The Washington Huskies have a problem on offense.
Jedd Fisch's unit has now scored 40 points in their first two games combined, ten fewer points than the Huskies were favored to win those two games by (23.5 against Washington State, 26.5 against Utah State). Washington has finished with more than 350 yards of offense in both of those games, but has found itself completely unable to move the ball consistently or score points efficiently through the first two games.
Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. has struggled to throw the ball in rhythm, often opting to scramble and utilize his talent as a runner to keep the offense on track. Washington has needed that from him, too: Williams has been the Huskies' leading rusher in both games as the running back depth has been decimated by injuries to Jordan Washington, Quaid Carr, and Jayden Limar.
But there has also been opportunity for Williams to throw the ball more effectively. He's missed several what should have been easy throws in the flat and placed longer throws into the end zone out of reach of his receivers more often than he's found those plays. It hasn't been all on Williams, however: starting X receiver Christian Moss left after two snaps in the Apple Cup, and starting Z receiver Rashid Williams left early on Saturday against Utah State, thrusting true freshmen Jordan Clay and Trez Davis into action. Dezmen Roebuck and running back Trey Cooley both also dropped passes that could have easily been touchdowns on Saturday, further putting the offense behind schedule and making for a messy operation.
"As an offense, we shot ourselves in the foot a lot," Williams told the media after the game.

#utah

On Day 9 of this countdown, Collin O'Meara took you back in time to fill out the 2026 roster with one player from Huskies history. I have procured use of Mr. O'Meara's Delorean, but I'm not looking to the past, I'm headed back… to the future!
If you want to be surprised by each UW game this year, I don't blame you, but you should stop reading now. The time machine allowed me to see the actual results of each game, down to the final score. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring back a sports almanac from the future for betting purposes, so I can only give you a high-level summary of each result.
UW 38 – WSU 17. The Kirby Moore era gets off to a barely passable start for WSU as Caden Pinnick makes a few big plays against a new look Husky secondary. The Dawgs also pick him off two times and are able to turn things over to the second-string offense for the fourth quarter. UW totals over 200 rushing yards, with Williams, Carr, and Limar each going over 50 yards.
UW 48 – Utah St 14. Week 1 gave the Huskies a solid, definitive victory, but it wasn't such a beatdown that the Dawgs truly made a statement. In Week 2, they resolved to do exactly that. After focusing on the run game against the Cougs, Williams and Fisch decide to air it out to the tune of four passing TDs, including a pair of TD receptions for Decker DeGraaf.
UW 55 – EWU 10. Not content with the style points accumulated against Utah St., the Dawgs set out to establish themselves as a heavyweight against their cross-state FCS opponent. This year's Eagles are not one of the best squads they have put together, and the Dawgs made that clear with 38 points in the first half. Roebuck got things started with a long TD catch on the first offensive possession and UW never looked back.

#huskies #time #things

There isn't an obvious candidate on this Washington team to be a super star national level type of player. But, every college football season a handful of under-the-radar players end up atop the national leaderboards. Washington enters Jedd Fisch's third season in Seattle with a roster that's deeper and more experienced than either of his first two, and among that depth are a handful of players with a shot at topping an FBS statistical leaderboard by December. Here are five Huskies worth watching.
Green might be the safest bet on this list. The graduate transfer punter comes to Montlake after ranking sixth nationally last season with a 47-yard average on 63 punts at San Diego State, including 22 kicks of 50-plus yards. Before that stop, he averaged better than 45 yards a punt across two seasons at Northern Colorado and earned first-team All-Big Sky honors as a true freshman. He's already on the Ray Guy Award preseason watch list. He's 6-foot-4 and 230-pounds with a big leg and if his career averages continue into Big Ten play, he should be in national leader contention.
Roebuck was a true freshman revelation in 2025, finishing second on the team with 42 catches, 554-plus yards and seven touchdowns. He's the one healthy and proven returners among the pass catchers and will be relied upon quite a lot. Roebuck has since moved to a new number and a full-time slot role, the exact alignment most likely to rack up "easy" catches in Fische's scheme. His offenses historically favor the top two receivers with the vast majority of targets, so there should be plenty of chances for Roebuck, who gets open easily anyway. After 42 receptions last season, a leap into the 80-90 catch range isn't far-fetched if he's the number one or two guy from the start.
Williams is possibly the biggest reach on this list. He posted a 161.0 NCAA passer rating in 2025 — 10th nationally — while throwing for just over 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns and adding 611 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground. Those are obviously very good numbers, but a good chunk of it came in games against the softer part of Washington's schedule. In Washington's four losses last season (Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon), his passer rating dropped all the way to 107.8, and he simply hasn't risen to the occasion against that caliber of opponent yet. If Williams can close that gap in 2026 and prove he's just as efficient against Ohio State- and Oregon-caliber defenses as he is against the bottom half of the conference, his baseline efficiency is good enough that a national passing **** le becomes realistic. He's a preseason Davey O'Brien and Maxwell Award watch-list pick and clearly has the ceiling. The question is whether he takes that step against the teams that have given him trouble.
Manu isn't a name without a track record as he's already done this. In 2023 at Arizona, under Jedd Fisch, Manu led the Pac-12 in tackles with 116 to go with 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and an intercep

