SEATTLE - Washington may be heading into Friday night’s game at Purdue without Demond Williams Jr., and Jedd Fisch didn’t do much to sugarcoat it.
The Huskies’ quarterback is day-to-day after suffering what Fisch called a “significant” rib injury in Washington’s 41-24 loss to Iowa on Oct. 9.
On Monday, the UW coach said he does not expect Williams to be available for the 5 p.m. PT kickoff at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind., though the team is still waiting on imaging before anything is finalized.
Williams also sat out practice Monday.
“I think, right now, we're just going to proceed with Elijah taking the reps today," Fisch said. "Demond can't take any reps today - kind of go from there. There would have to be a pretty significant change for anything to change there."
If Williams can’t go, Elijah Brown appears next in line. Brown relieved Williams against Iowa and gave Washington a much-needed spark, completing 28 of 39 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns after entering late in the first half. He was sacked twice.
Before leaving that game, Williams went 6-for-11 for 69 yards and carried the ball 11 times for minus-8 yards in all but one drive of the first half. He was sacked four times before being pulled on the second-to-last drive of the half, which ended in a field goal.
Fisch made it clear he’s not ready to force the issue one way or the other at quarterback just yet. His focus, for now, is on Williams’ health and the Purdue game.
“I don't know," Fisch said. "I'm gonna have (Williams) just focus on (getting healthy).
The last thing I want is to put added pressure on Elijah or added pressure on Demond. Right now, that's not gonna benefit anybody.
Elijah just needs to go out there and play the best Elijah football he can play. Demond needs to go out there and do everything he can this week to try and get back out there this Friday night, or whenever the next game is that he can play.”
Brown’s background helps explain why Washington seems comfortable turning to him. Fisch praised his ability to get the ball out quickly and said he can run the offense while handling some zone-read work. He also pointed to Brown’s familiarity with under-center play-action concepts, noting that he was recruited by Stanford and played for Andrew Luck and an NFL head coach last year.
“(Elijah's) a fast processor in terms of getting the ball out of his hands," Fisch said. "He has a good control and demeanor.
He is able to run our offense, take out some zone read plays. But other than that, under center, play-action - he was recruited by Stanford, which, in a lot of ways, run a similar offense to what we've done and played for Andrew Luck and an NFL head coach last year. ...
I believe (Brown's) been trained very similarly (to our quarterbacks) in a lot of ways."
Through six games - technically five and a half - Williams has completed 66.7% of his passes for 1,396 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also run 64 times for 183 yards and two scores.
Brown has been efficient in limited work, completing 71.4% of his throws for 276 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers over two appearances, including one in garbage time against Eastern Washington.
Washington has still not scored more than 24 points against an FBS opponent this season.
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Washington Faces A Tough QB Decision Ahead Of Purdue
Washingtons quarterback situation has turned into one of the bigger questions hanging over the week, with Jedd Fisch saying Demond Williams Jr. is day-to-day after sustaining a rib injury. The Huskies are still waiting on additional imaging and a treatment plan, which leaves the staff in a familiar holding pattern for now as it looks ahead to Purdue.
Elijah Brown is the next name in the conversation after stepping in during the previous game and giving the offense a lift, which at least gives Washington a workable fallback if Williams cant go. Still, with the final call tied to how Williams responds in the days ahead, the Huskies may not get much clarity until closer to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Ugly Loss
Washingtons 41-24 home loss to Iowa was ugly enough on its own, but the early hole made it look even worse. The Huskies were down 27-3 at halftime after an offense that never found its footing, with little on the ground and almost nothing to slow Iowa from controlling the game on both sides of the ball.
Then came the part that could matter far more than one bad Saturday. Demond Williams left late in the second quarter with an injury, and backup Elijah Brown had to take over in a game where Washington was already chasing. Brown settled things down more effectively than the offense had in the first half, but the bigger question now is whether the Huskies can move forward without their starting quarterback, and how quickly they can get back on track if they cannot. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Just Took A Painful Roster Hit Before Big Ten Play
Washingtons roster took another hit just as Big Ten play is coming into focus, with head coach Jimmy Lake confirming that kicker Grady Gross and defensive tackle Taitai Uiagalelei will not be back this season. Both players had briefly rejoined the Huskies during fall training camp under a temporary injunction tied to NCAA eligibility rule changes, giving the program at least a short-lived boost before the legal picture shifted again.
The latest ruling leaves Washington without two experienced options on both sides of the ball, and the timing makes it especially painful with conference games ahead. Gross had already returned to kickoff duties earlier in the season, but the overturned appeals now shut the door on any chance of either player helping on Saturdays or even practicing with the team moving forward. [Read more 🡒]