The Washington Huskies ran 104 plays at practice on Saturday, April 20th, in what was the team’s first scrimmage of the Spring. Everyone healthy got on the field for the scrimmage. That included players from the first team down to the third team as well as special teams. The scrimmage was eventful and gave the ability to see a lot of different combinations of players and different looks from the defense. Finally, the scrimmage allowed everyone to get a sense of what the Huskies could look like this Fall.
Offense on Display
There was early celebration for the offense during the scrimmage on Saturday. Demond Williams Jr. took the field for the second offensive drive. After driving down to the defense’s 25-yard line, Williams made a fantastic throw. The freshman quarterback lofted the football to the front pylon on the near side where Keith Reynolds headed. Reynolds hauled in the over-the-shoulder catch while falling to the turf in the front corner of the East end zone. The anticipation of the wide receiver’s route and the ball placement made it one of the more impressive throws of the day. Williams had four touchdown passes during the scrimmage.
On the first drive of the second half, Will Rogers III made a head-turning throw of his own. This time, the offense was driving toward the West end zone. Rogers rolled out of the pocket slightly towards the near side of the field. He put the football in the back of the end zone where Denzel Boston was headed. The football was placed between two defenders closing in on Boston, and it fell into his hands for a touchdown. It was another big-time throw this Spring from the fifth-year veteran quarterback and a connection fans will likely see a lot this Fall. Rogers finished with two passing touchdowns.
Stand-Out True Freshman
Adam Mohammed has been standing out this Spring at running back, especially in the Saturday scrimmage. Jedd Fisch said that he was a player who’s impressed him thus, “He certainly doesn’t run like a freshman, he certainly doesn’t look like a freshman.” Mohammed was a three-star recruit in the class of 2024. He rushed for 5,180 yards at Apollo High School in Arizona. This Spring, we’ve seen his physicality on display consistently. He was on the field at running back for the first drive of the scrimmage and continued to see the field consistently all afternoon. Mohammed also had a couple of meaningful runs in critical situations on Saturday.
Defensive Standouts
Jordan Shaw was another player that Fisch mentioned after practice as someone who’s impressed him this Spring. Last week, Shaw said that his transfer to Washington had been smooth, and it certainly looks that way on the field. Shaw had a pass breakup and an interception. Further, he was credited with a sack during Washington’s scrimmage on Saturday. On the interception, the cornerback reacted to a pass that was redirected off the hands of a wide receiver. Shaw made a great adjustment, hauled it in, and gained a few yards on the return. He celebrated by punting the football in the air as the defense rushed onto the field.
Then after the scrimmage, Shaw nearly had a pick-six during the two-minute simulation at the end of practice. It wound up as a pass breakup. But if he got a firm grip on the ball, there was no one in front of him going the other way. As a freshman at Indiana last year, Shaw had 13 tackles and a pass breakup in four games played.
Some other notes from the defense included linebacker Khmori House showing solid pressure on the quarterback. He was credited with a sack and showed great speed chasing Williams out of the pocket and forcing a throw-away. On the pursuit, Williams looked to have a jump on getting to the edge. But House ran him down and forced a red-zone throw-away. Russell Davis II got a pass breakup on a throw from Williams and was credited with two sacks on the day. It should also be noted that Lance Holtzclaw is credited with two sacks during the scrimmage, with one coming inside the red zone. Elinneus Davis and Jacob Lane also had sacks on Saturday.
Special Teams
Washington did get to work in a little bit of special teams during the scrimmage. Jack McCallister and Adam Saul both got in a handful of punts. McCallister averaged 40.1 yards per punt last season while Saul did not see the field. This Spring, however, we’ve seen Saul connect on some booming punts with good hang-time. He had a couple of great punts in the scrimmage on Saturday. Grady Gross continued his reliable place-kicking, nailing two of two field goals during the scrimmage.
Main Image courtesy: Nick Lemkau
