The Washington Huskies returned to Husky Stadium Saturday, eager to put their road blues behind them against the Purdue Boilermakers. Washington played without starting WR Denzel Boston, C Landen Hatchett, and RT Drew Azzopardi, due to injuries. RB Jonah Coleman did participate in the game despite being available in the pregame injury report. With a beat-up offense taking the field against the Boilermakers, the Dawgs’ defense delivered a strong performance, and offensive backups stepped up big.
The Huskies’ defense leads the way early
After a fumbled snap on their first drive, the Dawgs’ defense had to defend a short field. Purdue had the ball first and 10 at Washington’s 42. The Husky defense responded by forcing a three-and-out. The Huskies’ offense sputtered and punted after just three offensive plays, putting the defense back on the field.
Washington’s defense came up with a big stop on fourth and two at the 38. The Husky found its rhythm on the next drive when QB Demond Williams connected with WR Omari Evans on 43 43-yard pass play that placed the ball at the Boilermakers 19 19-yard line. Five plays later, running back Adam Mohammed scored from the one yard to give the Dawgs an early 7-0 lead. The defense forced another fourth-down stop on the Boilermakers’ next offensive possession. Purdue running back Antonio Harris was tackled by Xe’ree Alexander for a two-yard loss on fourth and 1 at the Huskies 37 37-yard line.
Huskies WR Raiden Vines-Bright suffers a scary injury
A scary moment occurred on Washington’s next offensive possession when WR Raiden Vines-Bright was hurt on a screen pass trying to split two defenders after making the catch. Vines-Bright was conscious but lay motionless on the turf. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher and into an ambulance as medical teams surrounded him. Later, it was reported that Vines-Bright was responsive and able to move his extremities which was a good sign
Washington’s defense finishes the first half strong
The Huskies dominated the second quarter, with more great play from their defense. Freshman LB Zaydrius Rainey-Sale also came away with his first career interception. DL Deshawn Lynch and DL Anterio Thompson each had a sack, as the Dawgs stuffed the Boilermakers. Washington’s defense allowed just 103 total yards (allowing just 3.3 yards per play) and pitched a shutout in the first half.
The Huskies running backs run wild
Although the Huskies played without Coleman, their backup running backs stepped up in his absence. Mohammed punched in two more touchdowns from the goal line and finished the first half with 50 yards rushing. Jordan Washington broke a big 68-yard touchdown run and led the team in rushing for the half with 84 yards. The Huskies’ ground game helped them cruise to a 28-0 halftime lead over Purdue. Head coach Jedd Fisch was proud of the way his running backs stepped up tonight:
“We’re counting on Adam to be a great back and go through this progression. And this is an opportunity that he had 17 carries today, which was pretty awesome. Obviously finding the end zone three times, pretty cool…We knew when Jordan made the first guy miss, and there was no catching him. So that was fun to watch”, said Fisch.
Adam Mohammed finished the game with 59 yards rushing on 17 carries and three touchdowns. He filled in nicely for Jonah Coleman, who missed today’s game due to injury. The Huskies decided not to play Coleman after testing his knee before the game. Jordan Washington finished with 108 yards rushing on five carries and had his first career touchdown. He was the first Husky running back to run for over 100 yards since week two.
QB Demond Williams gets in the act in the second half
Demond Williams used his feet and accurate passing to lead a balanced attack. Williams hit WR Audric Harris with a perfect pass on a seam route for a 61-yard touchdown pass. Williams later connected with WR Dezmen Roebuck near the goal line for a two-yard touchdown throw. He finished the game 16 for 9, with 257 yards passing and two passing touchdowns.
The Huskies’ balanced offensive attack leads them to victory
Coming into this game, Washington was looking to lighten for Williams. The Huskies did that today with a balanced attack on offense:
“We were able to have the balance of run and pass, and did not have to rely on Demond’s legs. Because their way of defending our running game was by defending Demond, and making him hand the ball off. Us being able to break some of those runs are the difference makers in the game. Passing wise, I think we’re, we don’t have to throw it as much as I’ve had to in the past. I mean, we called 22 passes today. Maybe we called 27, scrambled five times. It’s kind of fun to be able to mix and match and be able to not feel that you’re in a position where you have to throw to win”, said Fisch.
Washington’s running backs ran for 197 yards combined on 27 carries. The Huskies’ offensive line also deserves praise. Zach Henning filled in at center for Landen Hatchett, and John Mills at right tackle for Drew Azzopardi. Overall, the offensive line did a fantastic job opening up running lanes for each of the Huskies’ running backs. Due to the success of Washington’s running game, Demond Williams only ran the ball seven times and threw the ball 19 times. The Huskies scored five touchdowns on the ground and two through the air to defeat Purdue 49-13.
Washington’s defense turns in a sound performance
Defensively, the Dawgs did not allow a point until midway through the third quarter, when Purdue kicked a field goal. The Boilermakers’ offense was just 5 for 14 on third down and were 1 of 3 on fourth down. The Huskies held Purdue to just 13 points, had three sacks, and six tackles for loss. Linebackers Xe’ree Alexander and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale each had big games. Alexander tied a team-high with eight tackles and 1.5 TFLs. Rainey-Sale picked up his first career INT and had six tackles. The Dawgs will rely on their defense again next week, when they play UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
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