Tag: Huskies

QB Demond Williams Jr. staying at Washington after portal stir

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Demond Williams Jr. changed his mind, again.

The quarterback announced Thursday that he will no longer enter the transfer portal and will remain at Washington instead.

The reversal concluded a busy period for Williams, who signed an NIL contract reportedly worth around $4 million last week to stay at Washington.

He then told his social media followers on Tuesday that he planned to enter the portal, with reports linking him to a move to LSU.

Washington appeared to threaten legal action when a deputy athletic director told the Seattle Times on Wednesday that the university would “pursue all legal avenues to protect our institution” in response to an inquiry about Williams.

Earlier Thursday, his former agent Doug Hendrickson announced he was parting ways with his client “due to philosophical differences.” Later, Williams revealed his change of plans.

“After thoughtful reflection with my family, I am excited to announce that I will continue my football journey at the University of Washington,” Williams wrote on social media Thursday. “I am deeply grateful to my coaches, teammates, and everyone in the program for fostering an environment where I can thrive both as an athlete and as an individual.

“I am fully committed and focused on contributing to what we are building.”

Williams started all 13 games as a sophomore as the Huskies went 9-4, including a 38-10 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl on Dec. 13. He was 15 of 24 for 215 yards and four touchdowns in the game.

For the season, Williams completed 246 of 354 passes (69.5%) for 3,065 yards, 25 TDs and eight interceptions. He also ran for 611 yards, which was second on the team, and six TDs.

For his Washington career, Williams completed 71.5% of his passes for 4,009 yards, 33 TDs and nine interceptions in 26 games (2024-25). He also rushed for 893 yards and eight touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

QB Demond Williams Jr. to transfer despite Washington contract

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. announced he was entering the transfer portal on Tuesday night despite signing a contract to return to the Huskies.

“I have to do what is best for me and my future,” Williams said on social media. “After much thought and prayer, I will be entering the transfer portal.”

ESPN reported that the deal for Williams to return to Seattle for his junior season was near the top of the market. CBS Sports reported that LSU is one of the teams to watch for Williams’ landing spot.

Washington will pursue all legal avenues to enforce Williams’ signed contract, ESPN reported.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound QB earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in the coaches’ vote and also was selected to the Big Ten All-Academic team.

Williams thanked his coaches, teammates, Huskies fans and the Seattle community in the social media post before concluding with his announcement to transfer.

He started all 13 games as a sophomore as the Huskies went 9-4, including a 38-10 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl on Dec. 13. Williams was 15 of 24 for 215 yards and four touchdowns in the game.

For the season, Williams completed 246 of 354 passes (69.5%) for 3,065 yards, 25 TDs and eight interceptions. He also ran for 611 yards, which was second on the team, and six TDs.

For his Washington career, Williams completed 71.5% of his passes for 4,009 yards, 33 TDs and nine interceptions in 26 games (2024-25). He also rushed for 893 yards and eight touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Army runs all over UConn in Fenway Bowl rout

Posted on | by Field Level Media

BOSTON — Freshman running back Godspower Nwawuihe and junior quarterback Cale Hellums each rushed for two touchdowns as Army rolled to a 41-16 win over UConn in Saturday’s Fenway Bowl.

The Black Knights (7-6) won their third straight bowl on the strength of the run game, recording 368 yards on the ground. Army broke open a 14-10 halftime score with 13 points in the third quarter and finished with a 476-267 advantage in total offense.

Nwawuihe, who had previously rushed for just 25 yards on the season, logged a game-high 171 on 12 carries and his first two career scores.

Hellums recorded 45 yards on 15 carries on top of completing 7 of 8 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. His 18 rushing scores this season are the second-most in Army history.

Noah Short posted Army’s best receiving performance of the season, catching all seven of Hellums’ completions for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Ksaan Farrar made his first career start at quarterback for UConn (9-4), going 11-of-17 passing for 84 yards while rushing for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Cam Edwards (108 yards on 11 carries) ran for the game’s opening score. Edwards broke off his first two runs back-to-back to help UConn open the scoring with 9:17 left in the first. The redshirt junior busted down the sideline for a 34-yard gain on 4th-and-2, setting up his 12-yard touchdown run up the middle on the next play.

