Well, the Washington Huskies certainly tried. Demond Williams Jr., a true freshman quarterback for the Huskies, played phenomenally in Washington’s fourth quarter comeback attempt. Giles Jackson was incredible all throughout the game. But the Huskies fell short in a 35-34 shootout against the Louisville Cardinals in the 2024 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
Washington trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half, but still was able to get rolling in a hurry late in the game. And in some ways, this particular game felt like the perfect sort of summary for the entirety of the 2024 Washington Huskies football season.
There were good things, there were bad things, and UW ultimately ended up stumbling in a pretty frustrating way. With the loss to the Louisville Cardinals, Jedd Fisch and Washington ended up finishing the season at 6-7.
But, despite the loss, there were some intriguing performances for the Huskies. Here are three Washington players who shined against the Cardinals in the 2024 Sun Bowl.
Washington Huskies vs. Louisville Cardinals: UW’s players of the game from the 2024 Sun Bowl
- Demond Williams Jr., Quarterback - I don’t know how you could lead with anyone other than the future of the Washington Huskies football program. Williams was electrifying through the air, completing 26 of 32 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, the young quarterback added 48 more yards and another touchdown. He did have a pick six early on in the game, but responded well and kept the Huskies competing.
- Giles Jackson, Wide receiver - What a way to wrap up his time with the Washington Huskies. What a phenomenal game. Arguably the best performance of the entirety of his career came in the 2024 Sun Bowl as Giles Jackson caught 11 passes for 161 yards and all four of Washington’s touchdown passes.
- Carson Bruener, Linebacker - The Washington Huskies defense had a hard time stopping the Louisville Cardinals on a regular basis, but there were several key moments in which Carson Bruener’s presence was huge for UW. The senior linebacker led Washington with 11 tackles (nine of which were solo tackles) and he came up with a huge stop on 4th down to help Washington get the ball back.
The game ended in a loss for the Huskies, but it was a fascinating opportunity to see a glimpse of what the future might hold for UW while also sending seasoned seniors off in a game that they can be proud of. Now onto the offseason and building the future of Washington Husky football.