On the final play of the third quarter on Saturday afternoon, Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. joined rarified air.
The third-year Huskies signal-caller couldn't find anyone open downfield and opted to use his legs, beat Utah State inside linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr., and ripped off a 36-yard run to get UW down to the Aggies' 23-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter.
In doing so, Williams became the third quarterback in program history to eclipse 1,000 career rushing yards. He joins Jake Locker (1,939 yards) and Marques Tuiasosopo (1,495 yards), as his 56 yards against the Aggies brought him to 1,010 yards on the ground, with at least 10 games left to overtake one or both quarterbacks above him.
"Coming here, that was
one of the main goals was really being able to establish myself as a passer and a runner," Williams said after UW's 16-14 win over Utah State on Saturday.
Demond Williams Jr. just eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards at Washington with that 36-yard scramble to end the 3rd quarter against Utah State
— Lars Hanson (@LarsHanson) September 12, 2026
Came into the day need 46 yards on the ground to hit 1k. He's at 56 yards on 10 caries against the Aggies with another 15 minutes left
Williams cited Warren Moon and Sonny Sixkiller as other notable dual-threat Husky QBs he's met and gotten to know over his time in Seattle. Moon's son, Ryken, is a second-year running back on the team, but on their own, both Williams and the 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee have built their own connection that has rubbed off on the former Basha High School star.
His 56 rushing yards against the Aggies led the Huskies, a benefit in part, but something Fisch doesn't want to see become a trend with the need for UW's offense to get more out of veteran transfer Trey Cooley and freshman Brian Bonner.
"Demond did a nice job," Fisch said. "So he’s a threat, but we have to find ways to run the football better."
Last year against Rutgers, a 38-19 comeback victory for the Huskies at home, Williams Jr. rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns to put himself fourth all-time in rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game in school history. He also threw for 402 yards, becoming the 16th quarterback in college football history to record a 400-100 game.
With his 11 carries against USU, the second-year starter moved past Isaiah Stanback (234 carries) and the late Steve Pelluer (241 carries) to seventh all-time in UW football history with 243 rushing attempts.
If he has the same or more rushing attempts against Eastern Washington next Saturday in the non-conference finale, Williams Jr. will move above Moon (250 carries) and Bob Schloredt (253 carries) to fifth all-time, with Jake Browning (271 carries) next in line.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Football Star Becomes Program's 3rd 1,000-Yard Rusher at QB