Hellums led the Black Knights to a game-tying score on the next series, airing out a 40-yard pass to Short on his first attempt.

Army used a 10-play, 90-yard drive to take a 14-7 lead on Nwawuihe’s first score with 3:04 left before halftime, but UConn closed within 14-10 as Chris Freeman kicked a 49-yard field goal as time expired.

Nwawuihe broke through a pile near the line of scrimmage for a 70-yard run to the house on the Black Knights’ second play after the break. The Army lead remained 20-10 following a blocked extra point.

Despite offsetting penalties that erased David Clerk’s 42-yard reception bringing Army back into the red zone, Hellums led the Black Knights down field and managed a 1-yard sneak to extend the lead to 27-10 with 6:22 left in the third quarter.

Army’s next drive was a 15-play, 89-yard series that ended with Hellums scoring a 6-yard touchdown with 8:18 left, moving the Black Knights’ advantage to 34-10.

Farrar led UConn on a late scoring drive, rushing for an 11-yard score with 5:47 left.

Carson Smith’s 6-yard scoring run put an exclamation point on Army’s victory with 1:20 left.

–Joshua Kummins, Field Level Media

Washington WR Denzel Boston entering NFL draft

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Considered a potential first-round selection, Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston is passing on his senior season after declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft on Wednesday.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Boston thanked the program’s coaching staff, support staff, teammates and fans for helping him realize his dream of playing for the Huskies.

“Growing up in Washington, I dreamed of wearing purple and gold and playing for my hometown school,” wrote Boston, a native of South Hill, Wash., approximately 40 miles from Washington’s Seattle campus.

“Getting to live out that dream as a Husky is something I’ll never forget.”

Boston, who posted 20 touchdowns over the past two seasons, finished tied for sixth in the country with 11 receiving scores in 2025, along with 62 receptions for 881 yards in 12 games. For his efforts, he was named a third-team All-Big Ten selection.

Boston closes his career with the Huskies on a high note, collecting six receptions for 126 yards, highlighted by a 78-yard score in a 38-10 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl on Dec. 13.

In 43 games over four seasons at Washington, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Boston totaled 132 catches for 1,781 yards and 20 touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

UConn, Army eager for last hurrah at Fenway Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

BOSTON — UConn’s Skyler Bell wants to finish what he started.

The Huskies (9-3) enter Saturday’s Fenway Bowl matchup against Army (6-6) with quarterback Joe Fagnano opted out and coach Jim Mora gone to take over at Colorado State.

Despite rumors that Bell — who has logged 1,278 receiving yards and a program-record 13 touchdowns this season — also would get an early start on charting his NFL future, the consensus All-American wanted one last opportunity.

“I never said I wasn’t playing,” Bell said. “Being with this team the last two years, I think the brotherhood thing is super real. … I think I’d be remiss to leave here and look back at that last game and saying, ‘Why didn’t I suit up with my guys one last time?’”

Running back Cam Edwards (1,132 yards, 14 touchdowns) also is expected to help UConn chase a 10th win for the first time in program history. All three of the Huskies’ losses this season have come in overtime.

UConn looks to go back-to-back at the Fenway Bowl after beating North Carolina 27-14 a year ago. Bell made three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in that game.

The Huskies will be led by interim coach Gordon Sammis, the offensive coordinator under Mora who will assume the same role at TCU following the bowl. UConn hired Toledo’s Jason Candle as its next head coach on Dec. 6.

Sammis did not address the media alongside his players last Friday as anticipated.

UConn also has not released an updated depth chart. The start at quarterback could go to Nick Evers, who held the role for part of last season after arriving from Wisconsin, where he was also teammates with Bell.

There could be other departures, but the Huskies figure to have a strong roster available.

“This game’s fleeting,” tight end Louis Hansen said. “You’re not guaranteed to get another game.”

