Washington reaches bowl eligibility with its sixth win of the season over UCLA. The victory on Friday night also extends the Huskies home win streak to 20 games, including a perfect 6-0 at home this year. Washington began with touchdowns on two of its first five possessions, but things got tight in the third quarter. Jedd Fisch made a switch at quarterback, and things got back on track. A big performance from the defense was also critical in the Huskies’ 31-19 win over UCLA in Big Ten After Dark.
Demond Williams Separates the Game
After back-to-back Washington drives that ended in interceptions, Fisch decided to put Demond Williams Jr. in for the remainder of the game with about eight minutes left in the third quarter. The Husky offense averaged 5.8 yards per play when Williams was on the field for the duration, and the true freshman put together three scoring drives in a row. With a one-point lead at the time he took the field, he proved to be the separation that Washington needed to get its sixth victory of the season.
His first drive went 57 yards and resulted in a field goal. But the next drive was the most efficient of the evening. In eight plays, Washington went 74 yards and scored a touchdown. Williams made two eye-popping plays on this drive. The first resulted in a 12-yard scramble. He pump-faked a screen, shed a would-be sack to his right side, and took off to his right for a momentum-gaining rush. Williams jumped up quickly and nodded to the crowd as it erupted.
On the very next play, he did it again. It was a play-action, and as soon as Williams turned his head back to the formation, two defenders were crashing in on him. The elusive quarterback made an athletic spin move to his left to move out of the defenders’ reach. Completing the spin, he bounced the pocket and found a gain of six. The play was almost certainly a sack. But instead, Williams turned it into a positive gain. The drive would reach the end zone where Williams connected with Decker DeGraaf for a one-yard touchdown.
Will Rogers’ Leadership
“He knew when he came off the field… that we were going go to Demond,” Fisch said after the game. Fisch went to Williams following the back-to-back interceptions in the third quarter. “He was nothing but supportive. I just cannot say enough good things about Will Rogers as a person,” Fisch continued.
“I thought Will did a nice job getting us to the 14,” Fisch said. But the decision was made after the interceptions that it was the right time to give Williams the opportunity to give the offense a spark. Rogers connected with Keleki Latu late in the second quarter for the first passing touchdown since October 12th against Iowa. That score put the Huskies up 14-3.
Defensive Stops
Washington’s defense made some game-changing stops where UCLA had the football in plus territory. After failing on a fourth-and-short, UCLA took over in Washington territory. Seven plays into the ensuing drive, Russell Davis II got pressure on Ethan Garbers’ right side. He swatted the football out of his throwing hand and jumped on the loose football. The Huskies had regained possession at the 31-yard line, keeping UCLA off the scoreboard.
In the beginning of the second half, Washington’s defense made two critical defensive stops. It began immediately in the third quarter. The first of Rogers’ two interceptions gave UCLA prime field position at the Husky 25-yard line. But the Husky defense stood its ground. It got off the field in just four plays after a Voi Tunuufi sack. UCLA was only able to put three points on the board despite the field position. The field goal cut the Husky lead to just one point.
Steve Belichick’s group was forced back out onto the field in short order on the ensuing drive following the second interception. UCLA had the football at the Washington 39-yard line with a chance to take the lead and take the momentum. This time, the Bruins put together a couple of positive plays to get inside the 30-yard line. Garbers connected with his tight end for a nine-yard gain. However, on the play, true freshman Khmori House added another signature play to his resume. On the tackle, he forced a fumble, and Kamren Fabiculanan jumped on the loose football. Once more, the Husky defense got a much-needed stop.
Defensive Standouts
Davis had a quality day in his third game this season. In addition to the strip sack and fumble recovery, Davis finished with three sacks on the evening. It was by far the most impactful game of his career at Washington. Davis had just 3.5 sacks during his 2023 season at Arizona.
“He only knows one way,” Fisch said after the game. “He only knows how to go one thousand miles an hour.” Fisch said that the Arizona transfer gained about 25 pounds since joining the program in the transfer portal this offseason. Davis’ only two appearances this year this year were against USC where he got 15 snaps, and at Penn State where he had five snaps.
The team finished with six sacks and nine tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. The defensive performance was significant in Washington’s win over UCLA. The Bruins had three of their drives begin inside Husky territory. Two were the result of interceptions, and one was a turnover on downs. UCLA came away with just six points on two field goals on those drives. On the other one, they forced a fumble.
Jonah Coleman Reaches Milestone
Washington running back Jonah Coleman reached the 1,000-yard milestone on the season against UCLA. The Bruins entered Friday night’s game with the seventh-ranked run defense. “It was definitely one of my goals,” Coleman said after the game. “Most importantly, I just want to win games. It wasn’t about the stats or any of that.” Coleman crossed the end zone twice on Friday night, finishing with 95 yards on 21 attempts and two touchdowns. He now has 1,008 yards at Washington with two games remaining this season. Regarding bowl eligibility, Coleman said, “It means that we get one more week with our brothers.”
