Husky Football Halftime Observations From Washington’s Home Game Against Utah State, September 12th, 2026
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - In the first half of their Week 2 matchup against the Utah State Aggies, the No. 19 Washington Huskies have started out sluggish on offense, and one big play gave the away team a touchdown. It’s a one-score game at the halftime break here on Montlake, with this crowd seemingly getting a bit antsy with just how sloppy the play has been for a Washington team with decent expectations coming into the year. Here are some basic halftime observations from our seat in the press box at Husky Stadium.
Another slow start for the Huskies
Like last week against the Cougars, Washington looked sluggish/disjointed at the start of the game. The defense ultimately held the Utah State offense to just 27 yards on its opening drive, but it looked rough when the Aggies converted on third and 12; two plays later, a defensive pass interference penalty against cornerback Jeron Jones pushed the drive forward. The Huskies forced a punt to get the ball back to their offense, which did little with it.
Washington’s offensive unit went three-and-out, gaining no yards on a Brian Bonner rush, taking an eight-yard holding penalty to negate a three-yard run from Demond Williams Jr., a one-yard rush from Trey Cooley, and an incompletion on third and long. The Husky defense did its job to force a three-and-out of their own, but the UW offense struggled in its own way on the next drive.
The passing game started to rip off some chunks, as Demond found Rashid Williams for 22 yards and later on Baron Naone for 16 yards before another mistake spoiled what could’ve been a Husky touchdown. On fourth and two at the Utah State 33-yard line, Demond Williams Jr. had Trey Cooley wide open to his left, with plenty of turf in front of him, so much so that he almost certainly could’ve scored if he’d caught it. Cooley couldn’t complete the catch, possibly thinking ahead to running up the field, and it ended up as an incompletion to turn the ball over on downs.
Washington’s run defense will be tested
While their touchdown came on a big play through the air, it became apparent early and often that the visiting Aggies wanted to test the Husky run defense. Several quarterback keepers by Grady Brosterhous and a few touches for Javen Jacobs and Sesi Vailahi made it clear that Utah State was at least looking to establish something on the ground. The runs and scrambles from Brosterhous were the only attempts that really found any success, with Jacobs and Vailahi in negative totals at the halftime break. With this game at just a one-score difference at the break, the Aggies will almost certainly continue attacking Washington on the ground.
Demond spreads the ball out
At the break, Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. has completed a pass to eight different players, getting a healthy mix of wide receivers, tight ends, and a running back involved. Jordan Clay leads the pack with four catches for 42 yards, while Tez Davis, Chris Lawson, Rashid Williams, Dezmen Roebuck, Baron Naone, Decker DeGraaf, and Trey Cooley have all caught at least one pass.
The passing attack has been a bit spread out, and some of the numbers are decent, with six of the eight pass catchers having their average yards per catch sitting over ten, but that’s largely because of the fact that everyone but Clay has two catches or fewer. It’s nice to see the Huskies' passing game look at least a little better than it did last time out against Washington State, when things were grossly disjointed, but it’s clear that the Huskies will continue to look for more consistent gains through the air, much like they are on the ground.
What to watch for in the second half
Again, I want to see more of a rushing attack: the Huskies are down their two top running backs on the depth chart, with Jayden Limar and Quaid Carr wearing slings and out for an extended time. Washington has the offensive line and backfield talent to put together a competent ground attack; at least they should. They haven’t been able to do so through six quarters so far to begin the 2026 season, and that’s disappointing. Fisch has certainly tried, giving four carries to Cooley, five to Bonner, and three to Sanoe, with only Cooley in double digits among running backs, which largely comes from one ten-yard gain to bolster his 20-yard total.
Capitalize on mistakes: Washington intercepted a pass right before the half, as Dylan Robinson snagged a Grady Brosterhous attempt that was targeting Javon Robinson to give his offense the ball back in the Husky half with less than a minute to go. A few passes moved the ball into Utah State territory, but two incompletions forced UW to attempt a 48-yard field goal by Tyler Robles, which he missed. With how tight this game is and how many mistakes the team in purple and gold has made, they can’t really afford to squander opportunities like that, especially before the half when they could truly provide a momentum boost.
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