Washington Huskies hold on to beat Utah State despite offensive struggles

By the most literal interpretations, No. 19 Washington took care of business. The Huskies have an unbeaten record through two games against two outmatched opponents. UW will enter its third game of the season, against FCS Eastern Washington, with a chance for an unblemished nonconference campaign for a fourth time in its past five seasons. 

But after a second uninspiring performance, Washington — particularly its offense — faces questions about how far this team, a group whose stated intent was to return to the College Football Playoff, can go.

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Washington’s offense had an opportunity Saturday. Play well against Utah State and it might reassure the purple-and-gold faithful that a difficult showing in the 118th Apple Cup against Washington State was simply a fluke. Instead, UW and coach Jedd Fisch churned through another uncomfortable offensive performance while being hampered by more injuries at crucial positions. 

“We are glad that we have a victory, and we have a lot to learn,” Fisch said. “That’s two weeks in a row that we’re sitting out here to learn a lot. And I think we will. But there’s also things that we just need to execute better.” 

Led by its defense, UW narrowly secured its second victory of the season, beating Utah State 16-14 in front of an announced crowd of 62,152 at Husky Stadium on an overcast Saturday afternoon. Junior nickel Rahshawn Clark’s last-second interception on Aggie quarterback Grady Brosterhous’ Hail Mary attempt sealed the win. Fisch, whose career record at Arizona, Washington and as an interim head coach at UCLA now stands at 34-33, has a winning percentage above .500 for the first time in his coaching career. 

“We need to do some things better,” Fisch said. “We need to find points. We need to not pass up opportunities for touchdowns when they’re there. We need to put the team in a better position as a coaching staff, starting with me.”

Fisch and the Huskies (2-0) made several notable changes to their offensive personnel following their lethargic performance in the Apple Cup. Seventh-year offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett started at right guard instead of sophomore Champ Taulealea. Injuries to running backs Quaid Carr (hand) and Jayden Limar (elbow) created opportunities for sixth-year Troy transfer Trey Cooley and freshman duo Brian Bonner Jr. and Ansu Sanoe. 

The new additions failed to boost Washington’s offensive fortunes. The Huskies run game was nearly nonexistent outside of junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. He tallied 56 of UW’s 107 yards rushing, including a 36-yard carry in the third quarter. Williams became the third Husky quarterback to surpass 1,000 career yards rushing, joining Marques Tuiasosopo and Jake Locker. 

UW’s running backs — Cooley, Bonner and Sanoe — combined for 49 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries, or 2.3 yards per attempt. It was Washington’s lowest total yards rushing in a single game since UW’s 24-7 defeat at Michigan in 2025. 

Cooley, who had UW’s only other 10-yard carry, also dropped a pass while wide open in the flat on fourth down to end UW’s second drive, and Bonner fumbled a handoff but was able to recover on Utah State’s 11-yard line, before UW settled for a 30-yard field goal by fifth-year kicker Tyler Robles. Sanoe scored Washington’s only touchdown, a 1-yard plunge with 6:41 remaining in the second half. Fisch called UW’s run game “very frustrating.”

“Not good enough,” Fisch said. “We have to find a way to make it better. We also are going to recognize that there are going to be challenges. It’s our responsibility as coaches to find ways to put our backs in a better position. We need to find our offensive line. We need them to carry the load and put the running backs in a good position as well.” 

The running backs weren’t helped by another unconvincing performance from UW’s offensive line. Despite starting three returning starters — Hatchett, sophomore left guard John Mills and fifth-year right tackle Drew Azzopardi — from Washington’s vastly improved 2025 offensive line, the Huskies once again struggled to control the line of scrimmage. Williams was also sacked twice, with one coming on a defensive line stunt and another on a delayed linebacker blitz. 

Dealing with a limited running game only heaped more pressure on UW’s passing game. Williams was 26-for-41 passing for 249 yards, despite Cooley and sophomore wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck, who had a team-high seven catches for 59 yards receiving, being plagued by poorly timed drops. 

“I don’t think we got all our short-yardage plays that we needed to,” Williams said. “As an offense, we shot ourselves in the foot a lot. And when you do stuff like that, you’ve just got to understand the game’s going to be close.”

Roebuck was the only starting wide receiver to complete the game for the Huskies. Sixth-year wideout Christian Moss (quad) was unavailable after sustaining an injury during the first offensive snap of the season, and senior wide receiver Rashid Williams exited Saturday’s game late in the second quarter. He remained on the sideline and did not play in the second half. Fisch said he didn’t believe Rashid Williams will miss extended time, but his status remains uncertain against FCS Eastern Washington next week.

So Washington turned to freshman duo Jordan Clay and Trez Davis, who each registered their first collegiate catches. Clay, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound San Antonio native, made four catches for 42 yards receiving, while Davis added four receptions for 44 yards receiving. 

“We had some guys go down today and had true freshmen step up and make great plays at big times of the game,” QB Williams said. “Regardless of who you’re playing, true freshmen that haven’t played a lot, it’s different. It’s different than high school. So seeing those guys go out there and still be successful, go out there and still make plays is definitely a bright sign for us.” 

And while Washington’s defense, led by interceptions from sophomore Dylan Robinson, senior safety Alex McLaughlin and Clark, ensured the Huskies escaped with a win against Utah State, itself coming off an upset loss against FCS Idaho State, the questions UW’s offense faced after the Apple Cup only echo louder. 

Do Washington’s first two games of the season inspire hope it can beat at least three of the five ranked opponents — No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Oregon (which lost to Oklahoma State 39-31 on Saturday), No. 14 USC, No. 16 Penn State and No. 21 Iowa — on its Big Ten schedule? How confident can UW fans feel about this offensive line against Minnesota, which boasts Big Ten preseason honoree Anthony Smith? Can this UW offense travel in late October to Lincoln and beat Nebraska? 

The Huskies had a chance to provide some belief that they have the answers to those questions against the Aggies (0-2). Instead, UW fans will simply have to wait and see if the offense can pull itself together and get healthier as Big Ten play approaches. 

“We’ve got to be able to execute,” QB Williams said. “And we didn’t do that. Regardless of who you play, if you don’t execute what you’ve got to do, then you’re not going to be successful.” 

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