Welcome to Day 13 of our 30 Day Countdown! Kickoff is just 2 short weeks away, and today, we are looking at who the best future pro will be on UW's roster! Let's get into it!
This one is pretty much a lock if his current trajectory keeps up. As a Freshman All American, Mills already has plenty of tape for pro scouts to pore over, and he looks to be the anchor of the next great offensive line core for the Huskies. We Husky fans know what we have, and it seems that the national media has taken notice, with Pro Football Focus ranking Mills on their Top 10 Sophomores list. Mills garnered high praise from PFF, with the article noting that "Mills generated the highest grade of any freshman lineman to play more than 300 snaps last season." With a season under his belt, and at least one more guaranteed, Mills has the opportunity to win some postseason hardware, and maybe secure an All American spot, if he is to build on his stellar debut! The key thing for him, and really any offensive lineman is staying healthy! I could see him as maybe a first or second round pick, enjoying a long career in the NFL!
This one is also a pretty good contender if current trajectories keep up. With the amount of pre-season watch lists that Williams is on, it should be no surprise that he is on this list. One mock draft even has Williams getting picked in the third round by…Seattle. The one thing that gives me pause is his size: at 5'11", he is not the prototypical NFL quarterback, but his dual threat ability should mitigate that slightly, much like it did for Kyler Murray when he was picked first overall in 2019. Not saying that Williams will match Murray's feat of getting selected first overall (though it would be great if he did, because that would probably mean a lot of wins for the Dawgs), but it's just a point of comparison. He has the physical gifts, he just needs to iron out his decision making and show that he can not only win, but produce against elite defenses, like the Ohio States and Michigans of the world! If he catches on, with the right team and scheme, Williams could be a solid pro quarterback!
This is another one that is kind of self explanatory. After a stellar Freshman season, Roebuck looks to build on his newfound role, with him shouldering more of the load in the passing game, and hopefully putting up more numbers in the process! His ceiling is also high, as he is only a sophomore and will have ample opportunity to catch passes from a variety of spots on the field, and versatility is something that NFL teams will be searching for in drafting their future receivers.
Right now, certain projections, like this one from Scout SZN, have his ceiling at Day 2, but where you get drafted doesn't matter. I do think that Roebuck could be a contributor on a pro team someday, but whether or not he's the best depends on his development while he is a Husky, and with his contributions from year one, I'd say that his future is bright!

#williams #first

The Washington Huskies have a lot of promising talent at wide receiver heading into the 2026 season, but the majority of it is unproven, including sophomore Chris Lawson.
After the former four-star recruit's career on Montlake got off to a hot start in the spring of 2025, injuries limited him in the fall, which led to him playing in eight games and tallying 10 catches for 110 yards in his debut campaign before he was sidelined for about half of the workouts in the spring of 2026. Now, fully healthy, Lawson has been making his mark left and right during fall camp.
During Saturday's scrimmage, Lawson compiled 5 catches for an estimated 90 yards, including an impressive 40-yard reception downfield from sophomore Treston Kini McMillan. While working against freshman cornerback Elijah Durr, he made a mid-air adjustment on a slightly underthrown pass to go up and over the defensive back to haul in the pass, as he has become a consistent contributor for the Huskies over the last few days of practice, which has caught the eye of coach Jedd Fisch.
"Chris is getting better and better. It's really making the competition at receiver is really becoming better than it's ever been, also, because you've got Chris, then you've got, and (Dezmen) Roebuck, you've got Rashid playing at a high level, and Christian (Moss), then you got Trez (Davis), and then Mason (James) makes some plays, messing a nice little catch down there, and a couple other plays," Fisch said of his depth of the position on Saturday.
As Washington's young talent continues to shine at the position, even with four-star freshman Jordan Clay sidelined with an injury, Lawson's versatility has continued to set him apart.

