Rashid Williams Returns on Game Day As UW Difference-Maker

There were times when Rashid Williams had to wonder if he would ever get to play again for the University of Washington football team.

A year ago, the wide receiver went down on the first play of the second game of the season with a broken collarbone while making a 27-yard catch against UC Davis, and the reception was no consolation prize.

Then after making a full recovery two months later, he got a hand caught in someone's face mask in practice, tore up some fingers and was done for the season.

On Sunday, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Williams finally played in another UW game and he came up with what would be the deciding points in a 24-10 victory over Washington State in the Apple Cup at Husky Stadium.

"I felt good, I felt great," he said. "The atmosphere was amazing, the fans, the players, the coaches . It was awesome."

So was he with just over eight minutes remaining and the Huskies nursing a 10-7 lead over their rivals.

At that point, the UW went to Williams using a bit of trickery to try and maintain a healthy advantage on the scoreboard.

At the WSU 46, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. handed off to transfer running back Trey Cooley, got the ball back on a flea flicker maneuver and threw it to Rashid Williams, who raced to the end zone and appeared to score by diving in.

Teammates let Rashid Williams know how much they appreciated him as he ended up in the end zone. | Dave Sizer photo

The officials, however, ruled he had stepped out on the 2, leaving him with a 44-yard gain.

Two plays later, it was Williams to Williams on a 1-yard touchdown pass, Rashid's first at Husky Stadium, and the UW went up 17-7, enough to withstand their very determined cross-state rivals.

There were no promises from his quarterback that he would get him a TD pass no matter what.

"He didn't [do that]," Rashid Williams said. "My mindset was I stepped out at the 2 or whatever and it was just run the ball down these guys' throats and get in the end zone."

He finished with 3 catches for 74 yards and that crucial scoring grab, the second of his career, with the first one also a 1-yard TD pass coming at Iowa in 2024.

Rashid Williams runs away from the WSU secondary as he tries to get into the end zone in the fourth quarter. | Dave Sizer phot

In the first quarter against WSU, Rashid Williams got wide open in the end zone for what would have been a 31-yard touchdown pass had his quarterback not got a little excited and airmailed the ball over his head.

The Huskies need this Williams, now more than ever. They lost new starter Christian Moss, the Kennesaw State transfer, to an injury early in the game and he never returned. There was no word on the extent of his health issue.

Williams, however, was in good shape, happy, feeling productive, hearing about it from his coach and his teammates.

"He played great the whole game -- Rashid was awesome today," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "I'm glad he was rewarded with a touchdown. The thought process going into the game was we were going to find in him different ways."

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