{"id":87401,"date":"2026-05-02T17:58:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T21:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=87401"},"modified":"2026-05-02T17:58:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T21:58:22","slug":"husky-defense-shines-in-uw-spring-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/05\/02\/husky-defense-shines-in-uw-spring-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Husky Defense Shines in UW Spring Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cornerback Dylan Robinson<\/a> sparked the Washington defense right away in the annual \u201cDawgs After Dark\u201d\u00a0 UW Spring game on Friday night. The defense forced multiple turnovers while special teams created one as well in the purple vs. gold outing. The game consisted of four 12-minute quarters, special rules, and evenly split rosters, where Jedd Fisch took more of a backseat role on the sideline. But just 12 plays in, it was Robinson who set the tone for the evening.<\/span><\/p>\n

UW Spring Game Reaction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dylan Robinson\u2019s Early Sequence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Demond Williams<\/a> and the purple team offense took the field for the first time of the night, the drive lasted just three plays. There was a false start on the first play, and the next snap was thrown incomplete. On the third play, Williams\u2019 pass was thrown slightly behind the receiver. It was batted up into the air, which allowed Robinson, who was in coverage, to make a play. The 6′-3″ cornerback quickly adjusted to the football and made a diving interception to give the gold team the football.<\/span><\/p>\n

The early turnover didn\u2019t translate to a score, at least not immediately. In three plays, the gold team was forced to punt. But that\u2019s when Robinson entered the field again. Luke Dunne\u2019s punt hung up in the air and swirled in the wind as Robinson and the gunners made their way down the field. True freshman Mason James misplayed it slightly, and the football was muffed and bounced towards the end zone. Robinson tracked it, and jumped on the loose football in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. In a span of just four plays, the true sophomore cornerback had an interception, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think Dylan Robinson will be an elite player for us,\u201d Fisch said after the spring game. When the spring season began in early April, the head coach and defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters, each pointed out that they believe Robinson has the tools to become a day-one draft pick. Robinson had four pass breakups and two interceptions during team periods of spring practice, unofficially. He added to that stats column with his spring game performance on Friday night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

LB Donovan Robinson Jr.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Linebacker Donovan Robinson Jr.<\/a> also got in passing lanes on Friday night. He created an interception and a pass breakup himself. Robinson was in coverage on running back Beck Walker on an out route to the far sideline. The linebacker extended for the football and ripped it away from the intended receiver at the catch point. He redirected his momentum so as not to run out of bounds and took it 53 yards the other way for a touchdown.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think Donovan [Robinson] is really growing and learning what it\u2019s like to play linebacker in this defense,\u201d Fisch said of the redshirt freshman after the game. \u201cAnd he should have a tremendous future ahead of him learning from [the starting linebackers] next season.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s interception came just three plays after he missed a tackle on Walker in the open field. The running back bulldozed through Robinson’s tackle attempt to gain 31 yards, the longest run of the day. But Robinson showed his short memory, keeping his focus on the drive at hand, and delivered for the purple team. The 6\u2019-2\u201d and 222-pound linebacker also had a pass breakup in the game later on. And he nearly controlled that one for a second interception.<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams Finds Rhythm<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As is typical for spring football, the defense was ahead of the offense. That showcased itself early on in Washington\u2019s spring game. Williams began the game one of his first six with an interception. The picked off pass was Robinson\u2019s early-game diving interception. Williams played just three drives, and it was in the second quarter that he settled in. On the purple team\u2019s third drive of the evening, Williams connected on three consecutive passes for a total of about 74 yards. He first found Mason James for a nine-yard completion. The next pass was his best of the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

True freshman Jordan Clay hauled in a sideline back-shoulder throw on a great throw from Williams. Clay showcased his hand strength and body awareness, coming down with a toe-tap on the sideline for a 22-yard gain. The true freshman was in and out of the lineup during the spring. But when he was on the field, he made several high-point catches over the Husky defensive backs. Clay proved himself as a reliable contested catch player in April.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the very next play, Williams delivered a 43-yard throw in the air to Rashid Williams<\/a> on a deep post route for a touchdown. Williams got a step on the cornerback and came open behind the deep safety for a score. The six-play drive went 75 yards for a purple team score.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExperience will help him get there,\u201d Fisch said of his quarterback after the Spring game, discussing how he can elevate his game in the biggest moments. \u201cHe\u2019s played 15 games as a starter, and going into game 16, this is now the season where he should shine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Image: Nick Lemkau<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cornerback Dylan Robinson sparked the Washington defense right away in the annual \u201cDawgs After Dark\u201d\u00a0 UW Spring game on Friday night. The defense forced multiple turnovers while special teams created one as well in the purple vs. gold outing. The game consisted of four 12-minute quarters, special rules, and evenly split rosters, where Jedd Fisch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3944,"featured_media":87407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2,35612],"tags":[1666],"class_list":["post-87401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","category-washington-huskies","tag-jedd-fisch"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87401"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87412,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87401\/revisions\/87412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}