Mohammed Had Lot of Momentum In Husky Relief Role

The sophomore running back was never better than he was against the Ducks.

Adam Mohammed was a bright spot in the Oregon loss. | Dave Sizer photo

Oregon had the best football team on Saturday at Husky Stadium, a decided edge in flat-out speed as wide receiver Malik Benson demonstrated on his blazing 64-yard sprint to the end zone and on this day the better sophomore quarterback.

However, the University of Washington won the running back battle -- and it wasn't even close.

And, in this case, it wasn't Jonah Coleman packing the football for the home squad either.

No, it was sophomore Adam Mohammed for the first time putting all of his offensive skills on display against a quality opponent and proving to be a mesmerizing presence.

The well-muscled 6-foot, 225-pound Mohammed, in divvying up carries with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and Coleman, ran 15 times for a game-leading 105 yards and he was scary to the Oregon defenders while doing it.

So big and so fast, he looked like an NFL back, if not well on his way to becoming a pro.

Adam Mohammed breaks a tackle running up the sideline against Oregon. | Dave Sizer photo

He faked Ducks cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. out of his shoes in the open field. He carried linebacker Bryce Boettcher on his back for more than five yards while running up the middle. He took on all tacklers and didn't lose a yard in the game.

"He is explosive, is he not?" marveled CBS TV analyst Gary Danielson, who as a Purdue quarterback once ran for a 43-yard touchdown and passed 80 yards for another in Husky Stadium.

Mohammed, stepping in for an injured Coleman for nearly a month now, had a career-best 108 yards rushing on 21 carries at UCLA the weekend before, but this was his true coming-out party.

He never looked more powerful with the football in his hands, more shifty going around the end or more confident taking on defenders and bouncing off them than he did against Oregon.

"I don't know if it's running harder as much as it's running with more confidence," UW coach Jedd Fisch said of his running back in waiting. "i think the more you run the football, the more you play, the more confidence you gain."

While the rest of the offense sputtered, Mohammed came in on the third series and on his first carry roared around the left end for 22 yards. He went for 5 yards on his next handoff and caught an 8-yard screen pass in which embarrassed Finney.

On the next Husky possession, he ran for 9 yards, then 14, which made for a 50-yard rushing first quarter.

Mohammed didn't touch the ball in the second quarter as the still gimpy Coleman got the call to carry the load for consecutive UW series.

Adam Mohammed high steps his way out of a Purdue tackle. | Dave Sizer photo

In this case, Fisch, known as a players' coach, might have been a little too loyal to his upperclassman, who wore a heavy brace and wasn't in optimum condition. The UW leader had a hot back standing next to him on the sideline.

Coming out of halftime, Mohammed provided an 11-yard reception and a 19-yard run, taking the latter over the right side, breaking a couple of tackles and veering to the left before two guys brought him down. One player wasn't going to make that happen.

In the fourth quarter, Mohammed opened with a 9-yard run and then followed it up with five consecutive 4-yard rushes to enable the Huskies to put together a 13-play, 69-yard drive to pull within 19-14.

He looked good in the No. 1 running back role soon to be all his in 2026, while Coleman gets healthy and moves on to be paid more money as an NFL player.

"He's taken on the role of being the guy," Fisch said. "He's kind of transitioned into that role, where he now knows, just like Jonah transitioned into it a year and a half ago, that you're now the guy we're going to lean on."

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