Demond Williams Jr. dazzles in Sun Bowl despite loss. The Washington QB is ‘just getting started’
EL PASO, TEXAS – The Franklin Mountains are no strangers to legendary gunslingers.
Standing like rugged sentinels to form the Sun Bowl’s backdrop, they’ve seen the likes of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett pass through El Paso during the Wild West’s heyday. Wyatt Earp once wandered the valley the Franklin Mountains overlooked. John Wesley Hardin is buried about 5 miles away.
Perhaps, on Tuesday, the Franklin Mountains played witness to the next great gunslinger.
His name? Demond Williams Jr.
“I think this dude right here is going to be great,” wide receiver Giles Jackson said. “Great.”
Williams, starting just his second career college game, shined in Washington’s 35-34 loss against Louisville in the 91st Sun Bowl in El Paso. The true freshman accounted for 422 yards of offense and five touchdowns against the Cardinals, delivering on the promise he’d shown in flashes throughout his first season at UW.
It was a reassuring performance by the freshman who’s been entrusted with the future of UW’s program – one that proved he’s the right player to build around. One who will allow the UW faithful to indulge in their wildest fantasies as the offseason begins and they must wait a long eight months before the Huskies play again.
“I couldn’t be luckier to have a chance to coach him,” coach Jedd Fisch said. “He came with us and we’re going to do everything we can to get him to New York City one day.”
Williams completed 26 of his 32 passing attempts for 374 yards and four touchdowns. None were as impressive as his 33-yard pass to Jeremiah Hunter with 1 minute, 31 seconds remaining and the Huskies trailing by a touchdown.
The 5-foot-11, 187-pound quarterback received the snap on Louisville’s 41-yard line, but the pocket quickly crumbled around him. Williams stepped up, tried to escape, and spun out of a tackle before flipping his hips and floating a spiral down the field to Hunter as Cardinal linebacker Stanquan Clark crushed him to keep the drive and UW’s hopes alive.
“Never seen that before,” said Jackson, who caught four touchdown passes from Williams in the Sun Bowl.
Of course, it wasn’t a perfect outing. Williams’ first pass attempt of the game was batted down at the line of scrimmage by Clark. His second was intercepted by Louisville cornerback Tahveon Nicholson and returned 21 yards for the first score of the game. It was the first interception of Williams’ career.
“Right now, Demond is just getting started,” Fisch said on Monday. “He’s just beginning to gain confidence. He came to college at 17 years old. He turned 18 after spring ball, so he’s a youngster. He’s going to have to learn and grow, and we’re going to have some growing pains during that process.”
Williams didn’t linger on his costly interception. He threw the longest pass of his career, a 40-yard touchdown deep over the middle to Jackson with 8:09 remaining in the first quarter. About 15 minutes of game time later, Williams surpassed the mark he’d just set when he found Jackson all alone for a 49-yard touchdown strike to tie the game at 14.
He made an impact with his legs, too. Williams escaped the pocket and gained the edge for a 7-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, and finished the game as UW’s leading rusher.
Williams’ composure under pressure, however, might have been the most impressive part of his performance. He led touchdown drives at the end of both halves. He led a 10-play, 75-yard drive to the end zone before halftime, then guided the Huskies on a 62-yard drive that started with 2:29 remaining to pull UW within one point.
“I just wanted him to know how proud I was of him,” Fisch said. “The way he battled. It’s going to be a great run.”
There are still aspects of the game Williams can improve upon. He took some sacks he might’ve been able to avoid, and missed a wide-open Denzel Boston on a trick play, opting instead for the safer 11-yard pass to Jackson with pressure bearing down on him. The Chandler, Ariz., native took some big hits and will need to protect himself better as the starter next season.
Williams was also unable to thread the needle to Hunter in the end zone during the failed two-point conversion attempt, coming inches away from completing the comeback.
No one was harder on Williams than himself after the game. The freshman, who spent most of the postgame availability with a towel wrapped around his face, refused any praise for his performance.
“I wanted to win,” he said with glassy eyes. “That’s all that matters to me.”