19th Ranked Husky Football Holds on Late in Ugly Win Over Utah State
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Rahshawn Clark coming down with the game-sealing interception for Washington on Utah State’s Hail Mary attempt provided both a sigh of relief and a stop to the headache for the fans at Husky Stadium, as those in purple and gold narrowly escaped a disastrous upset in just week two of their 2026 season. From being on the Big Ten Network’s alternate channel to consistently struggling to move the ball on offense while navigating three missing offensive weapons and failing to capitalize on three turnovers forced by the defense, Washington's game was frustrating.
There is still plenty of runway ahead to tune themselves up and show what had been hoped for this offseason, going into season three of the Jedd Fisch era, but the headaches through the first two games of the year have been undeniable.
“We are glad that we have a victory, and we have a lot to learn. That’s two weeks in a row that we’re sitting out here to learn a lot. And I think we will. But there’s also things that we just need to execute better.”
Pre-game photos from the Washington Huskies 16-14 win over the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 12th, 2026, at Husky Stadium. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
Utah State’s offense got the ball to begin this game, as fifth-year quarterback Grady Brosterhous led the Aggies’ attack while regular starter McCae Hillstead was dealing with an arm injury. Utah State was able to reach the midfield point on their opening possession before things stalled out, and they were forced to put the ball away to a Washington offense looking for a rebound after a sloppy showing against Washington State in last week’s Apple Cup.
Instead of showing any sort of immediate punch with their offense this week, a holding penalty on senior offensive lineman Kolt Dieterich on the first Husky snap of the game played a part in UW going three-and-out on its first drive. A forgettable first quarter rolled on but provided a potential moment for the Washington offense to make noise, as they faced a fourth-and-three at the Utah State 34-yard line.
Husky head coach Jedd Fisch elected to keep his team’s offense on the field, and it looked like quarterback Demond Williams Jr. had found easy yardage with running back Trey Cooley wide open in the flat, but the sixth-year back dropped the pass, resulting in a chorus of groans from the home crowd.
“We need to do some things better. We need to find points. We need to not pass up opportunities for touchdowns when they’re there. We need to put the team in a better position as a coaching staff, starting with me.”
First-half photos from the Washington Huskies 16-14 win over the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 12th, 2026, at Husky Stadium. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
With the offense sputtering, the Washington defense likely had to score to put the home team ahead. That nearly came to fruition, as fifth-year edge rusher Isaiah Ward looked to have knocked the ball out of the grip of Utah State running back Sesi Vailahi. Husky linebacker Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah scooped the loose ball up and ran 43 yards for a touchdown, which would’ve been the first points of the game, but a replay review showed that Vailahi was down. UW’s defense got a fourth-down stop shortly after to ensure that the Aggies wouldn’t get any momentum from that review, but it was another tough sequence for a Washington team in need of some sort of breakthrough.
Finally, with 11:35 left in the second quarter, the Huskies got points on the board. It wasn’t their main goal, as it was just a Tyler Robles field goal from 30 yards out on a drive that only produced 46 yards on ten plays, but at least Washington had finally gotten on the board. Any feelings of relief, though, were stomped out immediately on the ensuing Aggies drive.
Utah State fired back on their next offensive snap, as Brosterhous found a streaking Javon Robinson down the middle of the field, where the receiver used his speed to weave through the Husky secondary for a 78-yard score, putting the Aggies ahead with 11:19 to play before the half.
It took about five minutes, but Washington was able to respond to the Utah State touchdown with one of their own, as freshman running back Ansu Sanoe punched the ball in from a yard out after Williams Jr. was stopped inches short of the goal line. Sanoe’s score capped off an eight-play, 65-yard drive, giving the Huskies a 10-7 lead as the game approached halftime.
Freshman running back Ansu Sanoe celebrates his rushing touchdown during the Washington Huskies 16-14 win over the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 12th, 2026, at Husky Stadium. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
With time ticking down before the half, the Husky offense got the ball back, looking to hopefully sneak another score in before they got the ball back after the break. Sophomore cornerback Dylan Robinson had snagged a Brosterhous pass and put his team in position to extend their slim lead.
With senior wideout Rashid Williams out, Demond Williams Jr. found freshman pass catcher Trez Davis for a few receptions to move Washington down the field, a 19-yard gain and a seven-yarder on an out route to set up a potential field goal. The Huskies looked primed to make it a six-point advantage, but fifth-year kicker Tyler Robles pushed his 48-yard attempt wide right, and Washington went into the locker room feeling even more frustrated after the poor showing from the first two quarters.
Coming out of the halftime break, there were no immediate adjustments that panned out for the Husky offense. Washington had two offensive possessions out of the break, with both resulting in punts. At the halfway point of the third quarter, UW had outgained the Utah State Aggies by just over 100 yards and nearly tripled the away team’s first downs, but only had three more points than their opponent to show for it.
