By Andrew Bailie Posted on

Huskies drop regular season finale to the Ducks 26-14

The Washington Huskies fought the No. 6-ranked Oregon Ducks at Husky Stadium for the 118th time in the storied rivalry. The Huskies came into the game riding high off two blowout wins over Purdue and UCLA. Washington’s young and talented team was looking to finish the year strong with a signature win over Oregon. Several seniors were playing in their final game at Husky Stadium and wanted to go out on a high note. Unfortunately, the Ducks’ defense proved to be too much for the Huskies’ young offense to handle.

Huskies struggle to protect Williams in a low-scoring first quarter

QB Demond Williams was sacked twice on Washington’s first two possessions of the game. Oregon’s sacks led to three-and-outs on back-to-back drives for the Huskies to begin the game. The Ducks scored the only points of the quarter on their first drive, a 46-yard field goal from Atticus Sappington. Washington moved the ball into Ducks’ territory on the next possession before stalling out at Oregon’s 43.

The Ducks went three-and-out on their next two possessions. Oregon then gave the Huskies great field position after an unsportsmanlike conduct foul gave them the ball at the Ducks’ 41. Washington then squandered a prime scoring opportunity. On first and 10 from Oregon’s 21, Williams was intercepted by the Ducks’ Jadon Canady in the end zone, ending the drive.

Huskies and Ducks find the end zone in the second quarter

Oregon scored a touchdown on a one-yard TD run by QB Dante Moore on the first drive of the second quarter. When the Ducks’ offense moved the ball into the red zone the next time, the Huskies’ defense came up with a stop. Oregon then settled for a field goal from Atticus Sappington to put them up 13-0. Washington later finished the half on a huge 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Williams absorbed a big hit and found WR Denzel Boston for a three-yard touchdown strike. Cutting Oregon’s lead to 13-7, just before halftime.

The Ducks control the time of possession in the third quarter

Oregon went on an 11-play, 59-yard field goal, which lasted 5:53 to begin the second half. Sappington’s 37-yard field goal extended the Ducks’ lead to 16-7. The Huskies then moved the ball to Oregon’s 43 before their drive stalled. Luke Dunne pinned the Ducks inside the 10 for the second time of the game with a good punt. Oregon then went on a seven-play, 60-yard field goal drive, which took 3:54 to go up 19-7. After Washington took over on its next possession, the Ducks punched them off the field in six plays. Following a punt, Oregon held onto the ball for the remainder of the quarter, finishing with 10:39 total time of possession.

The Huskies’ fourth-quarter rally falls short

Washington went on a 13-play, 69-yard drive and finished with a big fourth-down score with 9:01 remaining in the game. Demond Williams hit Denzel Boston for a 13-yard touchdown pass on fourth and eight. The Huskies’ crucial conversion for a touchdown pulled them within five with the Ducks ahead 19-14. Williams showed tremendous poise and maturity on the play to rally Washington:

“You know his patience, his ability to, you know, not panic and lead us down in the fourth quarter, and you know, it’s 19-7 and then it’s fourth and eight, and he hits a beautiful crossing route to Denzel to make it 19-14”, said Jedd Fisch after the game.

The Huskies’ sophomore quarterback allowed Washington to start a potential fourth-quarter comeback. Washington just needed a stop to give its offense another chance to win the game.

Oregon seals the game with a clutch touchdown

On the next possession, Washington had the Ducks’ offense on the ropes on a critical third down. Unfortunately, with Oregon facing a third and nine, Dante Moore found Malik Benson for the 64-yard TD catch and score. Benson’s touchdown gave the Ducks an insurmountable 26-14 lead. The Huskies were unable to climb out of the 12-point hole, as their offense sputtered on the next two possessions. Oregon went on to defeat Washington 26-14 for its second consecutive win in the rivalry.

Young Huskies continue to make strides, but have room to grow

Williams finished the game 15/30 passing, throwing for 129 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. His ability to keep Washington in the game with two big touchdown throws displayed his talent. However, the four sacks Williams took and the two interceptions he threw showed he has room to grow as a quarterback. Another young player who dazzled in Saturday’s loss was sophomore RB Adam Mohammed. Muhammed rushed for over 100 yards for the second consecutive game, finishing the day with 105 yards on 14 carries to lead all Husky running backs. On the defensive side of the ball, freshman S Rylon Dillard-Allen had an impressive game. He led all defenders in tackles with 11 and nearly pulled in an interception in the first quarter. Jedd Fisch spoke after the game about what excites him about his young team:

“I’m really excited about what’s ahead of us. I think we have, we probably play more young players than anybody. We probably played more frustrating and total snaps than anybody. We have a ton of experience coming back now. We have a lot of great players who are signing with us on Wednesday. We have a lot of people who want to be in the program. I feel like we’ve had a lot of nice steps. You know, I really do. I think that where we were a year ago, to where we are today, we’ve really done a nice job of becoming a better team”, said Fisch.

Losing to a rival is never fun, but the Huskies showed tremendous growth from last year to this year. When Washington played Oregon in Eugene last season, the Ducks won 49-21. This season, the Huskies were within striking distance midway through the fourth quarter. Washington was one play away from a three-and-out, with a chance to take the lead with a stop and a score. Ducks’ QB Dante Moore just happened to make a clutch touchdown throw on third and nine. The Huskies have plenty to be excited about in 2026, and their young team will have one more chance to play in a bowl game later this year.

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