From horrifying to heroic, Halloween night in Lincoln brought out a rollercoaster of emotions for the Washington Huskies. After trailing for 58 minutes of game time, the Huskies scored 14 points in three plays, shocking Nebraska 17-10 for UW's second consecutive win.
Here's everything to take away from the chaotic night in corn country.
1. Demond Williams Jr. Faces the Noise and Plays Hero
Despite receiving an abundance of criticism throughout the season, the second-year starting quarterback came in clutch with his late-game heroics. Backup Elijah Brown got the starting nod against the Huskers, but after mustering just three points through three quarters, Jedd Fisch turned to his longtime signal caller in the fourth.
Just minutes after being forced to punt on his first drive, the dual-threat playmaker
found himself facing a fourth-and-18 with under two minutes to play. Despite being under pressure from a stout Huskers defense, Williams' prayer was answered by sophomore star Chris Lawson, who made a spectacular sprawling catch along the sideline. A few plays later, Williams connected with Lawson again, this time resulting in seven points as he spun away from defenders, giving Washington their first lead of the night and ultimately propelling them to victory.
There has been a lot of debate in recent weeks regarding the struggling quarterback's future on Montlake, and rightfully so in a lot of ways. While those conversations will likely continue, the composure on display Saturday night will silence the noise, even if it's just for a short time.
2. Defense Rises to the Occasion, and then Some
Pick Six to Seal it from Captain Clutch @AMcLaughlin28 pic.twitter.com/rICN0fIomf
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 1, 2026
There's a strong case that Ryan Walters' unit had its best showing of the season, especially in the secondary. The defense allowed just ten points, holding offensive coordinator Dana Holgerson's unit to 25 points below its season average. Highlighted by safety Alex McLaughlin's game-sealing pick-six, Washington forced three interceptions against veteran passer Anthony Colandrea, who had thrown just one pick coming into the contest.
Coming into the night, one of the keys to success was slowing down the Nebraska quarterback, who was averaging just shy of 50 yards per game on the ground. The front seven answered the call, holding the speedy pass-thrower to just 20 yards on seven carries, his second-lowest total of the season. While chances of victory seemed dim for a majority of the night, the lights-out performance provided the struggling offense with a plethora of opportunities to take advantage. Fortunately, the Huskies saved their best for last on the offensive side of the ball.
3. Short-Term Solution to a Long-Term Problem
Chris. Lawson. @Lawsonera44 pic.twitter.com/X9DCO3bI2g
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 1, 2026
A win is a win, and Jedd Fisch would be the first to tell you that. While winning on the road in the Big Ten is never easy, many of the factors that have hindered Washington all season continued to stand out. Slow starts, miscues along the offensive line, and a near non-existent run game.
The Huskies went three-and-out on their opening possession for the sixth time this season, scoring just three points until the final two minutes of the game. The offensive line struggled mightily against the rowdy Nebraska faithful, being found guilty of false starts on six separate occasions; former Freshman All-American John Mills was responsible for three of them. There's no debating that injuries have led to a makeshift group of front, but that doesn't excuse the lack of discipline. The run game struggled, producing just 32 yards. Despite his brief appearance, Demond Williams led the squad in rushing attempts and yards, taking four carries for a grand total of 28 yards.
It's better for these errors to occur in victory rather than defeat, but that doesn't change the fact that said miscues have consistently occurred throughout the season. Now, with a bit of momentum following the comeback win, Washington will look to clean things up at home next week against Penn State.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Immediate Reactions To Washington Football's Comeback Win at Nebraska
