“Right now, Will [Rogers] continues to give us the best chance,” Jedd Fisch said on Monday. Will Rogers has commanded the Washington offense as the starting quarterback for eight weeks, throwing 13 touchdown passes and four interceptions. “Right now, Will’s done a really nice job.” But Fisch has not shied away from implementing Demond Williams Jr. in different packages and situations. “He’s going to continue to get reps throughout this season like he has,” Fisch added. Williams brings a third dimension to the offense with his escapability and speed as a runner. He earned his first rushing touchdown of the season last week at Indiana. Fisch discussed the duality of his quarterback room this week, with insight into what he sees in each.
Breaking Down the Interceptions
Rogers has been decisive with the football, keeping it safe with just four interceptions thus far. Of his four interceptions this year, only one of them was a decisively bad decision. At Iowa, he underthrew an out route to the boundary where the cornerback had a clear path to jump the pass. Rogers’ first interception of the year came against Michigan. It was less of a bad decision and more of a good play by the defender. He tried to layer the football over the linebacker and in front of the safety to his tight end. It was nearly there, but the linebacker timed his jump to make a fingertip interception.
But at Indiana, Rogers’ interceptions were less decision-based, and more of a result of the unfolding play around him. His pick-six was triggered by pressure up the middle. “I certainly don’t blame him for the first interception [against Indiana], that’s about as fluke as fluke can get,” Fisch said. The interior pressure caused the center to fall into Rogers as he released the pass. The batted ball landed in the arms of the blitzing cornerback and it went the other way for six.
Fisch said that the second interception was due to the ball being left a little bit inside. Ideally, that pass takes Denzel Boston more toward the sideline, creating better leverage for the receiver in the 50/50 ball. But Rogers could not fully step up into his pass on the throw. Again, pressure on the interior got into the face of Rogers, and he had to rely on arm strength to get the football 40 yards downfield. The football carried the one-on-one coverage toward the middle rather than toward the outside, and the defender made a play.
Down-Field Strength
Washington’s offense ranks inside the top 25 nationally in yards per game with 283 per contest. Rogers has thrown for 300-plus yards twice this year, and more than 200 yards in every game this season except at Iowa. The former air-raid quarterback is currently fifth nationally in completion percentage at 72.3% at Washington. He’s averaging career-highs in yards per attempt (8.5 yards) and yards per completion (11.8 yards).
The uptick in those two categories is largely due to the opportunities downfield that a pro-style system creates. And on passes of 20 or more air yards, Rogers has been among the nation’s best. He’s thrown six touchdowns in this category with a Pro Football Focus rating of 95.0. Rogers has faced defensive pressure on 10 of 27 deep-ball attempts but has thrown just one interception in this category. That pick was against Indiana on the sideline pass.
In addition to the short-yardage passing and over-the-middle routes that Rogers has completed for five seasons, he’s taken a significant step up when delivering the football downfield. His consistency down the field has been a catalyst for Washington’s seven touchdown drives of four plays or less this season.
Washington’s Offense With Williams
Behind Rogers, Williams has been steadily finding his confidence as a true freshman. Williams has been on the field for 103 snaps this season, appearing in all eight games thus far, attempting 34 passes and 24 runs. On the year, the true freshman is 26 of 34 (76.5% completion) with 242 yards and two touchdowns. With his legs, he’s tallied 134 rushing yards and one score. His individual numbers have been quality.
But the difference with Williams on the field is his ability to open up other areas of the offense. Washington’s offense as a whole is averaging about 6.5 yards per play when Williams takes the snap at quarterback. The sample set is small, as he averages just 13 snaps per game. But the production has been noticeable. Williams has five runs of 10-plus yards on the year, and averages just over six yards per scramble attempt. Williams brings an added phase to the offense that has allowed it to move the ball in chunks with him on the field.
Week-By-Week Improvement
“Demond’s improvement has been really good for the last eight weeks,” Fisch said on Monday. The head coach noted how Williams is becoming more comfortable entering the game has progressed. At Iowa, the Arizona native stepped into the game down by 30 in the fourth quarter. “I just said to Demond, ‘Let’s just put together a drive. Let’s just not worry about how fast we can go…what it’s going to look like,’” Fisch said post-game. Williams put together a 17-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter. He completed nine of 11 passes for 62 yards on that drive.
“I thought [Williams] did an excellent job,” Fisch said after the Iowa game. His performance inside Kinnick Stadium was in garbage time, but Iowa was still rotating several of its starters on the field including its defensive linemen and defensive backs. Regardless of the game state, it was an impressive possession to continue to build his confidence. Williams played 29 snaps at Iowa, his most in a single game all season. Fisch knows the future is bright with his young quarterback, “Demond will be the face of Washington football moving forward next year.”
