Huard: Why UW Huskies’ upset dreams fell short vs Ohio State

The UW Huskies hung within striking distance of top-ranked Ohio State for much of Saturday afternoon’s Big Ten opener, leading 3-0 until late in the first half and trailing just 14-6 after three quarters.

But the Huskies didn’t capitalize on several prime scoring opportunities, mustering just six total points on three red-zone trips against the Buckeyes’ stout defense.

And ultimately, the defending national champions flexed their talent and physicality while pulling away for a 24-6 win over Washington at Husky Stadium.

“The boys came out and played hard. Really hard,” former UW quarterback Brock Huard said Monday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “They had opportunities. They got in the red zone and settled for (two) field goals and then a (failed) fake field goal.

“And then over time, just the size, strength, length of Ohio State wore them down. But nothing that you should be embarrassed about.”

Huard said the difference in the game was Ohio State limiting Washington to just 1 of 11 on third downs, which stemmed in large part from the Buckeyes’ ability to keep UW dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr. in check.

Williams was an efficient 18-of-22 passing for 173 yards, but he was sacked six times for minus-46 yards. Two of those sacks came in the red zone, including a sack on third-and-goal from the Ohio State 3-yard line that forced the Huskies to settled for a field goal.

SACKED!!

The Buckeye defense holds down near the goal line once again. pic.twitter.com/hu7R0ooSqL

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 27, 2025

In addition to the sacks, the Buckeyes limited the speedy Williams to just 18 yards on his other seven carries. They also had razor-tight coverage in the secondary all afternoon, which resulted in Williams attempting only one pass that traveled 20-plus yards downfield.

Huard credited Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia – the former Detroit Lions head coach and longtime NFL assistant – for devising a game plan that made things difficult on Williams.

“He did a really good spot of speeding (Williams) up and slowing him down,” Huard said during Monday’s Blue 88 segment. “And you could see it early. Like, yeah, we’re gonna muddle rush and we’re gonna make sure you don’t get in rhythm. You’re gonna have time to just hop and hop and pat and pat and think, oh man, this is great. And then we’re gonna speed you up.

“And I think they really messed with his clock.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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