What has long been assumed, is now official: Cyler Miles will start at quarterback for Washington.

Even before Jeff Lindquist struggled in the Huskies' 17-16 win at Hawaii, Miles was the odds-on pick to take over after serving a one-game suspension for his role in a post-Super Bowl fight. But as Saturday's season-opener progressed, any potentially lingering doubt disappeared.

Jeff Lindquist's struggles against Hawaii has opened the door for Cyles Miles to claim Washington's starting quarterback job. Eugene Tanner/Associated Press

Petersen addressed the decision with local media Monday.

“We’re going to give [Miles] a chance to start and get him back in the mix and see what he can do,” Petersen said.

The first-year coach said the move was made after taking into account how Lindquist played and what he'd seen from Miles during fall camp. If Lindquist had played better, this still likely would have been the result, but by completing just 10 of 26 passes for 162 yards, there was no real decision to be made.

"If guys are producing and playing well, they should play more," Petersen said. "And if certain guys aren’t -- whatever position -- then other guys should maybe get an opportunity to go. Certain guys don’t like their roles and I can appreciate that, but if they want to change it they’ve got to change it in a certain way."

From a talent perspective, the switch to Miles is an immediate upgrade. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, the dual-threat sophomore gives the Huskies one of the more physically gifted quarterbacks in a conference loaded at the position. However, there's a lot more that Petersen likes about his game.

"I think he commands the field pretty well," Petersen said. "I think he has a really good feel for what’s going on. It always comes down -- to me -- to decision-making and accuracy. I hope that he takes a good step forward in that department for us.”

In relief of Keith Price last year, Miles connected on 37 of 61 passes for 418 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

What remains to be seen is to what degree he's grasped the playbook and has a command of the offense. As part of his punishment, Miles was away from the team during spring practice and spent fall camp playing catch-up.

“I think he’s close. We were out there today practicing," Petersen said. "We were doing something and we gave him a signal. The whole offense knew it. We were going fast. The whole offense knew it and he was like, 'What is that?' ... There are certain things that we’re still getting him up to speed with.”

On the surface, playing a FCS opponent seems like the perfect way to break in a starting quarterback, but Eastern Washington figures to present as stiff challenge. The No. 2-ranked Eagles are expected to challenge for a national title in the division and have a dynamic quarterback in junior Vernon Adams Jr. Adams Jr. has accounted for 84 touchdowns, which is eighth all-time in the Big Sky Conference.