Demond Williams Jr. Week 1 grade: Huskies quarterback thrills with running prowess

When Demond Williams Jr. lined up under center against the Colorado State Rams last Saturday night, he immediately set the tone. Williams Jr. launched a high-octane, efficient assault that ultimately powered Washington to a 38-21 season-opening victory.

From the jump, Williams Jr. was surgical. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown, hitting a remarkable 75 percent of his throws and averaging 9.4 yards per attempt. He wasted no time forcing the Rams to respect the pass. Early in the first quarter, he connected on eight of his first nine throws, including a 22-yard conversion to Jonah Coleman on fourth down that flipped momentum and helped set up a Coleman rushing touchdown to close out the drive.

His passing was highlighted by a beautiful 12-yard touchdown to Denzel Boston, who made an outstanding one-handed catch, along with a long 39-yard connection to Boston that put the Huskies on the one-yard line (Adam Mohammed rushed for a touchdown on the next play).

Williams Jr. also showcased his dual-threat ability. With sack yardage removed, he totaled 93 rushing yards on 10 runs, including key scrambles and explosive plays that sustained drives well into the second half.

While Williams Jr. made mostly smart decisions, there were a few misfires and a costly bad snap from center Landen Hatchett just before halftime, leading directly to a Colorado State touchdown that narrowed the gap. Williams Jr. also took three sacks, which certainly isn't all on him, but you could argue he could've got the ball out quicker on some of those instances to avoid a loss.

Still, Washington was able to maintain its composure. Williams Jr. didn't try to do too much, getting the job done by balancing precision passing with hard-earned yardage on the ground, effectively conducting the Huskies offense. Jeffrey Gorman of UW Dawg Pound graded his performance a 7.5 out of 10, an above average grade that just about reflects how I personally would grade him.

Final grade: A-

Williams Jr.'s performance certainly didn't put him in any Heisman conversations, or even fully live up to the ceiling we expect from him by the end of the season, but in no way can you say he played a bad game. If anything, I'm impressed that Williams Jr. took more of a "game manager" approach instead of a high risk-high reward approach that we tend to see from young, dynamic playmakers like him. That will pay off for Washington down the stretch when he can't use his pure athleticism to outperform better teams.