Coming off a dominant victory from last weekend against Purdue, the Washington Huskies (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) had a golden opportunity to display another standout performance against a team with a losing record, the UCLA Bruins (3-7. 3-4 Big Ten).
However, Washington’s offense opened the night in the Rose Bowl with a missed opportunity -- Demond Williams Jr. had wide receiver Audric Harris streaking open downfield, but the deep ball sailed just out of reach, forcing an early punt.
UCLA seemed primed to flip the momentum when quarterback Nico Iamaleava scrambled 26 yards to extend the Bruins’ first possession, but Washington’s defense tightened. Ephesians Prysock made a clutch open-field tackle on 3rd-and-4, and on the ensuing fourth-down attempt, Makell Esteen broke up Iamaleava’s throw, giving the ball back to UW with the game still scoreless.
Washington leaned into the run on its next series before a sniffed-out quarterback keeper on 3rd-and-short stalled the drive near midfield. But the Huskies’ defense delivered the spark the offense needed. On UCLA’s first play of the following possession, redshirt freshman Rahshawn Clark punched the ball loose and true freshman Dylan Robinson fell on it, setting up Washington deep in Bruins territory.
The Huskies couldn’t cash in with six, but Grady Gross drilled a 36-yard field goal to break the deadlock and give UW a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.
The defense kept the pressure on, forcing a quick three-and-out to open the second. Williams once again narrowly missed Harris on a would-be touchdown deep shot -- his second such misfire of the half. While those throws were ones the sophomore quarterback needs to hit, Washington’s depleted receiving corps without Denzel Boston has clearly tested the rhythm of the passing game.
Still, the Huskies carved out steady yardage with Adam Mohammed pounding between the tackles and Williams managing the short game. Eight plays and 65 yards later, Williams kept the ball on a designed run and sliced into the end zone from 25 yards out, his first rushing score since Oct. 10 against Rutgers, extending the lead to 10-0.
From 25 yards out 💨 pic.twitter.com/PIlZFWJGvQ
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 23, 2025
UCLA’s ball security woes then escalated. DeShawn Lynch stripped Iamaleava on a scramble, then fell on the loose ball to give UW another possession starting in plus territory. Another deep shot to Harris drew a defensive pass interference flag, but once again the Huskies stalled in the red zone. Gross remained automatic, knocking through a 23-yard field goal to make it 13-0.
Washington’s defense delivered perhaps its most complete stretch of the season. The Bruins were stuffed on another third-and-short near midfield, sending the ball back to UW. But on the very next play, Williams tried to fit a ball into traffic and was picked off by UCLA's Cole Martin, a high school teammate of Williams.
The turnover gave UCLA its best starting field position of the game, but the Huskies’ defense once again held firm to force a field goal try, which seemed like a win already, but then it got even better.
In what was the play of the half, UCLA’s attempt at a fake field goal went sideways, as Washington safety Alex McLaughlin scooped up a free football with nothing but open grass in front of him and sprinted 59 yards for a touchdown. Instead of UCLA cutting into the deficit, the Huskies suddenly led 20-0, a cushion they carried into halftime along with every ounce of momentum.
Williams hasn't had his best game, completing just eight of his 15 pass attempts for 55 yards plus the interception, but also has the long rushing touchdown to his name. Meanwhile, Iamaleava is 14-of-22 passing for 58 yards -- just 2.6 yards per attempt. Mohammed leads all rushers with 12 carries for 53 yards, and senior wideout Omari Evans leads all receivers with four receptions for 27 yards.
Defensively, Washington's three fumble recoveries is already the more than its previous total of two this season. The Huskies have held the Bruins to 1-for-8 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth downs. McLaughlin leads the way with six tackles, and his defensive touchdown is the second for Washington this season, which was also scored by him during the Apple Cup.
The Bruins will receive the ball to start the third quarter, and with a three-score lead in hand, Washington will look to maintain its defensive stranglehold and keep the foot on the gas to earn an eighth win of the season.