P.J. Fleck calls Washington QB Demond Williams 'one of the best players in the Big Ten'
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The Gophers faced one of the most talented quarterbacks in the sport in Kamario Taylor during their Week 2 loss against Mississippi State, and they will be tested again in their first road game of the season against Washington and Demond Williams Jr.
In his first full season as a starter in 2025, Williams completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s also proved to be an effective dual-threat option with 611 rushing yards and six more touchdowns.
Williams nearly transferred to LSU in the offseason, but he ultimately returned to Seattle, and he has picked up right where he left off. Washington has been relatively underwhelming in its three wins as a team, but Williams has completed 70.6% of his passes for 296.6 yards per game, six total touchdowns and one interception.
“Demond is one of the best players in the Big Ten. It’s not just his arm; he can throw hash to sideline,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck told the media on Monday. “They spread you out sideline to sideline, but they can work really, really tight too, and put you down in 13 personnel. He’s a great runner; he’s not just looking to run, he’s throwing the football. And then if you break down in coverage and give him a lane, he’s going to run for a long time.”
“He’s a really good athlete; he’s creative, he’s decisive. He’s really good at going through his progressions, his progressions with an option. Very decisive with the football; you can rarely confuse him, and he’s very accurate, and he can hurt you with his legs… I don’t know if there are many quarterbacks in the country who play the second play better than he plays it.”
Williams is a much different quarterback than Taylor. Listed at just 5-foot-11, Williams leans on his elusiveness and creativity much more than size and pure athleticism. Gophers defense under Fleck has struggled against just that historically.
Washington lost running back Jonah Coleman and wide receiver Denzel Boston Jr. to the NFL in the offseason. Their skill positions have seemingly taken a huge step back. Williams leads the team with 150 rushing yards on just 25 carries. Much like the Gophers, Washington has struggled to run the football on a consistent level.
One of the Huskies’ best receivers, Christian Moss, was ruled out for 2-3 months last week, and Dezmen Roebuck leads the team with 23 catches for 221 yards through three weeks.
Despite playing two non-power conference teams and an FCS team at home to open the season, Washington’s offense has been underwhelming. With just 434.7 total yards and 29.3 points per game, they have not been as explosive as many people thought. If the Gophers aren’t able to slow down the Huskies on Saturday night, Williams will be a big reason why.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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