Washington Huskies Quarterback Named to Johnny Unitas Top 15

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The Washington Huskies football team is still looking for its first win in Big Ten play.

The Huskies (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) will be looking to kill two birds with one stone by claiming its first conference and Top 25 victory at 6 p.m. PT on Friday against the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

The most prominent reason that Washington hasn't been able to win a game in Big Ten play and why it hasn't put up more than 24 points against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent.

The offense has struggled this season due to a combination of injuries and inexperience. Despite this, the quarterback of the Huskies offense recently earned an honor that could lead to a season award.

Third-year quarterback Demond Williams Jr. was named one of the final 15 up for the Johnny Unitas Golden arm Award on Thursday.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award "recognized quarterbacks who demonstrate excellence both on and off the field," per a news release.

The other 14 quarterbacks up for the award are Rocco Becht (Penn State), CJ Carr (Notre Dame), Devon Dampier (Utah), Noah Fifita (Arizona), Kevin Jennings (Southern Methodist), Avery Johnson (Kansas State), Sam Leavitt (LSU), Jayden Maiava (Southern California), Arch Manning (Texas), Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), Dante Moore (Oregon), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Gunner Stockton (Georgia) and Conner Weigman (Houston).

In addition to on-field performance, the award is also meant to recognize and take into consideration qualities such as character and academic performance.

Williams is in his third year of college ball and second year as a full-time starter, all with UW. This season, he's completed 67.5% of his passes for 1,327 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He's added 191 yards and two scores on the ground on 53 carries.

Williams' completions per game (22) ranks 15th in the country and his 1,327 passing yards ranks 21st in the country.

Despite the third-year quarterback's positive overall numbers, he's struggled since the schedule has turned to Big Ten play.

In Washington's 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers and 25-21 loss to the Southern California (USC) Trojans, Williams has completed 61% of his passes for 437 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He's also added 41 yards and a score on the ground on 30 carries. He had a third turnover, a fumble, that was recovered and returned for a touchdown in the game against USC, which was the go-ahead and, ultimately, the go-ahead score.

Williams will have a chance to turn his fortunes around in Big Ten play against Iowa.

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