump and challenge for the Pac-12 North title. He has a pretty good mentor giving him pointers, too.
"(Price) has a demeanor about him that I love," Davis said. "He got toughened last year. ... They struggled last year and people turned on him. He didn't fold. He said 'OK, I'll show you.'"
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
