Vorel: Huskies hanged with Oregon... but hanging isn't good enough
Washington gives up a touchdown on third down making it 26-14. Jamari Johnson taunts the Husky student section. The 5th-ranked Oregon Ducks played the Washington Huskies in Big-Ten Football Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 at... (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
By Mike Vorel Seattle Times columnist
Trailing 19-14 with 8:05 left on Saturday, Washington had an opportunity to get the ball back and beat Oregon. Instead, Ducks quarterback Dante Moore took a shotgun snap on third-and-9, stepped up and drilled a dart to wide receiver Malik Benson, who split cornerbacks Ephesians Prysock and Dylan Robinson for a 64-yard score.
Benson — a senior transfer from Florida State — threw up a “W” with both hands, before symbolically snapping it over his knee.
Moore’s celebration must have hurt even more.
Oregon’s redshirt sophomore shuffled through Washington’s west end zone, firing invisible arrows into a silent student section. The move was popularized by heralded Husky Michael Penix Jr., who downed the Ducks three times in two spectacular seasons.
Now, Moore was ripping arrows through the Huskies’ hearts.
Another arrow. Another arrow. The quarterback emptied his quiver as he coasted to the bench.
In a 26-14 loss to No. 6 Oregon, it wasn’t one arrow that felled Washington.
Demond Williams Jr.’s inconsistency was an enormous arrow. The sophomore quarterback went 2 for 7 for 13 yards in UW’s first five drives Saturday, including an end-zone interception snared by creeping safety Jadon Canady. Inaccurate passes preceded two other Husky punts, as UW failed to score for much of the first half.
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Williams finished 15 for 30 for 129 passing yards, with two touchdowns to wide receiver Denzel Boston and a pair of punishing picks.
Against a superior opponent, UW needed a pristine performance from its talented (and occasionally transcendent) quarterback. Instead, Williams too often missed the mark.
But Husky head coach Jedd Fisch remains bullish about his future.
“I think his confidence has grown, and now we’re going to spend a lot of time at just becoming more and more comfortable running the offense the whole offseason,” Fisch said Saturday. “But we’ve got a bowl game to be ready and prepare for, and it’s another opportunity to see how good he can become.”
At his best, Williams can be one of the best quarterbacks in the country. But that makes the misfires even tougher to take.
Speaking of Fisch, his personnel usage and play calling was another arrow. After steamrolling UCLA for 108 rushing yards and 5.1 yards per carry a week ago, running back Adam Mohammed struck again on Saturday. The 220-pound sophomore plowed the Ducks for 105 yards and 7.5 yards per rush on 14 carries, while adding 36 kickoff return yards and 18 receiving yards as well.
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In the aftermath, Fisch said: “The more you run the football, the more you play, the more confidence you gain. Adam has had two 100-yard rushing weeks in a row. He had three touchdowns in his first-ever start. He’s taken on the role of being ‘the guy.’”
So, why not give “the guy” more than 14 carries?
Particularly considering senior Jonah Coleman was clearly hobbled by a knee injury, and Williams was too often erratic under center. Mohammed has separated himself as the Huskies’ backfield future, but Fisch needs to realize that future has already arrived.
UW’s fourth-down defense was another arrow, as the Ducks went 2 for 3 in that department — turning those conversions into 10 more points. Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington fired four more, converting a quartet of field goals to extend the score.
Point being, for Washington, it wasn’t one thing. If UW freshman safety Rylon Dillard-Allen had hung onto an interception on Oregon’s opening drive, or if Prysock, the Huskies’ cornerback, hadn’t been hit with a questionable pass interference penalty that preceded a touchdown, or if Mohammed had touched the football 10 more times …
Maybe, then, we’re not talking about another missed opportunity.
It’s undeniable that UW is getting better. A year ago, Washington went 6-7 and surrendered 222 rushing yards, 6 yards per carry and five rushing scores in a 49-21 fileting at Oregon. The Huskies where physically overwhelmed, allowing 10 sacks while registering 43 rushing yards and 1.2 yards per carry.
On Saturday, though? The Huskies could hang. They rushed for 154 yards and 4.7 yards per carry, while limiting the Ducks to 106 rushing yards and just 2.5 yards per rush. The Ducks went just 6 for 16 on third down as well, as an undaunted UW defense mostly did its part.
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Still, hanging is one thing. Will winning come next?
“I’m really excited about what’s ahead of us,” Fisch said Saturday. “We’ve probably played more young players than anybody. We’ve probably played more freshmen in total snaps than anybody. We have a ton of experience coming back now. We have a lot of great players who are signing with us on Wednesday. We have a lot of people who want to be in the program.
“I feel like we had a lot of nice steps [this season], I really do. From where we were a year ago to where we are today, we’ve really done a nice job of becoming a better team. Now, to become the best team in the Big Ten, you have to beat Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon. We did not do that.”
In their four losses, the Huskies totaled four touchdowns. Against the three currently ranked teams on their schedule — No. 1 Ohio State, No. 6 Oregon and No. 15 Michigan — they produced a combined 27 points. UW’s offense cratered against top competition, a fact Fisch will have to reckon with.
The Huskies took too many arrows, and fired too few, to beat the Big Ten’s best.
There will be a bowl game. But a signature win will have to wait.
Mike Vorel: mvorel@seattletimes .com. Mike Vorel is a sports columnist at The Seattle Times.