Army has won back-to-back bowls — including last season’s Independence Bowl against Louisiana Tech after winning the American Conference title — and seeks three in a row for the second time in 12th-year coach Jeff Monken’s tenure at West Point.

Saturday’s kickoff comes just two weeks after the Black Knights lost only the fifth 1-point game in Army-Navy history, as a fourth-quarter touchdown was the difference in a 17-16 win for the Midshipmen.

“It’s an opportunity to play another game,” Monken said. “For this team, this brotherhood, to be able to go out and play together. For our senior class to play one more time. To play for a winning record, and to play for the opportunity to say we’re a bowl champion.”

Despite the heartbreaking rivalry loss, quarterback Cale Hellums became Army’s first 100-yard rusher against Navy since 2012 and sits just 22 rushing yards shy of becoming the eighth Black Knight to reach the 1,200-yard mark in a season.

Hellums, a junior, leads a roster that consists largely of upperclassmen. Army does things the old-fashioned way — without a transfer portal with which to work.

“We’re tough, we’re competitive, and (the players) develop and they stay in the program,” Monken said. “We’ve got juniors and seniors, for the most part, playing out there. When you grow up in the program and in the system…they play together and play for each other.”

UConn and Army met in West Point, N.Y., in 2021 and 2022. The Black Knights won both of those meetings.

Saturday marks the fourth playing of the Fenway Bowl, with initial installments in 2020 and 2021 canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. Prior to UConn’s visit last December, Boston College beat a ranked SMU team 23-14 in 2023.

–Joshua Kummins, Field Level Media

No. 6 Oregon fends off Demond Williams Jr., Washington

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Atticus Sappington made all four of his field goals, including a career-long 51-yard kick late in the third quarter, and No. 6 Oregon held on for a 26-14 win over Washington on Saturday afternoon in Seattle.

Dante Moore completed 20 of 29 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score for the Ducks (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten), who finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak. Oregon is in line to host a College Football Playoff opening round game next month.

The decisive moments of the game came in the fourth quarter, when the Huskies faced a fourth-and-8 from the Oregon 13. Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. found Denzel Boston for the second of two touchdown connections between the two, and Washington had new life, down 19-14 with 8:54 to play.

But a few plays later, Moore found Malik Benson open over the middle, and Benson raced upfield for a 64-yard touchdown strike. Oregon went back up by 12 and sealed its 12th straight road victory with Dillon Thieneman’s interception with 1:20 to play.

Washington finishes 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big 10. Williams threw two interceptions and was sacked four times as Oregon’s defense pressured him for much of the afternoon.

Oregon scored first, driving for a 46-yard field goal from Sappington on the Ducks’ first possession of the game.

A personal foul penalty against the Ducks late in the first quarter gave Washington field position inside Oregon territory. The Huskies got the ball to the Oregon 21, but Williams was intercepted by Ducks defensive back Jaden Canady to end the possession.

Oregon drove 80 yards after that turnover for a touchdown with Moore running into the end zone from a yard out. The Ducks took a 13-0 lead moments later on another Sappington field goal.

Washington took some momentum into halftime with a 12-play, 75-yard drive. On third down with no timeouts left and 10 seconds left in the half, Williams got a throw off under heavy pressure and hit Boston for a three-yard touchdown pass.

Oregon opened the second half with a drive for a field goal, going in front 16-7.

–Field Level Media

Demond Williams Jr., Washington in control throughout in downing UCLA

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Demond Williams Jr. passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more as Washington cruised past UCLA 48-14 on Saturday night in Pasadena, Calif.

After its first three possessions resulted in two punts and a field goal set up by favorable field position, the Washington offense finally broke through with Williams’ first score of the night. His 25-yard touchdown carry in the second quarter capped an eight-play, 65-yard drive, and set off a deluge from the Huskies (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten Conference).

Washington scored 34 unanswered points and, for the better part of three quarters, looked prime to hand UCLA (3-8, 3-5) its first shutout loss since 2011.

The Huskies defense held the Bruins to just more than 100 yards until deep into the third period. UCLA converted its first third-down attempt earlier in the game, then failed to do so on its next 10 opportunities.

