College Football’s Best-Kept Secret: Demond Williams Jr. Is a Nightmare to Defend

Among the jinn arrived a jewel.

That jewel is Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who could rise to the top of the Heisman Trophy race if he continues his high-level production against Michigan on Saturday. With his electric playmaking, he's already drawing comparisons to NFL stars Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson

In more than 154 years of college football, only 16 players have thrown for at least 400 yards and rushed for at least 100 non-sack yards in a single game. What's more, only two players have thrown for at least 400 yards and rushed for at least 140 non-sack yards in a single game. One of those players is Williams. The other is Jackson.

Williams has thrown for 1,628 yards through six games, averaging more than 10 yards per pass attempt with a 74.1 % completion rate. He has rushed for 382 at 5.2 yards per rush if we include sacked yards. He has accounted for 20 touchdowns and thrown just one interception. For context, in Murray's Heisman-winning season, he threw for 1,764 yards, completed 71.1% of his passes, rushed for 377 yards at 6.2 yards per carry and threw three picks.

Williams' numbers are there, and so are the physical gifts that make him so exciting to watch — and terrifying to defend. The only team that managed to keep him from looking like a kid at recess after downing a two-pound bag of Skittles and a two-liter of soda was Ohio State — and they did it by treating his talent with the respect it demands.

Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia made the comparison without anyone needing to ask.

"That first-step quickness that he has and his ability to get to top speed — it's explosive," Patricia said. "It's fast. He's quick. He gets out of the pocket, and he's got a really strong live arm.