Washington walked out of Nebraska with a 17-10 win that changes the look of its season in a hurry. The Huskies are now 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play, and they sit one victory away from bowl eligibility after stunning the Cornhuskers on their home field.
The night belonged to a split cast of difference-makers. Washington started Elijah Brown, but Demond Williams was the quarterback who helped steer the Huskies to the finish line. If the game ball were handed out, it would have to be divided in two: one half for the defense, the other for wide receiver Chris Lawson.
Lawson was the most dangerous player on the field for Washington. He finished with 12 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown, giving the Huskies a steady outlet and a big-play threat all night. His go-ahead score came in the middle of a brutal 15-second stretch that flipped the game.
Williams found Lawson on a short pass, and Lawson turned it into six with a sharp spin move before racing in for the touchdown. That put Washington ahead 10-7, and Nebraska needed an answer right away. Instead, the next drive ended with Alex McLaughlin taking an interception the other way for a pick-six, stretching the lead to 17-7.
Washington’s defense kept making life miserable for Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea, snagging three interceptions in all. The Huskies were the sharper, more disruptive team when it mattered most, and the result was a road win that felt like a major step forward.
Williams, in particular, delivered the kind of performance Washington needed after coming off the bench. After questions earlier in the week about how he would handle that role, he answered with a showing that gave the Huskies a clear direction at quarterback moving forward.
Lawson’s rise also keeps rolling. He has gone over 100 yards in back-to-back weeks and looks like Washington’s top target right now. With Williams back in the mix, there’s reason to think Lawson’s production could keep climbing, especially if extended plays become part of the offense.
On the other side, Ryan Walters’ group turned in a statement performance. Washington’s defense knew it had to be great before kickoff, and it played that way. Nebraska’s offense struggled in a tough environment, and the Huskies made the Cornhuskers pay for every mistake.
Washington’s path now looks far more manageable. Penn State is 4-4, Michigan State has yet to win a Big Ten game, and those are the next two opponents on the schedule before a home date with No. 4 Indiana at Husky Stadium and a road finish against the worse-than-expected Oregon Ducks.
Nebraska political ads are terrible.
In Other News...
Washington Found A New Difference Maker In Gritty Win At Nebraska
A road win in Lincoln can say a lot about a team, and Washingtons 17-10 victory over Nebraska offered a clear reminder that the Huskies still have ways to win when the offense has to grind. At 5-3, they got enough from a defense that kept making Nebraska uncomfortable and enough timely production from Chris Lawson, who came through with the kind of catches that can swing a tight game away from home.
Lawsons role keeps growing in a passing game that needed someone to steady it, and his performance gave Washington a reliable target in the moments that mattered most. The other side of the story was just as important, with the Huskies defense creating takeaways and turning one of them into a back-breaking score, a momentum shift that helped close out a win they badly needed. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Is Tweaking Its Offense Right Before Illinois
Nebraska is making a few sideline adjustments as it heads into its matchup with Illinois, but Matt Rhule made clear the bigger picture is staying the same. The head coach said the staff will remain intact despite the recent losses, even as he acknowledged the offense has sputtered and needs to be simplified. Rhule also took responsibility for the way things have gone, a sign that the pressure around the unit is being felt well beyond the play sheet.
The wrinkle now is how the Huskers will handle game-day communication and responsibilities from the coaching box. Dana Holgorsen and offensive line coach Geep Wade are shifting upstairs for play-calling duties, while run game coordinator Lonnie Teasley will see his role adjusted as Nebraska tries to clean up its offensive operation. For a team looking to steady itself quickly, the changes are less about a reset than a recalibration, and the next step will be whether that is enough to get the offense moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]