Okay, Emerald City, listen up. Washington’s star quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is officially sidelined with a rib injury and won’t be playing against Purdue on Friday night. That’s a gut punch, and it means junior backup Elijah Brown is stepping in as the starter as the Huskies are still desperately chasing their first Big Ten win. This development? It just doesn’t make things any easier for a team already struggling.
Elijah Brown Steps Up, But Can He Spark This Offense?
Brown, a former four-star recruit from California, spent his first two seasons at Stanford before making the move to Washington this offseason. He saw some action for the Cardinal, even starting in a win against Cal and a loss to North Carolina. His Stanford stats in nine career appearances aren’t eye-popping: 58.3 percent completion, 1,103 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. But here’s the thing: he’s been solid in his limited mop-up duty for the Huskies this year. We’re talking 276 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions, all on a much better 71.4 percent passing.
That’s the glimmer of hope, right? Especially after Williams went down against Iowa last week. Brown actually played “relatively well in relief,” starting the second half by going 14-of-16 and leading two straight touchdown drives against a tough Hawkeyes defense. After that performance, he kept it simple: “Just trusting in the process,” Brown said. “Just trusting in the coach’s plans. I feel like they prepared us very well. That’s pretty much it.” Huskies fans have to be praying he’s taken a massive stride, because they need him to spark this passing game, bad.
This Offense Is Already Stuck in the Mud
Let’s be real, even with Williams, this Washington offense has been having a tough season. While Williams has found ways to make plays and get the ball in the end zone “on a number of occasions,” the offense as a whole is stuck. They rank 16th in the Big Ten with only 26.2 points per game. And the run game? It’s been absolutely anemic.
Seriously, how bad is it? The Huskies are averaging just 90.3 rushing yards per game. That’s a pitiful 135th nationally out of 138 teams! They’re also 106th in yards per rush (4.06) and 106th in rushing success rate (39.7 percent). That’s a brutal recipe for any team, let alone one starting an unproven quarterback on the road in Big Ten play. We’ve seen this before, right? Dylan Raiola looked great stepping in for an injured Dante Moore against USC, then got benched a week later against UCLA. If Brown struggles, this offense could go from being one-dimensional to, dare I say it, *zero*-dimensional. Even a subpar defense like Purdue’s could easily shut them down.
Jedd Fisch and his squad have a massive challenge ahead of them on Friday night against Purdue. All eyes are on Elijah Brown. Can he build on that Iowa relief performance and get the Huskies their first Big Ten win, or will this season’s struggles just get even tougher?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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