Jedd Fisch expects a resurgent Demond Williams Jr. to start against Penn State

Through almost three quarters against Nebraska, Elijah Brown’s Huskies’ had tallied just three points. It wasn’t until after former starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr. replaced him that Washington (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) found the offensive momentum needed to score a crucial first touchdown.

Williams didn’t play well to begin the 2026 season, and he lost the starting job to Brown two weeks ago after fracturing a rib against Iowa. The offense looked rejuvenated under Brown against Purdue, but Williams’ superior showing against the Cornhuskers (5-3, 2-3) has earned him a favorable position ahead of Washington’s Week 10 matchup against the visiting Penn State Nittany Lions (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten).

Jedd Fisch expects Demond Williams Jr. to be named starter later this week

When head coach Jedd Fisch appeared at his weekly Monday press conference this afternoon, he was immediately asked about his quarterback situation. And though he didn’t outright announce Williams’ return, his response was indicative of such a change:

“We’ll make a decision here at the end of the week, but if Demond is feeling good, I don’t see why he wouldn’t play and start, but we haven’t been on the field yet,” Fisch said. “He took some hits in that game, so we just have to make sure that he’s good to go and that he feels right.”

Williams replaced Brown after the third quarter of Saturday’s 17-10 victory, at which point the Huskies were down 7-3 and had punted on seven of eight offensive drives. Brown, hindered by a struggling offensive line, had completed 19 of 30 attempts for just 136 yards.

With time running out for Washington to take the lead, Fisch approached Williams about taking over for Brown. Williams was ready, and though his first drive ended with a punt from just across midfield, the third-year quarterback rallied to lead a miraculous 12-play, 81-yard go-ahead touchdown drive which began with less than five minutes on the clock.

On an early 3rd-and-15 at his own 14-yard line, Williams darted up the middle to convert a first down in classic fashion. Then, facing fourth-and-18 at Nebraska’s 49-yard line, Williams fought through contact to deliver a perfectly-placed pass to Chris Lawson, who made an unbelievable catch along the far sideline to convert. One incompletion later, Williams found Lawson again, and the second-year receiver spun past a defender for a crucial go-ahead touchdown.

Lawson (12 catches, 155 yards, one score vs. Nebraska) deserves endless praise, but the impact of Williams’ late-game heroics can’t be understated. Fisch was confident in the decision to substitute Williams after talking with him beforehand, but he acknowledged the pressure of the situation and the impact of Williams’ return.

“It’s still a hard decision to make in the course of a game, when it’s a four-point game,” Fisch said. “But I’m glad it worked out, and I think Demond continues to show us that when he’s at his best, some of the things he can do are pretty unique.”

Williams finished the game 7/13 for 99 passing yards and one touchdown, and also tallied two carries for 36 yards. Both he and Brown were sacked twice, Williams in five fewer drives, but Williams finished with a quarterback rating of 95.1, almost 40 points above Brown’s 53.7.

Jedd Fisch remains supportive of Elijah Brown, but focused on offensive momentum

Williams is on course to start against Penn State this Saturday, but Fisch was quick to support his other quarterback.

“I thought Elijah did a lot of good things; he was 19/30,” Fisch said. “There were a couple of things that he probably could have done better, that we could have done better, [but] there were some things where he had no [options], where there was really nothing there.”

Brown got off to a rough start, as his first throw was nearly picked off by crashing Cornhuskers cornerback Andrew Marshall. Fisch acknowledged the poor first decision, but offered little criticism of Brown's overall game performance.

“Outside of that, I think there was probably one or two plays that he would probably say ‘I wish I threw it to this guy versus that guy,’ but in the end, I thought he played fine,” Fisch said.

Despite his continued confidence in Brown, it’s clear that Fisch believes that his offense has more momentum with Williams at the helm. And with a first chance to secure bowl eligibility on the line this Saturday against a vulnerable Penn State team, he’s going to act accordingly when organizing the depth chart.

“Hopefully we can play off the momentum of the fourth quarter in the same way we played off the momentum of the third and fourth quarter against Iowa into the Purdue game with Elijah,” Fisch said.

Washington hosts Penn State on Montlake this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PST.

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