Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) embraces Oregon counterpart Bo Nix (10) after the 2022 game at Autzen Stadium. Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

UW-Oregon Football Kickoff All Set, With NBC Televising the Action

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Nov 24, 2024 12:08 AM ET

The Big Ten has spoken: the Washington-Oregon football game will kick off next Saturday from Eugene at 4:30 p.m., with NBC televising the proceedings -- which means everyone will have to wait untiil things get real chilly and the sun begins to go down before learning whether freshman Demond Williams Jr. will be the Huskies' starting quarterback.

UW coach Jedd Fisch has vowed he won't reveal his QB choice -- between senior Will Rogers, the 11-game starter, or Williams, who would be making his college starting debut -- before the game begins.

Anything to build some suspense for for a match-up that could get out of hand, with the No. 1-ranked Ducks (11-0 overall, 8-0 Big Ten) hosting the rebuilding Huskies (6-5, 4-4), who haven't won a road game yet this season.

The Big Ten has advised us, officially, that our game at Oregon next Saturday will kick off at 4:30 p.m. PT, and will air on NBC television.
— Husky Football News (@HuskyFBNews) November 24, 2024

Williams has played in all 11 UW outings and replaced a slumping Rogers either at halftime or early in the second half of the past two games against Penn State and UCLA.

The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Williams, from Chandler, Arizona, gives the Huskies a better chance when they face a physical disadvantage up front, with his high-level speed and scrambling abilities able to create problems for opposing defenses.

The UW will head to Eugene with a 63-48-5 edge in the rivalry series, which includes three consecutive victories during the Kalen DeBoer era.

The Huskies-Ducks games, in fact, have been wildly entertaining as of late, with the UW taking a 37-34 victory in their last trip to Autzen Stadium, a 36-33 win at Husky Stadium on a missed Oregon field goal on the final play, and a 34-31 victory in the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas last December.

Before that, the Ducks took a 26-16 victory in Seattle in a 2021 game that led to the eventual firing of then-UW coach Jimmy Lake for shoving one of his players on the sideline that day, and presumably for losing, and the immediate dismissal of his offensive coordinator, John Donovan, because his offensive schemes didn't work.

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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