Demond Williams Jr. scores 2 TDs as Washington Huskies hold off Washington State Cougars 24-10 in Apple Cup
Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (1) stiff-arms Washington State linebacker Nylan Brown (8) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in Seattle. (Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)
SEATTLE - Demond Williams Jr. threw for a touchdown and rushed for another as the Washington Huskies scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to hold off the Washington State Cougars in a 24-10 win in the Apple Cup on Sunday.
Williams threw for 238 yards overall, and went 6-for-6 for 115 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Cougars. He also rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
Caden Pinnick rushed for 61 yards on 14 attempts, and threw for 142 yards for Washington State, but he was also intercepted twice. Jack Stevens also missed a pair of field goal tries for the Cougars.
The backstory:
Williams and Washington outlasted the Cougars in a rather sloppy game for both teams in the 118th edition of the Apple Cup.
Pinnick's 25-yard run and 11-yard completion to Daniel Blood led to an opening 52-yard field goal attempt for Washington State as they looked to strike first. However Stevens' 52-yard field goal attempt wasn't close as the game remained scoreless.
A disjointed 11-play, 26-yard drive featuring multiple penalties still led to points for Washington as they took the lead midway through the first quarter. Tyler Rogers converted a 48-yard field goal attempt to give the Huskies a 3-0 lead.
Backed up on their own 15-yard line, Pinnick had a pass deflected at the line of scrimmage that tumbled through the air into the arms of Jeron Jones for a Washington interception. The turnover gave the Huskies the ball at the WSU 21-yard line.
Williams scrambled for a 16-yard gain on third down and scored two plays later on a 5-yard scramble around the left end as Washington took a 10-0 lead five minutes into the second quarter.
Kirby Vorhees fumbled on the first play of the Cougars' next drive as Isaiah Ward recovered to put Washington in scoring position. However, the drive went nowhere for the Huskies and Robles pulled a 29-yard field goal attempt just wide of the left upright to bail out Washington State.
A very promising drive to end the half also came up empty for Washington as head coach Jedd Fisch threw his headset down in frustration as the teams headed to the locker room. The Huskies marched 93 yards from their own 6-yard line to the WSU 1. A 29-yard completion from Williams to Rashid Williams, and a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty against Matyus McLain were the big gains on the drive for Washington. However, Williams was stopped on a scramble at the 1-yard line on third down, and an inside handoff to Jayden Limar as time expired was stuffed at the goal line by Keith Brown to end the half.
Two drives inside the WSU 10 -yard line in the quarter came away with zero points for the Huskies.
Then it was WSU's turn to give an opportunity at points away.
Pinnick led the Cougars on a 12-play, 70-yard drive inside the UW 10-yard line. The drive stalled out at the 8-yard line as Stevens converted a 27-yard field goal try only to have the kick waved off for a delay of game penalty. The 32-yard attempt that followed missed wide right as the Cougars remained incapable of putting points on the board.
Another Washington turnover on downs gave the Cougars good starting field position, and they were finally able to crack through. Pinnick converted a 4th-and-3 to keep the drive alive. Completions to Beau Baker and Blood moved WSU into the red zone and Pinnick scored on a quarterback lead run for an 11-yard touchdown to trim the Huskies lead to 10-7.
The Huskies' offense quickly woke up after the Cougars scored and provided an answer in just four plays.
Williams connected with Chris Lawson for 29 yards to quickly cross midfield. Williams and Williams connected on a 44-yard pass down the left sideline to the WSU 2-yard line. Two plays later, Williams and Williams combined for a 2-yard touchdown pass as the Huskies extended the lead to 17-7.
A potential WSU turnover on a Pinnick fumble was wiped out due to a targeting penalty against Washington and Rylon Dillard-Allen to keep the Cougars alive. When the drive stalled out, Stevens converted a 42-yard field goal to trim the UW lead to 17-10.
The Cougars' defense appeared poised to make a stop to possibly force a punt with just under three minutes left to play, but Williams broke a pair of tackles on a 21-yard scramble on 3rd-and-9 for a 21-yard gain that was a crushing blow for WSU. A 35-yard pass from Williams to Lawson was followed by an 11-yard touchdown run for Limar as Washington took a 24-10 lead.
Alex McLaughlin intercepted Pinnick on the next series to secure the victory for the Huskies.
By the numbers:
Outside of Pinnick, the Cougars' had four other rushers combine for 17 rushing attempts for just 39 yards.
Lawson led the Huskies with 87 yards receiving on four receptions, and Rashid Williams had 74 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Limar had 47 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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