#chris #sophomore

England boss Steve Borthwick has shaken up his centrally contracted squad with just over a year to go until the Rugby World Cup.
Borthwick has announced the 25 players who will receive enhanced player contracts, worth around £150,000, for the 2026-27 season.
Handed an elite deal for the first time are prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour, lock Alex Coles, flanker Guy Pepper, scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet and centre Seb Atkinson.
Flanker Ben Curry, versatile back Elliot Daly, centre Ollie Lawrence and wing Tom Roebuck all miss out on contracts, while France-bound number eight Tom Willis is no longer eligible for England selection.
Curry and Daly have both been hit by long injury lay-offs over the past year, while Roebuck and Lawrence have fallen out of favour after previously being mainstays of the side.

#curry #year

Steve Borthwick has handed out enhanced England contracts to five new faces as the core of his squad is revealed with a year to go until the Rugby World Cup.
The England head coach is permitted to hand out 25 deals, believed to be worth in excess of £150,000 per year, each season in an agreement that grants him greater control over the group of players.
Sale prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Northampton lock Alex Coles, Bath flanker Guy Pepper, Leicester scrum half Jack van Poortvliet and Gloucester centre Seb Atkinson join the list of contracted players.
Tom Willis drops off after his move to Bordeaux Begles rendered him ineligible for international selection, with Sale's Ben Curry and Tom Roebuck, versatile Saracens back Elliot Daly and out-of-favour Bath centre Ollie Lawrence losing their contracts.
George Furbank, who has swapped Northampton for Harlequins this summer, retains a deal despite having not featured for England since November 2024 amid a horror injury run. Furbank was due to start against South Africa in July, only to be ruled out with appendicitis.

#england #northampton

Marana High School star senior receiver Sean Roebuck Jr. is recovering from severe injuries suffered in a car accident this past weekend that could keep him out of the 2026 high school football season, according to a report by AllSportsTucson.com.
Toby Bourguet, who runs Tucson Turf, a top youth 7-on-7 football program in the nation and is close to the family, provided an update on Roebuck's medical condition on Facebook, sharing what the Roebuck family gave him on Monday, Aug. 10.
"He is being taken care of by an amazing team of doctors and nurses, and we are so grateful for them," Bourguet wrote. "The spine doctor came in and said he is not concerned about the C7 fracture and no surgery is needed. His broken collarbone will just need a splint. His lungs look great. He does have 2 broken ribs and lots of scrapes on his right side.
"He will need plastic surgery to repair the fractured right eye socket, and he also has a broken jaw. He has a small laceration on his liver that they are watching. He will remain sedated and intubated for a little while longer. We don't have a concrete timeline yet for when they will wake him up and remove the breathing tube."
Bourguet added that the Roebucks are thankful for every prayer, text and call and love shown to the family. He also stated on his social-media post to pray for Sean and for the doctors as they make decisions about the next steps.

#surgery

Washington Huskies tight end Decker DeGraaf was one of 37 players in the country named to the 2026 preseason John Mackey Award watch list on Wednesday.
DeGraaf, a 6-foot-4 and 245-pound true junior, was also on the list ahead of the 2025 season, when he doubled his catch total from his freshman year and proved to be a dependable weapon for Demond Williams Jr. behind Denzel Boston and Dezmen Roebuck.
The former four-star recruit out of Glendora High School finished third on the team in receptions (32) and receiving yards (360) while being tied with running back Jonah Coleman for third with a pair of touchdown catches.
The other four UW players to catch one touchdown catch in 2025—Quentin Moore, Omari Evans, Audric Harris and Raiden Vines-Bright—aren't with the program, meaning someone will have to increase their production in 2026, and DeGraaf is poised to be that player.
"I definitely want to be a big part of this offense," DeGraaf said on Tuesday. "Definitely going into year three with Demond, we've built a lot of chemistry. He's looking for me, I'm looking for him. We have a really good offense. I think we have a lot of guys—me, Dez, Rashid, Christian Moss, a lot of the young guys. I think a lot of them are going to step up and make a big impact this year."

