Washington will bring a quarterback decision all the way to kickoff when it meets Nebraska on Saturday in a Big Ten matchup in Lincoln, Neb., after both teams had the week off.
The Huskies have not said whether Demond Williams Jr. or Elijah Brown will get the start, and coach Jedd Fisch made it clear that answer is staying under wraps for now. Williams Jr., who had started 33 straight games, was sidelined by a broken rib just before halftime of Washington’s 41-24 loss to Iowa on Oct.
- Brown then handled the offense the following week, completing 28 of 39 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns in the second half of the loss, before following that up with another strong outing on Oct.
- He went 21 of 27 for 302 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions as Washington ended a three-game slide with a 38-26 win at Purdue.
“As for the quarterbacks, we will leave that until game time,” Fisch said. “Obviously, there’s a competitive advantage that we will not give up.”
Fisch said Williams Jr. is trending in the right direction, though the rib issue still leaves questions about whether he can take the hits and make all the throws Nebraska will force him to make.
“He’s doing much better,” Fisch said. “But still dealing with, as a quarterback, when you have a fractured rib, you have to be able to not only protect yourself but you also have to have the same velocity and trajectory on the ball.”
He also said the two quarterbacks have handled the situation the right way.
“They’re continuing to build that bond putting themselves in position where those guys are making each other better,” Fisch said. “Rising tide lifts all ships.”
Nebraska, meanwhile, does not have the same mystery at quarterback. Anthony Colandrea has completed 62.6% of his passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns with four interceptions, and he also ranks second on the team in rushing with 334 yards and four scores.
The Cornhuskers come in looking to end a two-game losing streak after a 20-17 home loss to then-No. 4 Indiana on Oct. 10 and a 17-14 defeat at Oregon on Oct.
- In that game, leading rusher Jamal Rule carried only three times for 5 yards before reaggravating an ankle injury.
Matt Rhule said Rule and Mekhi Nelson have both been dealing with injuries.
“I think we’ve all seen what Jamal can do when he’s really rolling and I think this bye week comes at a really good time for him,” Rhule said. “It comes at a really good time for Mekhi - he doesn’t complain about it, but he hurt his ankle going into Maryland and just fighting through it ... I think that whole running back room, seven weeks in the Big Ten you’re going to have some bumps and bruises, but hopefully they’ll all be flying around (Saturday).”
In Other News...
Washington Is About To Learn What These Huskies Really Are
Washingtons offense has spent much of the week juggling pieces up front, with injuries forcing the offensive line into a temporary shuffle and putting extra strain on the continuity that teams rely on in the middle of a season. Coaches and players addressed the situation with the media as the Huskies look toward a stretch that should say a lot about who they are and how sturdy the depth really is.
There is at least some good news for the backfield, where Jayden Limar and Trey Cooley have both been back on the practice field after their injuries. Even so, the bigger question remains how well Washington can stabilize the front and settle into a rhythm before the next set of challenges arrives, because the line play will tell plenty about how much the Huskies can absorb and still function at a high level. [Read more 🡒]