Washington routs UCLA, improves to 8-3 as Huskies put together another complete game

Washington opened Saturday night against UCLA looking for its second-straight dominant performance, and by halftime, the Huskies were well on their way.

By the end of the night, they had delivered arguably their most complete game of the season, overwhelming the Bruins 48–14 behind a smothering defense and a balanced offensive attack headlined by quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and running back Adam Mohammed

Washington controlled the first half with a blend of suffocating defense and opportunistic offense, gradually building up a 20–0 lead despite some early missed chances. Williams missed two potential deep touchdowns to Audric Harris, and the Huskies twice settled for short Grady Gross field goals after starting drives in UCLA territory.

Even so, Washington consistently moved the ball on the ground with Mohammed and Williams, as Mohammed finished the game with 108 rushing yards on 21 carries, and Williams found the end zone twice with his legs.

Defensively, the Huskies were overwhelming from the start. They stonewalled UCLA on multiple short-yardage situations, forced three first-half turnovers, and held Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava under constant pressure.

Washington’s most decisive moment came just before halftime, when a botched UCLA field-goal attempt turned into a 59-yard scoop-and-score by safety Alex McLaughlin, punctuating a dominant, mistake-free performance on that side of the ball and sending the Huskies into the break firmly in control.

The Huskies didn’t let up out of halftime. Washington forced a three-and-out to open the third quarter, then Williams orchestrated one of the best drives of the game to make it 27-0 before the clock ticked under 10 minutes. Five minutes later, after yet another defensive stop, Washington extended the lead to 34-0 on an 18-yard strike from Williams to wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck.

Iamaleava exited after taking a hard hit on a sack, ending his outing 16-of-26 for 69 yards with a lost fumble. Backup quarterback Luke Duncan entered and provided a brief spark, throwing for 81 yards and delivering UCLA’s first touchdown on a 37-yard connection late in the third quarter.

Washington kept its foot down early in the fourth. Jonah Coleman, limited by a knee injury, powered across the goal line for a one-yard touchdown -- his 14th rushing score of the year, moving him into the program’s all-time top 10 for single-season rushing touchdowns and stretching UW’s lead to 41-7.

Roebuck, who had been one of the Huskies’ most dynamic weapons all night, later muffed a punt that UCLA scooped up and returned for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 41-14. But at that point, the game felt long decided. Williams and the offense added one final touchdown late in the fourth, and both teams played out the remaining minutes with the outcome well in hand as Washington cruised to a 48-14 victory.

Williams finished 17-of-26 with 213 passing yards, 56 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns -- although threw a first-half interception, as well. Roebuck recorded seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, adding on to his stellar freshman season.

The Huskies defense forced three turnovers, all of them fumbles, and held UCLA to 208 total yards on a combined 2-of-16 third and fourth down efficiency. By comparison, Washington's offense totaled 426 yards and was 6-of-14 on third and fourth down conversions.

With No. 21 Illinois, No. 22 Missouri, and No. 23 Houston all losing on Saturday, a path may be opening for Washington to reenter the top-25 rankings. Now at 8-3 with back-to-back dominant wins, the Huskies seem to be peaking going into the final matchup of the regular season next week against rival Oregon.

Although CFP hopes may be out the window, that game has the potential to be an exclamation mark to a very solid 2025 season under Jedd Fisch.