Spring Game Was Defensive And Robinson Showcase

The University of Washington Spring Game brought a month of practices to a close on Friday night in a most predictable manner, with defense generally having the upper hand under overcast skies before a modest crowd at Husky Stadium.

With the usual starters evenly dispersed between the two sides, the Purple team quarterbacked by Demond Williams Jr. emerged with a 27-10 victory that included a combined four touchdowns -- two on defensive returns, one for each saide -- and a point system not fully explained.

On the third series, the first points of the 105-minute scrimmage came on an end-zone recovery of a muffed punt by freshman Mason James, with sophomore cornerback Dylan Robinson falling on the ball one yard beyond the goal line for the White team.

He would not be the only Robinson to come up with defensive points in this defensive standoff that gave up just one long-distance offensive play for a score.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Donovan Robinson, no relation, finished off the Spring Game scoring early in the fourth quarter when he intercepted a flat pass by freshman Derek Zammit and returned it 36 yards unheeded for a touchdown for the Purple team.

"Dylan Robinson will be an elite player for us, obviously starting at corner," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "Donovan Robinson is redshirt freshman that is learning from probably four of the better linebackers around. I'm not expecting this to be the year of the Robinson touchdowns."

Still, these Robinsons were so involved in the action throughout Dylan intercepted a tipped Williams pass right before scoring his defensive touchdown early on and Donovan dropped a fourth-quarter Zammit pass that would have put him in the end zone a second time had he hung on to it.

Either way, thanks to these Robinsons, the Husky offense came away needing a lot of work between now and the Sept. 5 season opener against WSU in the Apple Cup to make this a Top 25 team.

James, the first-year wide receiver from Norman, Oklahoma, found out about the Husky Stadium air currents in an unforgiving manner. He couldn't quite get under a Luke Dunne at his own 10 and watched in horror as the ball deflected off his shoulder as he backpedaled and kept bouncing to the end zone.

Dylan Robinson, coming down in coverage in a full sprint, caught the ball on a bounce and it was 7-0 for the White team at 3:35 of the opening quarter.

Rashid Williams hauls in a 43-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. | Dave Sizer photo

The only quick-strike offense came midway through the second quarter when Williams found Rashid Wiilliams on post pattern covering 43 yards -- Williams to Williams -- as the junior wide receiver got open with a couple of steps on freshman Jeron Jones and Dylan Robinson. That knotted the game at 10-10.

Not real sharp to begin, Demond Williams Jr. missed on 4 of his first 5 passes. Playing just a half, he finished with 4 completions in 8 attempts for 69 yards with an interception and that deep score.

To open the second half, the Purple put together the only lengthy offensive push of the evening with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that ended with redshirt freshman Julian McMahan diving into the end zone from 1 yard out on a fourth-and-goal play.

The Purple team gathers around quarterback Demond Williams Jr. as he calls the play. | Dave Sizer photo

Four plays into the next possession, Donovan Robinson, a former high school safety from Chicago, made a perfect break on Zammit's sideline pass and made the young quarterback from New Jersey pay for this mistake.

Naturally, the Spring Game had its choreographed and weird moments with sophomore tight end Baron Naone throwing a pass that was intercepted by sophomore safety Paul Mencke Jr. and Dunne, the punter, attempting a 43-yard field goal that he topped and missed badly.

Running back Jordan Washington, out with a neck injury, was a Spring Game spectator. | Dave Sizer photo

The longest run of the night for the Huskies' depleted running-back corps came from walk-on Beck Walker who got free on a 31-yard run in which he bounced off Donovan Robinson just beyond the line of scrimmage and kept going.

Jordan Washington, who entered the spring as the No. 1 back, was a spectator wearing a neck brace from his practice injury that ended his spring.

The Huskies now take three months off, get people healthy and hopefully put together an offense that has a little more kick to it.

"When you put out that [defensive] 11, that's a challenge to go against and you have to be on top of your game to be able to do that," Fisch said.

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