Novig pricesWashington sticks with Demond Williams Jr. at QB for Michigan State trip despite injury tag
Jedd Fisch says Demond Williams Jr. gives Washington its best chance to win and will start at Michigan State, with Elijah Brown behind him.
Washington coach Jedd Fisch has settled the question hanging over his quarterback room. As long as Demond Williams Jr. and Elijah Brown are both healthy, Williams is the starter, and that includes Saturday's game at Michigan State. Fisch laid out his reasons at his Thursday press conference, as Roundtable Sports reported.
The decision comes after a month of shuffling. Williams fractured a rib in the 41-24 loss to Iowa on Oct. 9. Brown, the Stanford transfer, came on and threw three second-half touchdown passes in that game. He then started and won at Purdue, 38-26. Brown also started at Nebraska, but Williams replaced him in the fourth quarter and led the go-ahead drive in a 17-10 win. Williams got the start last week against Penn State. He opened slowly, then helped the Huskies score 19 straight points in the second half before they lost 28-25.
Fisch pointed to the plays Williams can make on the move: a two-point conversion, third-down runs and throws on sprint-outs late against Nebraska and Penn State. He said nothing about the Penn State game suggested Williams didn't give the Huskies "the best chance to win last week." He also said the offense has to start faster.
On the season, Williams has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 1,667 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions in eight appearances, and he has 254 rushing yards. Brown has completed 70.7 percent for 774 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He has played all four quarters only once.
The Big Ten availability report adds a complication. Huskies Wire noted that Williams was listed as questionable on Wednesday, though he hadn't appeared on the report before the Penn State game. The outlet suggested the rib could still be bothering him, or the listing could be gamesmanship to make Michigan State prepare for two very different quarterbacks. Safety Alex McLaughlin, defensive tackle Elinneus Davis and edge rushers Logan George, Devin Hyde and Isaiah Ward were also listed as questionable.
What it means in East Lansing
Washington is 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten, so one more win makes the Huskies bowl eligible. Their last four losses came by 3, 4, 17 and 3 points. Penn State and Minnesota both beat them by a field goal or less. Before the Penn State loss, Washington had won two straight on the road, and the offense has scored more than 25 points only once in its past five games.
Michigan State is 3-6 and 1-5 in conference play under first-year coach Pat Fitzgerald, according to its season record. The Spartans lost six straight before winning 15-6 at Michigan last week. Three of those losses came by a combined five points.
On this site's board, Washington is favored by 3.5 points across 12 venues. Novig has the Huskies at -156 on the moneyline, and the best price anywhere is -155 at theScore Bet, so the two are almost identical. Michigan State is +153 on Novig. On the spread, BetRivers has the Spartans at +4 for -115, compared with +3.5 at -106 on Novig. The total is 44.5 on Novig, and Hard Rock Bet lists 43.5. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 3.0 to 6.5 percent. Those prices treat Washington as a modest favorite, and its close games this season fit that view. The game kicks off Saturday on BTN.