Fall Practice No. 4 Wasn't Exactly Music To Huskies' Ears

For a program that prides itself in getting its work done against a continuous backdrop of contemporary music with an edge, University of Washington football players had to know Monday's practice was going to be a weird one.

For a few moments, the overhead playlist of soft rock sent them back to the 1980s.

Wandering out to the East field for fall camp session No. 4, the Huskies were greeted first by the strains of Annie Lennox singing "Sweet Dreams" and then by Grace Slick bellowing "We Built This City."

For the next two hours, it was more like nightmares and a demolition. These just weren't their usual tunes to guide them and it showed.

Jedd Fisch's team was not quite as focused as it usually is, culminating with the coach himself getting exasperated when a 7-on-7 drill repeatedly was interrupted by players shoving and chirping at each other. He brought it to an angry end.

"We'll just [bleeping] run!" Fisch said, making his guys jog from sideline to sideline a couple of times.

That was not the only occasion in which a Husky coach came running up the field and shouting as he went either.

All it took was consecutive muffed punt returns in the often windy conditions by Chris Lawson and Mason James to bring perfectionist special-teams leader Chris Petrilli 25 yards scurrying upfield to loudly voice his displeasure.

Logan George tackles a blocking dummy while creating a fumble. | Dan Rale

At least the Huskies ultimately got their work in, with the defense once more coming up with the most memorable plays of the day, the wraps finally pulled off the running-back transfers and a couple of guys making overdue inroads.

Early in this practice session, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. threw a ball to the very back left-hand corner of the end zone that was intended for Rashid Williams and safety Alex McLaughlin made a play worthy of being an All-Big Ten honorable-mention selection, of which he was in 2025.

Anticipating the play perfectly, McLaughlin got position on Williams the receiver and reached as high as he could to make a sensational interception.

With the play wildly celebrated by his teammates, McLaughlin, who had two pass thefts in this practice, ran to the sideline where he slowed to touch the arm of safeties coach Taylor Mays, as if to ask did you see that?

Mays, of course, recently talked about thinking the safety wasn't good enough to play at Washington when he first encountered him. McLaughlin continues to show him otherwise.

The second-best play of the morning came from freshman edge rusher Ramzak Fruean who got into the backfield right as quarterback Elijah Brown was handing off to Ryken Moon, created a fumble on the exchange and recovered it.

That's not to say the Husky offense didn't get some things done along the way.

Chris Lawson reaches for a practice throw. | Dan Raley

First off, transfers Jayden Limar from Oregon and Trey Cooley from Troy finally took some backfield snaps for the first time as Huskies in 7-on-7 competition, and Limar, in particular, looked extremely quick.

On one of his three runs, Limar made a sharp cut to his left, leaped over a potential tackler and zipped into the end zone covering 25 yards.

Cooley, who hasn't played since early in the 2024 season, caught a 10-yard pass from Demond Williams Jr.

In 11-on-11 play, Kennesaw State transfer Christian Moss, who's been used as the third starting receiver so far with Rashid Williams and Dezmen Roebuck, used his body to get open and beat cornerback Elias Johnson on a 5-yard touchdown pass.

Other scores, all part of red-zone work, came on a 7-yard TD pass to Lawson from Wiliams, a 7-yarder to Justice Williams from Elijah Brown, a 2-yarder to Roebuck from Williams and a 3-yarder to tight end Decker DeGraaf from Williams while he standing all alone in the end zone.

Finally, fourth-year offensive tackle Elishah Jackett, who has struggled to gain weight and has never played in a Husky game, won a highly visible 1-on-1 blocking battle with Ramzak that was so pronounced it sent teammates and a position coach rushing in Jackett's direction to slap hands.

Finally, the opposite happened for edge rusher Russell Davis II, who beat touted offensive tackle Kodi Greene fairly decisively with a pass-rush move that had people congratulating him right and left.

Davis, after recovering from knee and elbow injuries, is practicing with the Huskies for the first time since 2024.

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