Commentary: Why UW should start Demond Williams Jr. at QB vs. Oregon
There is no playoff spot on the line, no shot at a conference title, and a bowl berth is locked up.
There also isn’t a sportsbook around that has Washington coming within 18 points of beating No. 1 Oregon.
Maybe if there were stakes that went beyond pride, or if the rosters were more evenly matched, the decision to start Will Rogers or Demond Williams Jr. at quarterback Saturday would be more complicated.
As it is, though, the choice for UW seems clear: Go with the true freshman.
No doubt that Rogers has had his moments in his one-year stint with the Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten). The Mississippi State transfer has a completion percentage of 70.7 (good for sixth in the country), 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and a college passer rating of 147.5 — the best of his career.
Washington wouldn’t be bowl eligible without Will, the fifth-year senior who has had six games with at least 250 yards passing and two with more than 300. But there were a lot of shaky performances before the win vs. UCLA on Nov. 15, when Williams rescued the Huskies in the second half.
Perhaps the most notable was Rogers’ scoreless first half against Penn State one week earlier, when he finished with 59 passing yards and one interception on 13 throws. That was a week after he threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in a 31-17 loss to Indiana.
That was enough for Huskies coach Jedd Fisch to start Williams in the second half against the Nittany Lions, but not enough to start him against the Bruins. But after two Rogers picks in that game? Two turnovers that nearly cost the Huskies a bowl berth? A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the look on Will’s face was worth six: “I just cost myself my job.”
Any UW fan knows what happened next. Williams came in on the Huskies’ third possession of the third quarter and led them on an 11-play, 57-yard, field-goal drive that included a 16-yard run from Demond. He led an eight-play, 74-yard touchdown drive on the next possession, which included a 32-yard completion and a 14-yard Williams run to help put the Huskies up by 11. Then, Williams led a four-play, 23-yard, game-sealing TD drive late in the fourth.
He was the best quarterback on the field that night, and the recipient of the conference’s Freshman of the Week honor. Does that mean that what worked against a 4-7 UCLA team will work against 11-0 Oregon? Does that mean a true freshman is going to have his way with the No. 1 team in the damn country? Probably not. But it’s worth finding out for a couple of reasons.
1) At this point, Williams gives Washington at least as good of a chance to win as Rogers does. The truth is, Will hasn’t produced against quality opponents this season.
I mentioned performances against 10th-ranked Indiana and fourth-ranked Penn State, but there was also the afternoon vs. Iowa (7-4), when Rogers was limited to 195 yards on 34 attempts (plus an interception) in a 40-16 loss to the Hawkeyes.
There really isn’t an outing against a team with at least seven wins to which Fisch can say “if that guy shows up, we can win.” Williams doesn’t have one, either, as he hasn’t been given the chance — but he was dynamic enough against UCLA to get an opportunity at Autzen Stadium.
2) The Huskies want to make sure they can keep Demond on their roster. We’re in a new era in college sports with the NIL and transfer-portal tandem. It’s nearly impossible to know where eligible transfers may end up from year to year. What Williams — a four-star recruit — showed against UCLA is that he has value. With three years of eligibility left, he has whetted the appetites of schools around the country as a potential free agent. If Washington shelves him Saturday, is he going to want to stay? Maybe. But if Fisch says “you’re our guy,” that might resonate in a way that keeps him in purple and gold.
On Tuesday, Huskies senior linebacker Carson Bruener said Williams asserted his leadership relatively quickly with this team — his first-year status not serving as a barrier. He added that Williams has “worked his (behind) off every single day” and “will do anything to help our team win.”
In the past, that has meant him coming in for a play, or a series, or even a half. On Saturday it should be on the opening possession.
That might just keep Washington in the game, and it might just keep Williams at Washington.