Commentary: Washington Huskies’ progress isn’t pretty, but it’s still progress

PASADENA, Calif. – If a season could be summarized in one single play, it would be this one for UCLA.

With 1 minute, 56 seconds left in the first half on Saturday, the Bruins lined up for a 46-yard field goal. They already trailed Washington 13-0, with a pair of fumbles preceding Huskies field goals. They already completed a Senior Day ceremony in a cavernous, uncrowded stadium peppered with purple. They already fired head coach DeShaun Foster after falling to 0-3, before welcoming Washington nine weeks later.

They already wilted long before Saturday’s 48-14 loss.

But with a fateful flip, it would get worse.

After catching the snap, UCLA holder Cash Peterman flipped it over his head, intending to hit kicker Mateen Bhagani for a fourth-and-15 fake. Instead, the ball airmailed Bhagani, bounced on the ground and was scooped up by UW safety Alex McLaughlin, who comically coasted for a 59-yard touchdown.

“I had never run that far before, so I didn’t really know I was gone,” said McLaughlin, who scored his second touchdown of the season. “I was just making sure I got in the end zone.”

It was both a disaster of a fake field goal and a fitting symbol for a sunk season.

The game, like the play, wasn’t pretty.

For Washington, progress isn’t pretty. It’s progress anyway.

This win wasn’t perfect, but it was progress, considering the circumstances – Jedd Fisch’s 2-9 record away from Husky Stadium entering Saturday, and UW’s nine losses in its last 10 tries at UCLA. This team needed to prove it could pummel an inferior opponent on the road, outside of Seattle, after failing to do so repeatedly under Fisch. It needed to prove the 13-10 nosedive at Wisconsin was an aberration, not a preview.

Heck, the Huskies needed to prove they could win in the Rose Bowl, period, regardless of the battered Bruins standing on the other side.

Check. Check. Check.

It wasn’t pretty when UW quarterback Demond Williams Jr. completed just 8 of 15 passes for 55 yards and an interception in an ugly first half. Or when freshman Dezmen Roebuck’s fumbled fourth-quarter punt return turned into a UCLA touchdown. Or when UW went just 4 for 11 on third down, struggling for consistency without a healthy Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston. Or when Washington finished with a single sack and three tackles for loss.

But try to see past the smudges. Williams rebounded to toss two touchdowns, while also running for a 25-yard score. Sophomore running back Adam Mohammed touched triple digits for the first time in his career, chugging for 108 yards and 5.1 yards per carry. UW’s defense allowed UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava to pass for just 69 yards, held the Bruins to 2.6 yards per carry and forced a trio of turnovers.

On Friday, Fisch put a purple ribbon tied around a red rose on each of his players’ pillows.

On Saturday, UW did what it needed to do. Washington didn’t wilt.

“It’s super important,” said Williams, when asked about the ability to take care of business on the road. “We harped on it all week in practice, understanding that playing on the road is difficult, and the history that we have playing here. Understanding that coming into the game and just being able to execute when we get the opportunity (was important).”

Added Fisch: “We treat this game like a Rose Bowl championship game whenever you pull up into this stadium.”

The Huskies’ progress isn’t pretty – both on Saturday and in Fisch’s second season. Fans were rightfully frustrated by the loss at Wisconsin, which stunningly submarined the Huskies’ playoff hopes. At times, they’ve been maddeningly inconsistent, and failed to meet the moment against Ohio State and Michigan. Williams, too, has teetered between electric and erratic in his first full season as the Huskies’ starter.

But, big picture, this team has improved. After finishing 6-7 in Fisch’s debut, UW secured its eighth win on Saturday. The Huskies recaptured the Apple Cup and earned their first two Big Ten road wins. They entered the game ranked 21st nationally in total defense (313.7 yards allowed per game) in UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ debut.

Of equal importance, the Huskies have 21 verbal commits (and counting) in a 2026 class that currently ranks 13th in the nation by 247Sports.

While Kalen DeBoer delivered instant, transcendent success, Fisch is attempting to build a sustainable foundation and future. This is methodical momentum. There are no miracles here.

You’re welcome to want more. More than the Holiday Bowl or the Las Vegas Bowl or the LA Bowl, wherever the good-but-not-great Huskies might wind up. More than solid standing in the Big Ten’s second tier. More than an opportunity to play playoff spoiler against rival Oregon on Saturday. More than a nerve-wracking dice roll on the road. More than the flawed, imperfect progress Fisch has produced.

But not all progress is pretty, and Fisch’s team is taking positive steps.

In fact, McLaughlin took a bunch of them, into the end zone.