Apple Cup Notebook: UW shows ‘resilience,’ but has plenty to improve

SEATTLE – UW Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch didn’t mince words, calling his team’s first-half offensive performance “embarrassing” during a halftime interview on NBC.

More Apple Cup coverage: Recap | Takeaways | WSU notebook | Brock’s reaction

It didn’t get any better for UW during a scoreless third quarter, either.

But when the pressure ratcheted up in the fourth, Washington’s offense finally jolted to life with back-to-back touchdown drives, propelling the No. 17 Huskies past the upset-minded WSU Cougars for a season-opening 24-10 Apple Cup win on Sunday afternoon.

UW’s finishing flourish had Fisch in a better mood after the game, even though he knows the overall showing wasn’t up to standard.

“I thought Washington State had a really good plan, played really hard, and did a nice job,” Fisch said. “Very challenging, Week 1, to really make sure that we knew what we wanted to get done.

“We felt like we didn’t play at the level we would like to play at, but we also are very happy with the victory.”

Washington’s defense played stout, limiting the Cougars to just 242 total yards while generating three takeaways, three sacks and eight tackles for loss.

But it was a much different story for UW’s offense, which was out of sync while mustering just 10 points over the first three quarters.

“We shot ourselves in the foot a lot of the time, including myself, so I know we gotta clean those things up,” said UW dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who completed 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards and a TD, while adding 61 yards on seven carries.

UW’s biggest issues came in the red zone.

In the first quarter, the Huskies drove to the WSU 11-yard line before a trio of penalties pushed them back and forced them to settle for a field goal.

Midway through the second quarter, UW kicker Tyler Robles missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt, which came shortly after running back Trey Cooley lost 6 yards on a dropped halfback toss from the 5-yard line.

And on the final play of the first half, after the Huskies marched 93 yards to the WSU 1-yard line, running back Jayden Limar was stuffed on a fourth-and-goal carry up the middle.

“We’ve gotta score some points,” Fisch said in his halftime interview with NBC. “It’s embarrassing right now.”

NOT ON THE COUGARS’ WATCH.
The Washington State defense closes out the half with a HUGE stop on 4th & goal!

📺 Washington State at #17 Washington on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/XihiHDMoUq

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 6, 2026

After two more scoreless UW possessions in the third quarter, WSU mounted a TD drive to trim the margin to 10-7 with 10:15 remaining. That sent the Cougs’ corner of Husky Stadium into a frenzy, while eliciting some nervous tension among the rest of the 71,056 fans on Montlake.

Perhaps the noise – and the threat of a potential upset brewing – finally woke up the Huskies’ offense.

UW opened its ensuing series with back-to-back chunk plays, as Williams hit wide receiver Chris Lawson for a 29-yard completion and then delivered a flea-flicker pass to wideout Rashid Williams for a 44-yard catch-and-run to the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Demond Williams Jr. and Rashid Williams connected again for a 1-yard TD pass.

Then, after WSU answered with a field goal to trim the margin to 17-10, Demond Williams Jr. unleashed some of his patented wizardry. Facing a pivotal third-and-9 with less than 3 minutes to play, UW’s speedy QB scrambled outside and then eluded two defenders with a sharp cutback on his way to a game-breaking 21-yard gain.

“His feet are one of our biggest advantages, and his ability to make that first guy miss and break that tackle made a huge difference to get us to where we want to go,” Fisch said.

This Demond Williams cutback 😮‍💨

Watch on NBC pic.twitter.com/oGVOZzHwhx

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 6, 2026

UW stayed aggressive after that, with Demond Williams Jr. lofting a deep pass down the sideline that Lawson hauled in for a 35-yard gain. And on the next play, Limar scampered into the end zone for a game-sealing 11-yard TD to make it 24-10.

“I thought in the fourth quarter, the offense really turned on and did a fantastic job,” Fisch said. “… So that part made me really happy, the resilience we showed. But a lot to learn. Week 1, young players, young team, and need to find a way to play a little bit better next week.”

Too many flags

The Huskies committed 12 penalties for 130 yards, which was tied for the fifth-most penalty yards in program history, according to Stathead. The parade of flags included a pair of dead-ball, third-down penalties that extended a long WSU drive in the third quarter.

Fisch said he wants his team to play with an edge, but hopes Sunday’s penalty-filled affair serves as a lesson.

“My hope is that happened, we’re over it, and we learned that you can take it so far and then you have to stop,” Fisch said. “And they’re gonna continue to play extremely hard, but on the same token, they need to know where to draw the line to have that discipline to make sure we don’t give anything away.”

Rashid Williams’ big day

Senior wideout Rashid Williams, who was limited to just five games last season due to a collarbone injury and a hand injury, hauled in three catches for a career-high 74 yards and a TD.

“It meant everything, you know, going through what I went through,” Williams said. “Just being out here, the atmosphere with the crowd and feeling all the energy from the crowd and the players and the coaches, it was awesome.”

WILLIAMS (QB) TO WILLIAMS (WR)!
Rashid Williams powers through for the Washington TOUCHDOWN!

📺 Washington State at #17 Washington on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/YbPwH5ioV7

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 6, 2026

Freshman watch

UW started four true freshmen: five-star left tackle Kodi Greene, four-star defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa, four-star edge rusher Ramzak Fruean and four-star cornerback Jeron Jones.

Jones intercepted a second-quarter pass, which Colman-Brusa got a fingertip on while pressuring WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick. Colman-Brusa also had a tackle for loss, while Fruean added a pass breakup.

Freshman Jeron Jones comes away with the INT for Washington!

📺: Washington State at #17 Washington on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/xFpPa7ajg3

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 6, 2026

Analyst: UW Huskies could be ‘ultimate chaos agent’ this fall

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