In times of frustration and struggle, sports require a hero to break through. That hero for Washington was safety Alex McLaughlin, who was up big for the Husky defense time and time again in this game, as he did last week. A nine-yard sack of quarterback Grady Brosterhous on third-and-one from the Utah State 48-yard line forced the fifth Aggies punt of the day, what should’ve been a shot in the arm for the Huskies.
On the next UW drive, another potentially game-altering moment presented itself, as Washington had the ball on the Utah State 49-yard line on fourth-and-one. Jedd Fisch opted not to go for it and instead punted, sending his unit out after another disappointing drive, and booing echoed throughout Husky Stadium in response.
The Huskies had 102 yards in the third quarter, compared to just two for an Aggies team that couldn’t muster a first down in the frame, but Washington still couldn’t add to its three-point advantage over the visitors. There did appear to be something brewing for the UW offense as the quarter came to a close, as Demond Williams Jr. scampered for 36 yards to get the ball down to Utah State’s 23-yard line.
“As the quarterback, it all falls on me as far as trying to figure out how to score points, how to lead the offense.”
The good feelings generated by Washington getting the ball down the field at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth were reversed right back to those of frustration and general annoyance, as top wideout Dezmen Roebuck couldn’t bring in a pass on third-and-goal from the eight-yard line. Roebuck was possibly bound for the end zone, already turning upfield to try and score, failing to complete the catch, and instead held his helmet in his hands after the ball fell incomplete.
Wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck holds his helmet in his hands following a dropped pass during the Washington Huskies 16-14 win over the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 12th, 2026, at Husky Stadium. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
Following another Tyler Robles field goal, Washington’s defense was called upon once again to hold strong against a Utah State team that continued to hang around. The aforementioned hero amidst the Huskies’ struggle, Alex McLaughlin, struck again. On first down, McLaughlin sacked Brosterhous for a six-yard loss before intercepting his pass on the next play as he rolled to his right. Once again, the Husky defense did everything it could to get their offense back into this game and put them in positions to atone for previous mistakes. Ryan Walters’ defensive unit has been as advertised, keeping things in check for a UW offense that isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.
“I think there’s a lot to improve upon up front with the O-line. I think there’s a lot to improve upon as coaches, to make sure we’re putting the offense in the best possible position to run the football. I think there’s a lot to improve upon in terms of developing the running game that really works best for our backs.”
Safety Alex McLaughlin intercepted a pass during the Washington Huskies 16-14 win over the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 12th, 2026, at Husky Stadium. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
The Washington offense was able to get points off the McLaughlin turnover, but it was just another field goal, as Tyler Robles converted from 43 yards out for his third kick of the game. Following that kick, the Aggies made the Huskies pay for their offensive ineptitude, as Utah State quarterback Grady Brosterhous led the away team down the field before capping it off with a seven-yard passing touchdown to Eli Woods. With less than two minutes to play, Utah State looked to capitalize on the momentum they’d created with their late touchdown, but couldn’t come up with the recovery.
Needing just one first down to put this game away, the offensive struggles were immediately visible on Washington’s first snap after the recovery. On a bootleg to the right, Demond Williams Jr. had Dezmen Roebuck open in the flat, but the wideout again dropped the ball as he appeared to have the first down right in front of him. A two-yard gain by Trey Cooley on the next play and none on the speed option play after resulted in yet another three-and-out for the Huskies, who punted the ball away with less than a minute to play.
Utah State pushed the ball down the field to the Washington 39-yard line, but the drive whittled the clock down to just six seconds. Out of field goal range, at least too far to feel safe with an attempt, the Aggies opted to go for the Hail Mary. Brosterhous and the offensive unit might’ve been too excited for the final play, being called for an illegal formation penalty that pushed them back a few more yards before the final play. The final heave started to land about a yard into the West end zone, where Alex McLaughlin went to knock it down, but it was intercepted by Rahshawn Clark, who ran it back to about the 40-yard line of Aggies territory to end the game.
Cornerback Rahshawn Clark intercepted the last-second Hail Mary attempt during the Washington Huskies 16-14 win over the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, September 12th, 2026, at Husky Stadium. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
What’s next?
Coming off an ugly and harder-than-it-needed-to-be win over the visiting Utah State Aggies, the Washington Huskies football team remains at home for its next matchup that will round out nonconference play. The Huskies will host FCS school Eastern Washington on Saturday, September 19th, with a 4:15 PM PDT kickoff, broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Considering how poorly the offense has performed in the first two games, the Huskies will likely tumble out of the Top 25.
The visiting Eagles enter the contest with a 1-2 record, dropping their opener to Northern Arizona, bouncing back at home to beat Northern Iowa, then falling to South Dakota on the road this weekend. These games show plenty of offense and not much defense from both sides. That being said, it’ll be interesting to see how much the Washington defensive unit may be tested, having stood tall the first two games of the season, while the Husky offense will have the chance to “Get right” in this contest.
Off the field, the Huskies will be celebrating their “Community Day,” bringing together the people, neighborhoods, and traditions that make Seattle great. From local pride to hometown spirit, this special gameday honors the vibrant community that fuels Husky Nation and makes the Emerald City a place we're proud to call home.
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