Elijah Newby got to Demond Williams Jr. in a collapsing third-quarter pocket at USC and knocked the ball loose off his throwing arm, and Jahkeem Stewart picked it up and ran it back 48 yards for the touchdown that flipped the game. Washington had led 21-10 on three touchdown drives, including Decker DeGraaf's 42-yard catch. USC scored again through Tanook Hines, took the lead on Stewart's return at 22-21, added a field goal, and won 25-21. The Huskies got one more possession and reached the USC 12 before Kameryn Crawford sacked Williams on third down, and Williams' fourth-down throw into double coverage in the end zone fell incomplete with 39 seconds left.
That is the second straight Big Ten loss built on the same play type. Minnesota sacked Williams seven times, held Washington to 1-for-10 on third down and 40 rushing yards on 27 carries, and intercepted him twice as he tried to escape pressure. "I've got to be smarter in that situation," Williams said then, conceding he should have kept possession rather than force throws. At USC he avoided interceptions entirely, going 15-of-26 for 198 yards with a touchdown and 26 yards on 13 carries, but he was 4-of-10 for 39 yards in the first half while the Trojans' rush worked. Williams' own verdict was shorter. "I've got to be better at not making mistakes."
This is the quarterback who started all 13 games in 2025 and threw for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns against eight interceptions while adding 611 rushing yards and six scores. He has not stopped making plays. He has made two of them for the other team in two conference games, and that is the whole difference between 2-0 and 0-2 in the Big Ten. The giveaways have not been the only self-inflicted problem. Washington drew 10 penalties for 74 yards at USC, and at 3-2 with six conference games left, even bowl eligibility is no longer something the Huskies can assume.
Why Iowa is the right week to find out
No. 20 Iowa comes to Husky Stadium at 4-1 and 1-1, a week after Ohio State beat the Hawkeyes 31-14 in Iowa City. The market treats it as a coin flip anyway, Washington is a 2.5-point home favorite with a total of 41.5, and the simulations agree, giving the Huskies a 49.5% chance.
The reason to feel decent about the matchup is the thing Iowa is rebuilding. Iowa's offensive line was held to 39 rushing yards by Ohio State, and Jeremy Hecklinski replaced a banged-up Hank Brown and has been preparing as if he will start. If Williams is going to have a clean pocket against a ranked team this season, this is the week.
So watch the pocket more than the stat sheet. Washington should be able to make Iowa prove it can rush four, and the ground game gives Fisch a way to keep Williams out of obvious drop-back situations. True freshman Brian Bonner Jr. led the team with 19 carries for 89 yards at USC. Quaid Carr, Jayden Limar and Christian Moss remained out. Bonner at 4.7 a carry is the lever.
The defense has a smaller but real question attached. USC's only passing touchdown came against Washington's secondary, and Jacob Manu's sack was Washington's only one. Ryan Walters' first Washington defense allowed 18.7 points and 100.2 rushing yards a game and ranked 15th nationally in scoring, 11th against the run; against an Iowa offense that may be starting a backup, holding the Hawkeyes to one scoring drive a half is well within that standard, and a takeaway from the secondary would do more for the scoreboard math than anything the offense invents.
Kickoff is Friday at 9 p.m. ET from Husky Stadium on FOX, which means the night belongs entirely to this one. A win keeps the playoff path alive at a thin but non-zero 9.7%; a loss drops it to 2.9% and puts Washington at 0-3 in the conference with the November run still ahead. The full picture is in the interactive guide, and the simulation details are explained in the methodology.