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Washington QB Demond Williams Jr. explodes through the Rutgers defense during the Huskies’ 38–19 win on Oct. 10, 2025. The Huskies found themselves in an early hole in front of a packed Husky Stadium crowd, but No. 25 Washington rallied behind a historic performance by quarterback Demond Williams Jr. to topple Rutgers 38–19. Washington trailed 13–10 at halftime after Rutgers jumped out to a 10–0 first-quarter lead. In the second half the offense “took over the game,” unleashing an avalanche of scoring that put the contest away. Williams finished with 402 yards passing and two touchdown passes, plus 136 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground. His 538 yards of total offense set a new school record. For his efforts he was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (for the second time this season). The win improved Washington to 5–1 (2–1 Big Ten) as the Huskies look ahead to their next test at Michigan.
Early Rutgers Lead, Washington’s Response
Rutgers struck first on Friday night. The Scarlet Knights (3–3, 0–3 Big Ten) showed up with their best offensive game of the season, nearly 500 total yards, and took a 10–0 lead in the first quarter. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, in his first full Big Ten start, delivered a career night of his own with 386 passing yards and two touchdowns. Rutgers’ offense looked sharp: running back Antwan Raymond rushed for 89 yards and caught seven passes for another 89 yards (including a touchdown catch), and wideout Ian Strong reeled in seven catches for 124 yards. Behind a stifling early defense and a pair of field goals by kicker Jai Patel, the Knights led 13–10 at the break.
Washington’s offense, by contrast, looked anemic early on. Running back Jonah Coleman managed just one yard on a goal-line run in the first half, keeping the Huskies off the board until late in the second quarter. Washington finally answered with a field goal and then a Denzel Boston touchdown reception to close the gap to 13–10. Nevertheless, the first half underscored how dangerous Rutgers could be: according to Sports Illustrated, Rutgers’ 493 total yards were “the program’s highest output in a Big Ten game since 2015”. Washington coach Jedd Fisch later noted his team had to “avoid those double-digit comebacks” in the future, reflecting concern about falling behind early as it had done again.
Huskies Dominate Second Half
Washington flipped the script after the break. The Huskies’ first possession of the second half was a harbinger: on the opening snap Williams tucked the ball and sprinted 42 yards downfield. From there, Washington’s offense never relented. The Huskies scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives of the second half. Williams connected with Boston for an early third-quarter score (20 yards), and soon added two rushing touchdowns of his own (11 and 7 yards). Within minutes Washington had taken a 31–13 lead. The offense continued to pour it on — by the fourth quarter the Huskies led 38–13 — and finally shifted into clock-burning mode. The Rutgers defense, unable to counter Washington’s pace and precision, gave up 28 unanswered second-half points.
Washington’s surge proved too much for Rutgers. On Rutgers’ final drive, eager to set up a comeback, veteran Husky cornerback Ephesians Prysock stepped in front of a pass in the end zone and picked it off to ice the game. Overall, the Huskies outlasted the Scarlet Knights in the physicality department: Rutgers twice failed to convert fourth-and-goal inside the Washington 10 in the second half, while Washington’s defense held the Knights out of the end zone on Rutgers’ final two possessions. Key stops and turnovers by the defense complemented the offense’s flurry, sealing the 38–19 victory.
Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. breaks a tackle during the game against Rutgers. Williams’ four-touchdown night (2 passing, 2 rushing) set several records for the Huskies. The man of the hour was unquestionably Demond Williams Jr. In only his eighth career start, the 5-foot-11 sophomore delivered a stat line for the ages. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 402 yards and two scores, and he rushed 13 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns (averaging a stunning 10.5 yards per carry). His longest rush came on Washington’s first play of the second half: that 42-yarder put defenders on notice that he was virtually uncontainable on the ground. Both the 402 passing yards and 136 rushing yards were career highs; he eclipsed his previous best of 374 pass yards (set last year) and 88 rush yards (set earlier this season).
Williams’ dual-threat outing put him in elite company. As the University of Washington noted, he became just the 16th player in FBS history ever to throw for at least 400 yards and rush for at least 100 yards in the same game. His 538 total yards of offense shattered the previous UW record (529, by Michael Penix Jr. in 2022). Field Level Media observed that the 400/100 club includes only a few names – Lamar Jackson, Taysom Hill, Johnny Manziel – highlighting just how rare this performance was. In sweeping up Big Ten weekly awards, Williams joined fellow Husky star Jonah Coleman as a two-time conference offensive player of the week this season.
The Coaches Were Impressed. Washington’s sideline was appropriately exuberant. “Demond Williams is a superstar,” said Coach Jedd Fisch, ticking off Williams’ gaudy numbers and noting that the staff “has known [he’s special] for a lot of years now”. Williams himself was sanguine: he explained that much of the night’s success came from Rutgers focusing on Coleman in the running game, which opened up lanes. “I was just taking what the defense was giving me,” Williams said. “You could tell their main focus was on Jonah, so being able to pull zone reads and get as many yards as I could was definitely pivotal.”. Even Rutgers coach Greg Schiano had praise: conceding that Washington’s mistakes hurt his team, he added that Williams is “a dynamic player, a dynamic player as a ball carrier and a quarterback… the runs he made, those were special”. In other words, the star performer had turned heads on both sides of the field.
Key Defensive Plays and Notables
Washington’s defense deserves credit too. While Rutgers did accumulate 493 yards overall, UW’s veteran unit bent late and helped preserve the lead. Linebacker Terrell Jackson finished with 11 tackles, and defensive lineman Zachariah Branch had a critical sack late in the third quarter to stall a Rutgers drive. Washington’s secondary made the crucial plays: in addition to Prysock’s clinching interception, cornerback Devlin Shone Jr. had two pass breakups inside Rutgers’ 5-yard line to force field goals on third downs. Importantly, Rutgers could never convert when it mattered: the Scarlet Knights twice came up short on fourth-down attempts inside the 10-yard line in the second half, squandering chances to pull back within one score.
Two defensive statistics stand out. First, Washington held Rutgers out of the end zone on all red-zone trips late in the game. Second, UW forced Rutgers into unfavorable situations; for example, Rutgers linebacker Dariel Djabome was credited with two forced fumbles (recovering one), but neither turnover ultimately swung momentum enough to change the outcome. On the other side of the ball, Washington’s run defense did a solid job limiting Coleman (Rutgers’ top back) to only 44 yards on 14 carries, a season low for Coleman. All told, after halftime the Huskies’ defense gave up just 12 points (6 by touchdown, 6 by field goals) in the final two quarters.
The victory leaves Washington at 5–1 and 2–1 in conference play, tied for the lead in the Big Ten West. The Huskies are 2–0 in true road games so far, and now face a critical test at Michigan on Oct. 18 (in Ann Arbor on Fox). Despite two thrilling comeback wins (over Maryland and now Rutgers), Coach Fisch admits he’d prefer to avoid slow starts. After Friday’s game he quipped that the team had been “starting a little shaky” and emphasized the need to “start fast and finish strong” in coming weeks.
If Washington’s offense continues to fire on all cylinders, the Huskies could emerge as a serious contender in the Big Ten. Williams has now amassed over 2,000 total yards on the season (approximately 1,628 passing and 382 rushing), while completing an impressive 74.1% of his passes with only one interception thrown. With Williams at the helm and playmakers like Boston, Roebuck and Coleman providing weapons, Washington appears primed for big moments in the stretch drive. The formula that worked against Rutgers – a potent mix of explosive offense and opportunistic defense – will be the one to watch as the Huskies tackle their next challenge and pursue a deep postseason run.
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