After redshirting as a true freshman in 1995, Huard was placed into a competition with Mukilteo's Shane Fortney for the starting quarterback position in the spring. Fortney won the starting job because the coaching staff did not consider Huard to be the more talented quarterback. Huard saw his first career action in the opener of the 1996 season at Arizona State, led by senior quarterback Jake Plummer. Huard entered the sweltering night game with Washington down by 21 points and rallied his team to a tie (though ASU won with a late field goal). The next week Huard saw action again after Fortney was injured in what seemed like garbage time against BYU. From there, Huard remained as the starting quarterback and led the Huskies (along with a strong offensive line and Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year running back Corey Dillon) to an record the rest of the regular season. While not spectacular in his first year as a starter, Huard showed glimpses of the talent that had made him one of the most highly recruited QBs in the nation two years prior. As a result of internal conflict related to Huard's elevation to the starting position, Fortney transferred to Northern Iowa following the 1996 season.