In the 118th meeting of a storied rivalry, the No. 6 Oregon Ducks used explosive plays, red-zone execution, and a suffocating defensive performance to hand Washington a 26–14 loss on Saturday, spoiling the Huskies’ regular-season finale and booking themselves a trip the the College Football Playoff.
The first half offered Washington hope, despite an underwhelming offensive performance filled with sacks, missed throws, and stalled drives. The defense kept the Huskies within striking distance, and Demond Williams Jr. finally broke through just before halftime with a touchdown strike to Denzel Boston to make it 13–7 at the break. But every time Washington inched closer, Oregon had an answer ready.
The Ducks received the second-half kickoff and nearly went three-and-out, but Dante Moore extended the drive with an 18-yard completion on third-and-10 to silence what had been a rising wave of Seattle energy. Oregon again moved into scoring territory but settled for its third field goal of the game and a 16–7 lead.
Washington’s response fizzled, and the Ducks immediately flipped the field on their next possession. Backed up inside their own 10, Moore delivered the game’s biggest momentum swing with a 41-yard strike to Jeremiah McClellan. A questionable pass-interference call helped Oregon back into field-goal range, where Atticus Sappington drilled a career-long 51-yarder to push the margin to 19–7.
Early in the fourth quarter, Washington finally showed signs of life. After an Oregon drive ended following a narrow incompletion on what would've been a tremendous one-handed catch by McClellan, Williams led the Huskies on their best possession since before halftime.
Facing a fourth-and-8 at the Ducks’ 13-yard line, the offensive line delivered its cleanest protection of the day, and Williams stepped up to rifle a touchdown to Boston, the duo's second touchdown connection of the game, to trim the deficit to 19–14 with just under nine minutes left. After going so long without much momentum, it felt like this could've been the moment for the Huskies to stage a legendary come-from-behind victory.
With Husky Stadium reaching its crescendo after the defense forced a quick third-and-9, Moore and the Ducks remained poised, as the redshirt-sophomore quarterback connected with Malik Benson for 64 yards on a catch and run to the end zone -- a crowd silencer that wiped away Washington’s previous score, again making it a 12-point lead at 26-14.
The Huskies had one more chance. Facing another fourth down, this time inside their own territory and needing three yards to gain, Williams again went to Boston, who made a spectacular one-handed catch, but was marked inches short of the first-down marker. It was a spot that could’ve gone either way, but since it was ruled short in live time, it was upheld following the review.
That play effectively sealed Washington’s fate, as Oregon was gifted fantastic field position and capitalized on it by bleeding precious time off the clock, even if it didn’t come away with points. The Huskies then had two minutes left in the game with no timeouts remaining still down 12. A desperate Williams eventually threw an interception on an attempted deep shot, and the Ducks kneeled out the clock to end with a final score 26-14.
Williams did everything he could to keep the Dawgs in it, but struggled mightily. His completion percentage was just 50% -- 15-of-30 -- for only 129 passing yards. His two passing touchdowns were neutralized by two interceptions. He missed pass after pass in the first half, and it didn't help that his O-line was consistently allowing pressure from the Ducks defense.
Running back Adam Mohammed deserves the most credit for what success Washington had in the game on offense. The sophomore filling in for a hobbled Jonah Coleman showed a great balance of elusiveness and power on his way to 105 rushing yards on just 14 carries. With it being his second consecutive game eclipsing the 100-mark, it can be argued the Huskies should've went to him even more in this one.
The victory gives Oregon its second straight win in the rivalry series and improves Dan Lanning’s record against Washington to 2–3. More importantly, it cements the Ducks’ position in the CFP field as they finish the regular season 11–1. However, with Ohio State and Indiana both winning to remain unbeaten, Oregon will miss out on the Big Ten Championship Game.
Washington closes the regular season at 8–4, a two-win improvement from Jedd Fisch’s debut campaign a year ago. With a roster stacked with underclassmen, the season brought enough progress and foundational moments to build genuine optimism heading into 2025. The Huskies will await their bowl destination in December.