It was not until Luke Duncan — taking over at quarterback after Nico Iamaleava was injured on a sack — completed a 24-yard pass to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala late in the third quarter that UCLA successfully converted a second third-down attempt.

That conversion set up the Bruins’ first score, as Duncan found Mikey Matthews on a short completion the receiver took to the end zone. The 37-yard touchdown was one of a limited number of times the Huskies’ defense gave up anything to UCLA.

One defensive highlight came late in the second quarter when safety Alex McLaughlin ran back a 59-yard scoop-and-score after the Huskies sniffed out a UCLA fake field-goal attempt. McLaughlin’s touchdown shortly before halftime turned a two-possession deficit for the Bruins into a three-score gap, 20-0.

Williams poured it on in the third quarter with an 11-yard touchdown carry and an 18-yard scoring strike to Dezmen Roebuck. Williams added another touchdown pass of 24 yards to Decker DeGraaf in the fourth quarter. J. Coleman’s 1-yard TD run and DeGraaf’s TD bookended UCLA’s second score: Jamir Benjamin’s 13-yard return of a fumbled punt return forced by teammate Kanye Clark.

Williams finished 17-of-26 passing for 213 yards with an interception. He rushed for 56 yards, backing up Adam Mohammed’s 108 yards on 21 carries. Roebuck led the Huskies with seven receptions for 96 yards.

Duncan finished 5-for-11 for 81 yards. Iamaleava went 16 of 26 for 69 yards. Washington outgained UCLA, 426 to 207, including 212-57 on the ground.

–Field Level Media

Inconsistent Washington eyes get-right opportunity vs. struggling UCLA

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Longtime Pac-12 Conference counterparts meet under the Big Ten banner on Saturday when UCLA welcomes Washington to Pasadena, Calif. for the 78th all-time matchup between the programs.

Washington (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) makes its first visit to Rose Bowl Stadium since September 2022, playing the first of two regular-season-ending matchups against former Pac-12 opponents. A Thanksgiving weekend home date against rival Oregon looms on Nov. 29.

With the opportunity to play spoiler against the College Football Playoff hopeful Ducks still to come, the Huskies look to avoid a letdown this week against the sputtering Bruins (3-7, 3-4).

“I’m just excited about going back out there and playing that game in that stadium,” said Washington coach Jedd Fisch, who was previously offensive coordinator at UCLA in 2017 and replaced Jim Mora as interim coach to close out that season.

“We have talked to our team about what it’s like to play in that stadium and how cool it is to pull up in that parking lot.”

Since winning three straight shortly after the firing of head coach DeShaun Foster, UCLA has backslid with three consecutive losses. Sandwiching a 28-21 defeat at home against Nebraska on Nov. 8 were blowout losses on the road against the nation’s top two ranked teams, Indiana and Ohio State.

“We’re focused on finishing the season right,” interim coach Tim Skipper said on Monday. “… Everybody knows you’re measured when you’re dealing with adversity.”

In its last four games, including a 20-17 win over Maryland, UCLA has averaged just 14.3 points per game. Compounding the Bruins’ challenges is the continued uncertainty of quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s availability.

He sustained a concussion in the loss to Nebraska, which sidelined him in last Saturday’s 48-10 loss to Ohio State. Luke Duncan made the start against the Buckeyes, going 16-of-23 passing for 154 yards with an 18-yard touchdown throw to Kwazi Gilmer.

The run game provided little support, however, with UCLA totaling just 68 yards on the ground.

Iamaleava was labeled as day-to-day by Skipper early this week.

Meanwhile, Washington’s offense has ridden a roller coaster in recent weeks, scoring just seven and 10 points in losses to Michigan and Wisconsin but putting up 42 and 49 points in wins over Illinois and Purdue.

Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. combined for six touchdown passes in the two wins, while finishing with just one touchdown pass and four interceptions in those two losses.

–Field Level Media

Oct 10, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) waves over running back Jonah Coleman (1) before a play against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Washington rolls over No. 23 Illinois behind Demond Williams’ 4 TDs

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Demond Williams passed for four touchdowns, Denzel Boston caught a score and passed for another and the Washington Huskies rolled to a 42-25 win over No. 23 Illinois on Saturday in Seattle.

