Huskies come up short in loss to No. 6 Oregon: ‘Just didn’t go our way’
1 of 36 | Demond Williams Jr. takes a 2-yard loss when Oregon’s Matayo Uiagalelei flushes him from the pocket at the end of the third quarter of the Huskies’ loss to Oregon at Husky Stadium on Saturday. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
The counterpunch came out of nowhere.
For 52 minutes, Washington kept No. 6 Oregon within striking distance. The Huskies minimized their mistakes and limited the Ducks to field goal after field goal. A 13-yard touchdown catch by junior receiver Denzel Boston made it a one-score game with nine minutes remaining.
And with Oregon facing third-and-nine on its own 35-yard line, Washington appeared to have its archrival on the ropes. Then, the Ducks landed the stunner.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore found wide receiver Malik Benson wide open over the middle on a dig route for the first down. It wasn’t enough for Benson, who turned on the jets as he sliced up the left seam, skipped out of two tackles and won the 64-yard sprint to the UW goal line. Husky Stadium was briefly silent, before traveling Oregon fans broke out in an audible “Let’s Go Ducks” chant.
“There were just a few plays in the game that were difference makers for us,” UW coach Jedd Fisch said. “They just didn’t go our way.”
read more No. 6 oregon 26, Washington 14
Benson’s fourth-quarter touchdown slammed the door on UW’s comeback and Washington lost to Oregon 26-14 on a cool, cloudy November afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 72,376. It’s the Huskies’ second consecutive loss to the Ducks. Fisch is now 0-4 against Oregon during his career, dating back to his time at Arizona.
“I thought our players competed as well as anybody,” Fisch said. “We’ve got to coach better and we’ve got to continue to improve as players, but we have a lot of good things ahead of us.”
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Washington’s loss to Oregon certainly felt familiar. The Huskies (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) — missing senior cornerback Tacario Davis (lower body) and sixth-year safety Makell Esteen (foot) — held the Ducks to their lowest scoring output since Nov. 8.
UW’s defense, led by a career-high 11-tackle performance by freshman safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, allowed just 106 yards rushing. Only No. 2 Indiana held Oregon to fewer yards on the ground this season. The Ducks (11-1, 8-1) rushed for 179 yards and scored 42 points during each of their past two games before playing the Huskies.
But the offense struggled mightily, particularly in the passing game. Just like it did during a 24-6 loss at home against No. 1 Ohio State Sept. 27. And just like it did during a 24-7 defeat on the road against No. 15 Michigan Oct. 18.
“That’s kind of the way it works,” Fisch said. “You lose big. Then you lose small. Then you win small. Then you win big. That’s kind of the progression of how these turnarounds occur. How these builds occur. I think we had some interesting (big wins) throughout the year, but these tight games against the top-10 teams, they’re challenging. They’re going to be like this.”
Sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. endured season-low marks in completion percentage (50%), yards passing (129) and total completions (15). Boston, who caught both of Washington’s touchdowns, led UW’s receivers with four catches, while true freshman Dezmen Roebuck’s 27 yards receiving paced the Huskies.
Fisch said Oregon’s quarterback spies did a good job keeping Williams contained in the pocket. The Chandler, Ariz., native had 27 yards rushing against Oregon, and Fisch said Williams tried to force a couple throws instead of taking open checkdowns. Particularly when the young quarterback was intercepted in the end zone by Oregon defensive back Jadon Canady with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter while targeting Boston on a slot fade.
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Williams said he’d take “100%” of the blame for UW’s offensive struggles against top teams. Washington has lost all four of his least productive games as a passer this season. But Williams said he believes the Huskies have also demonstrated solid growth as an offense and will continue to improve entering the offseason.
“The only way to move forward is to accept it and understand that in those types of games, we’ve just got to play better,” said Williams, who was 15-for-30 passing and threw two touchdowns and two interceptions.
UW’s offense had some success running the ball behind a relatively healthy offensive line. Junior right tackle Drew Azzopardi (lower leg) played his first game since Nov. 8, and freshman John Mills returned to left guard.
Junior center Landen Hatchett (hand) was the only regular starter on Washington’s offensive line who did not play, and UW averaged 4.7 yards per carry and became just the third team to outgain Oregon on the ground this season after totaling 154 yards rushing. Though UW did surrender four sacks.
Sophomore running back Adam Mohammed tallied his second career 100-yard rushing performance, taking 14 carries for 105 yards against the Ducks. He broke off a 22-yard run in the first quarter and had a 19-yard carry in the second, while also adding 18 yards receiving on two catches and a 36-yard kickoff return. Mohammed, who split carries with senior running back Jonah Coleman (knee), was responsible for seven of UW’s 18 first downs.
“I love the way Adam runs the ball,” sixth-year right guard Geirean Hatchett said. “Fires me up as an offensive lineman, when I see him run right past me and run over somebody. He’s just been absolutely an animal the last few weeks.”
Hatchett said Washington’s offense has to do a better job staying composed before big games. He said the Huskies found themselves playing catch-up against Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon. But Geirean Hatchett added he still firmly believes in the direction UW is taking under Fisch, and compared the 2025 campaign to the 2022 season that launched Washington’s 2023 College Football Playoff run.
“I think this group really wants it,” Hatchett said. “This is the hardest-working group I’ve been around. I think we definitely can achieve everything that is in front of us.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.