Washington (5-3) is one game from bowl eligibility after stunning Nebraska 17-10 on its home field. Though Elijah Brown was Washington’s starter, it was Demond Williams who helped lead the Dawgs to victory.
If Washington were to give out a game ball, it’d be best to split it in half. One should go to UW’s entire defense. The other to wide receiver Chris Lawson.
Lawson caught 12 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. UW snagged three interceptions off Nebraska’s Anthony Colandrea. In 15 seconds of game
time, both parties made their presence felt.
It began with Lawson’s go-ahead touchdown. He caught a short pass from Williams, hit a devastating spin move on a Cornhuskers, then raced the rest of the way for the score. Nebraska found itself down 10-7 and needed a response. Yet the ensuing drive ended with Alex McLaughlin racing the other way as he logged a pick-six to give UW a 17-7 cushion.
Instant Reactions:
- While chatting with fellow UWDP writers earlier this week, I was worried about how Williams would perform if he were asked to come off the bench. Would he have the mental toughness to be patient? Would he have the mental maturity to handle it well? In a season where it’s been easy to criticize Williams, he deserves immense credit for coming off the bench and producing magic for the Dawgs. There is no question who Washington’s QB1 is moving forward.
- Chris Lawson has emerged as UW’s top target. Whether Lawson is better than Dezmen Roebuck is a different conversation, but there’s no question Lawson has the hotter hands right now. He has surpassed 100 yards in consecutive weeks and is showing no signs of slowing down. With Williams back in the mix, Lawson’s numbers could climb due to an influx of extended plays.
- Ryan Walters had a statement game tonight. Washington’s defense had no choice to be great tonight. They knew that before the game kicked off and played like it. It should come as no surprise that Elijah Brown struggled in a daunting environment. Walters would never admit it, but his group played like they expected it. That element makes the performance even more impressive.
- Nebraska political ads are terrible.
What’s left:
Washington’s season is suddenly salvageable. Penn State is just 4-4 on the year and Michigan State hasn’t won a Big Ten game. Those are UW’s next two opponents before facing No. 4 Indiana at Husky Stadium and ending the season on the road against the worse-than-expected Oregon Ducks.