#year

One of the most important things that the Washington Huskies will have to do during fall camp ahead of the 2026 season is to figure out how they're going to replace the loss of wide receiver Denzel Boston to the NFL draft.
The second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns posted 62 catches for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns during his final year on Montlake and was an imposing presence on opposing defenses. Now, as quarterback Demond Williams Jr. searches for a new primary target, sophomore Dezmen Roebuck appears to be the most likely to step into the spotlight.
After bursting onto the scene in 2025 and putting together a Freshman All-America campaign, with 42 catches for 560 yards and 7 touchdowns, Roebuck has moved into the slot, where he could see a massive increase in targets from his chemistry with Williams.
"Not a lot of people know this, but growing up, we actually played on the same team," Roebuck said during his freshman year. "I think it was fifth, sixth grade. We played on the same team for a couple tournaments, and I've always known him. We played against each other in 7-on-7 and everything, and once I got up here, we already had a good connection, even though we hadn't played on the same team in a couple of years."
As for his move to the slot, after showing off dependable hands, some shiftiness after the catch, and no fear over the middle of the field, Roebuck believes it's a great fit for him.

#roebuck #same #catches

USC football plays the Washington Huskies this season. UW Huskies Wire reported earlier this year on one of the breakout performers at Washington's spring game, receiver Rashid Williams.
"A composite four-star recruit in the 2023 class, Williams has only caught 18 passes for 222 yards and 1 touchdown in 17 games across three seasons. There have been good reasons for that lack of production - Williams had five future NFL players in front of him during a redshirt year in 2023, then watched as Denzel Boston took a jump into 2024. Collarbone and hand injuries as a redshirt sophomore in 2025 then limited Williams to only two games when he was expected to be the team's No. 2 receiver behind Boston. Williams has stayed the course, however, never entering the transfer portal or questioning his future with the Huskies. Even with breakout freshman Dezmen Roebuck returning and high-upside players like Chris Lawson, Jordan Clay, and Trez Davis joining the fray, Williams has been the one who has looked steadiest during spring practice for Washington."
The article noted the splash plays Williams made in Washington's spring game, and then added this insight:
"Williams' chemistry with the returning quarterback has been one of the major storylines of the spring. Demond Williams' bond with Roebuck is to be expected, considering the two have run in the same circles since middle school. But Lawson, Clay, and transfers Christian Moss and Bodpegn Miller all missed time at various points this spring, losing a handful of practices that Washington hoped would build their chemistry with Williams. Instead, the junior signal-caller has primarily looked towards the receiver who shares his last name, with chemistry that has evidently not faded from additional practice time when Williams was healthy in 2024 and 2025."
USC's secondary has to be aware of this emerging connection for the Huskies. The Trojans have to shut off the deep ball when they face Washington, so the Double Williams linkup has to be a core part of USC's defensive game plan.

#williams #chemistry #roebuck

When Desert Edge High School wide receiver Zerek Sidney committed to the Washington Huskies in January, the Arizona product chose Jedd Fisch's program over Arizona State, Oklahoma, and USC as one of the most sought-after players in the West.
However, after pledging to the Huskies as a four-star prospect, Sidney has seen his stock fall throughout the offseason. The 6-foot, 175-pound prospect currently sits as the nation's No. 724 overall recruit and No. 84 wide receiver in the 2027 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, and has become the lowest-ranked of Washington's four commits at the position after injuries shortened his junior season to just one game.
Despite that, Sidney has still been one of the most important members of Fisch's recruiting class both on and off the field.
On the field, Sidney is the ideal fit for the slot role in Fisch's offense, although he also has the ideal speed and athleticism to play on the outside in the Z position, as fellow Arizona native Dezmen Roebuck did in 2025 when he earned Freshman All-America honors.
"Skilled wide receiver with a well-rounded game that should offer some inside-outside versatility with his tempo and hands," 247Sports' Andrew Ivins wrote in his evaluation.