Coming into the 2026 season, Purdue was picked to finish last in the Big Ten by the AP. Unlike Washington, Purdue has vastly exceeded expectations so far this season which turned a potential easy conference victory for Washington into a game it will have to play very well to win.
Last week, the Boilermakers (3-3, 2-1 Big Ten) announced to the world that they were for real with a 41-13 blowout against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a team the Huskies (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) lost to at home three weeks ago.
Like Minnesota, handling Purdue comes down to establishing the run on offense and stopping it on defense. For the first five weeks of the season, Purdue ranked among the bottom of the league in both categories, but it looks like Washington is catching a team hitting its stride at the wrong time.
Walters with extra to prove
For UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, this matchup is an opportunity to bounce back from a disappointing defensive performance and prove that Friday’s result against Iowa was just a one-off.
“Since I’ve been here we haven’t played like that,” Walters said. “So the guys are chomping at the bit to get back out there.”
Walters has another sense of motivation to turn around his group as well. The former Purdue head coach was fired in 2024 after just two seasons at the helm and a 5-19 record with a 1-11 campaign in 2024.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t different, I can give the whole coach cliche and say it’s just another game, but there [are] different feeling, I don’t really know how to describe it because it’s different, it’s unique,” Walters said. “There’s good and bad experiences there and you’re going to a place that’s familiar with [me] competing against some familiar faces.”
Resurgent running game
Purdue still ranks 15th in rushing yards per-game and 16th in stopping the run, but on Saturday against Minnesota it looked like the best team in the conference in both aspects.
The Boilermakers allowed just 27 rushing yards on 13 carries for a team that gashed the Huskies for 125 yards. Purdue also ran the ball for a staggering 305 yards including 195 yards and three scores from Fame Ijeboi.
“That running back is a very good running back, much like we’ve seen the past three weeks,” Walters said. “So we definitely have our work cut out for us.”
Ijeboi leads the conference in carries with 117 and total touches with 130. If Washington can contain the sophomore running back, it eliminates a huge part of the Purdue offense.
Veteran QB
Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Browne has stuck out the last three seasons with Purdue where it had a combined record of 7-29. But in 2026, it looks like the arduous road has paid off for the veteran.
Through six games Browne has thrown for 1549 yards and nine touchdowns to just one interception. Browne ranks third in the Big Ten in passing yards and fourth in completion percentage.
Washington has been adequate against the pass so far this year, ranking eighth in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed per-game. Against Purdue, just adequate won’t cut it.
Purdue’s two leading receivers present different challenges for Washington as well. Asaad Waseem is Purdue’s deep threat. Waseem is seventh in the conference in receiving yards with 472 and ranks eighth in yards per-reception is 16.3. Xavier Townsend is Purdue’s intermediate threat. His 29 receptions are tied for ninth in the conference.
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