Observations from UW Huskies’ nail-biting Sun Bowl loss

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ADM 31 de December de 2024 0 Comments

Demond Williams Jr. and the UW Huskies came oh-so-close to capping their season with a remarkable comeback victory.

Recap | Box score

Making just his second career start, Williams rallied Washington from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit by engineering a pair of late touchdown drives, including a 1-yard TD pass on fourth-and-goal in the closing seconds that brought the Huskies within a point. But the true freshman quarterback’s ensuing 2-point conversion pass was deflected in the end zone and UW’s thrilling comeback bid fell just short in a nail-biting 35-34 loss to Louisville in the 91st Sun Bowl on Tuesday afternoon.

Here are four things that stood out from the Huskies’ down-to-the-wire loss:

Williams dazzles during sensational comeback bid

Facing a 35-21 deficit with 9:50 remaining in the game, Williams and the Huskies were staring down long odds with the ball at their own 3-yard line. Unfazed by the moment or his lack of college experience, the program’s QB of the future nearly brought Washington all the way back. Williams began the comeback attempt by leading the Huskies on a masterful 13-play, 97-yard touchdown march, capped by a 31-yard TD pass to senior wideout Giles Jackson that made it a one-possession game with 3:42 left. Williams accounted for all 97 yards on the drive, completing 8 of 9 passes for 82 yards and rushing for another 15 yards on three scrambles.

Then after Washington’s defense forced a three-and-out, Williams and the Huskies got the ball back on their own 38-yard line with 2:35 to go. Williams led Washington downfield again, with the highlight coming on a Houdini-like play that illustrated the speedy QB’s electric talent. With the pocket collapsing around him, Williams eluded eluded one pass rusher, pulled a spin move on another and then unleashed a 33-yard pass to wideout Jeremiah Hunter as he was being hit, setting up a first-and-goal from the 8-yard line. Eight plays later – the sequence included fourth-and-goal pass interference that gave UW a fresh set of downs – Williams connected with Jackson for a 1-yard TD on fourth-and-goal that made it 35-34 with 9 seconds left. Head coach Jedd Fisch bypassed the extra point and elected to go for the win, but Williams’ ensuing fade to the end zone didn’t quite get over linebacker Antonio Watts, who made a leaping pass breakup to seal the victory for the Cardinals.

Williams bounces back from early miscue

Williams’ second career start began in nightmarish fashion. Facing a third-and-13 on UW’s opening series, Williams backpedaled and appeared to get fooled by Louisville’s coverage, throwing an interception that was returned for a 21-yard pick-six. But the 5-foot-11 dual-threat quarterback rebounded with a sensational performance, accounting for 422 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. He completed 26 of 32 passes for 374 yards, four TDs and one interception, while also rushing for a team-high 48 yards and a TD on 20 carries.

Williams threw all four of his TD passes to Jackson, connecting on a 40-yarder in the first quarter, a 49-yarder in the second quarter, a 31-yarder with less than four minutes to play and then a 1-yarder in the closing seconds. Williams also showcased his blazing speed and electric playmaking ability on numerous occasions, including a 7-yard TD run where he eluded a defender in the backfield with a sharp cut and then raced around the outside for the score. The future certainly looks bright on Montlake with Williams at QB.

Jackson explodes for career 4-TD day

Jackson entered the day with just six career touchdown receptions – including three this fall – over his two seasons at Michigan and four at Washington. The 5-foot-9 senior wideout surpassed his season total in his final career game, racking up 11 catches for 161 yards and a career-high four touchdowns against Louisville. It was the first multi-score game of his career and it came just 1 yard short of the career-high 162 receiving yards he had in September’s Apple Cup against the WSU Cougars.

Jackson’s big day began in the first quarter when he beat cornerback Tahveon Nicholson on a go route and made a leaping catch in the end zone for a 40-yard TD. In the second quarter, Jackson got behind the defense on a busted coverage and hauled in a 49-yard TD. Jackson added two more scores in the fourth quarter, beating a safety for a 31-yard TD reception and then hauling in his 1-yard TD catch on fourth-and-goal in the closing seconds.

Run defense struggles again

The biggest issue for the Huskies all afternoon was their run defense, which surrendered 207 yards on 33 carries for an average of 6.3 yards per attempt. The Cardinals gashed Washington for six runs of 10-plus yards, including 54-yarder, a 26-yarder and a 24-yarder. Louisville freshman running back Isaac Brown led the way with 99 yards on 18 carries, while fellow freshman back Duke Watson added 83 yards on 10 carries.

It continued a season-long trend for Washington’s defense, which entered the day ranked 81st in the FBS with 158.1 rushing yards allowed per game. It marked the ninth time this season that the Huskies have allowed at least 155 rushing yards and the fourth time they have allowed at least 200 rushing yards. Cleaning up the run defense will be one of Fisch’s top priorities heading into next season as Washington looks to close the gap between itself and the Big Ten’s top programs.

More on the UW Huskies

• UW Football Survey: Fan thoughts on Fisch, state of CFB, more
• Report: UW Huskies closing in on deal with new DC
• What the NCAA’s JUCO waiver means for UW Huskies
• How did UW Huskies deploy freshmen in Jedd Fisch’s first season?
• Why Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston stuck with UW Huskies



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