The Huskies (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) jumped ahead with a pair of time-consuming scoring drives in the first quarter, going 75 yards in 5:23 and 67 yards in 4:12, each culminating in 13-yard Williams scoring strikes to Dezmen Roebuck.

Washington’s early 14-3 lead as a result of the two scores faded in the second quarter when Illinois (5-3, 2-3) scored on a pair of Luke Altmyer TD passes.

The Illini quarterback found Collin Dixon for a 2-yard score midway through the second quarter, then hit Tanner Arkin for a 5-yard touchdown just moments after a would-be Tacario Davis interception was negated for pass interference.

Davis made good on another defensive opportunity in the third quarter, however.

With Washington leading 28-17 but Illinois driving into Huskies territory, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale rocked Hank Beatty just as Beatty pulled in a long reception. Davis was on the spot to snag the carom and return the interception into Illini territory.

Williams cashed in the ensuing possession when, rolling out of the pocket, he fired a pass on the move to a sliding Boston. The resulting 5-yard grab marked the culmination of 21 straight Washington points after a pair of Jonah Coleman scores.

Coleman ran for a 7-yard TD midway through the third quarter and caught another just before halftime. Washington ran a trick, double-pass with Williams throwing to Boston wide on the left side, then Boston lobbing a 12-yard rainbow to a wide-open Coleman for the score.

Boston’s two-way scoring performance highlighted a 10-reception, 153-yard game. Coleman caught four passes for 32 yards and rushed 14 times for 75 yards.

Jordan Anderson finished a 75-yard Illini drive with a goal-line touchdown run in the fourth quarter but Washington tacked on one more score. Williams threw a 2-yard TD pass to Decker DeGraaf, then the Huskies successfully snuffed out any hope of an Illinois rally thanks to a running-into-the-kicker penalty on a late punt.

Williams completed 26 of 33 passes for 280 yards and ran for 66 yards on 10 carries. Altmyer was 22-of-34 passing for 199 yards for Illinois, and his 48 rushing yards led the team.

–Field Level Media

Oct 10, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) prepares to throw the ball during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Prolific Washington QB Demond Williams Jr. faces reeling Michigan defense

Posted on | by Field Level Media

While it has been overshadowed by Penn State’s collapse, the first half of Michigan’s season hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

The Wolverines’ 31-13 loss last week at Southern California dropped them to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten, which means they’ll probably have to win their last six regular-season games to have a shot at qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

Step One in that task comes Saturday when Washington (5-1, 2-1) visits Ann Arbor, Mich., for a conference clash.

Not much went right for Michigan in Los Angeles. The defense gave up 489 total yards and missed 14 tackles, while the offense averaged only 3.5 yards on 31 rushes and converted just 2 of 11 third downs.

Second-year coach Sherrone Moore passed on a simple message to his team Monday.

“We got to go back to work,” he said. “There’s no pouting. There’s no worry about it. There’s no making excuses for it. That’s all we got to do. They’re trying to fix all the problems and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The Wolverines defense will get a stiff test from Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. In a 38-19 win last Friday against Rutgers, Williams set a school record with 538 total yards of offense as he threw for 402 yards and rushed for another 136.

Williams, who set career highs for passing yards, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, fired two scoring strikes and ran for two touchdowns. He became the 16th player in FBS history to throw for at least 400 yards and run for at least 100 in the same game – joining a club that features Lamar Jackson, Taysom Hill and Johnny Manziel.

On the season, Williams has accounted for 2,010 yards of offense — 1,628 in the air. He has completed an impressive 74.1 percent of his passes with just one interception in 158 attempts.

“He made great decisions with the ball,” said Washington coach Jedd Fisch. “Everything that he’s continuing to do, he’s doing it at a high level. It was fun to watch.”

The Huskies won last year’s meeting with Michigan 27-17, which cut the Wolverines’ series lead to 9-6.

–Field Level Media