Washington survived the kind of opener that can tell you a lot about a team without ever feeling clean. The Huskies beat Washington State 24-10 in the Apple Cup, and while the final margin looks comfortable, the path there was anything but.
Demond Williams was the engine when Washington finally found its footing. If the Huskies are going to become what plenty of people think they can be, he has to be involved as both a passer and a runner, because that’s where he looks most dangerous and that’s where Washington looks most alive too.
For much of the afternoon, though, the offense dragged. It had the same sluggish feel that has shown up at times over the last two seasons, and that made the opening stretch uncomfortable for a team that came in with a shiny No. 17 next to its name and a lot of offseason hype.
The defense, though, carried the day. Washington was excellent for most of the game and only allowed a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Huskies also created havoc with takeaways: Jeron Jones and Alex McLaughlin each intercepted a pass, and Isaiah Ward forced and recovered a fumble. Washington would have had another turnover if Rylon Dillard-Allen had not been hit with a questionable targeting penalty after he delivered a shot to Caden Pinnick.
The one thing Washington has to clean up fast is the penalty mess. The Huskies were flagged for 130 penalty yards, compared with 50 for Washington State. That kind of sloppiness can bury a team if it keeps showing up.
The game tightened when Washington State cut the lead to 10-7, but Williams answered with the best drive of the night. He put together a 75-yard march in four plays, with Rashid Williams doing the heavy lifting through the air.
Rashid Williams turned one catch into a 44-yard gain and later scored from a yard out to push the Huskies ahead 17-7. He finished with three receptions for 74 yards and the touchdown.
Washington State responded with a field goal, and then Williams went right back to work. On third and nine, he hit the brakes and turned into a runner for a 21-yard gain.
On the next snap, he and Chris Lawson connected for 35 yards. Lawson led Washington with 87 receiving yards on four catches.
The drive ended with Oregon transfer Jayden Limar scoring from 11 yards out.
Limar’s night ended with a concern, though, as he later walked off with an apparent arm injury in the quarter.
For long stretches, this was an ugly performance. Washington’s offense looked tentative and out of rhythm, and the whole operation felt far less polished than the preseason noise suggested.
But rivalry games do not care about hype, and they do not hand out style points. Washington is 1-0, and it still has the Apple Cup trophy.
Next up is Utah State, which lost to Idaho State on Saturday, followed by Eastern Washington. Those two games should give the Huskies the kind of lopsided wins their fans were probably expecting.
In Other News...
Lincoln Kienholz Just Gave Louisville Fans A Real QB Debate
The Sunday college football tripleheader gave plenty of reasons to keep an eye on the broader national picture, but for Washington fans, the most relevant takeaway came closer to home with the Apple Cup result. The Huskies handled Washington State 24-10 in a game that was far cleaner on the scoreboard than it was on the field, with Washington piling up 130 penalty yards but still finding enough composure to keep control.
Even with that result in the rearview, the rest of the day offered a reminder that the Huskies are still part of a shifting conversation about what the race around them might look like. Ole Miss got a major performance from Trinidad Chambliss, Notre Dame kept Wisconsins offense in check, and Louisvilles Lincoln Kienholz was strong enough to spark a real quarterback debate in his own building. For Washington, the interest now is less about the outcome of one rivalry game and more about how these kinds of performances shape the path ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Huskies Escape Apple Cup With A Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Washington escaped the 118th Apple Cup with a win, but the 24-10 finish came with enough sloppiness to keep the postgame conversation from feeling particularly celebratory. The Huskies offense was stuck for much of the night before finally finding some rhythm in the fourth quarter, and the teams penalty total - 130 yards worth - made an already uneven performance look even rougher.
Kalen DeBoer had little interest in dressing it up during the game, especially when Washington kept leaving yards on the field near the goal line. For a team that still found a way to beat Washington State, the issue now is not whether the Huskies can point to the final score, but whether they can clean up the kind of mistakes that tend to matter a lot more once the margin gets tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Suddenly Has A Running Back Problem It Cant Ignore
Washingtons backfield took a significant hit in the Apple Cup, when Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar both went down with injuries against Washington State. The timing is rough for a Huskies offense that had been trying to settle into a rhythm, and now the running back room suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did just a week ago.
The immediate challenge is depth, and Washington will have to lean on Trey Cooley, Brian Bonner and a few other backs to keep the position moving forward. Carr is headed for surgery, while both players are expected to miss an extended period, leaving the Huskies to piece together a rotation without knowing exactly when either runner might be available again. [Read more 🡒]