UW Huskies vs. Purdue: Keys to the game, how to watch and prediction

Washington (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) vs. Purdue (2-8, 0-7)

Kickoff: 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Husky Stadium

TV: FS1

Latest line (via ESPN Bet): Washington -15.5, Total 51.5

All-time series: Washington leads 7-2-1; Most recent meeting: 34-24 Purdue win on Dec. 31, 2002, Sun Bowl

UW key players: QB Demond Williams Jr.: 71.8% completions, 2,251 pass yards, 183 completions, 255 attempts, 15 pass TD, 5 INT, 108 carries, 489 rush yards, 4 rush TD; WR Dezmen Roebuck: 29 catches, 421 receiving yards, 4 receiving TD; S Alex McLaughlin: 68 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 2 INT, 4 PBU; EDGE Jacob Lane: 31 tackles, 7 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 2 PBU.

Purdue key players: QB Ryan Browne: 60.7% completions, 1,898 pass yards, 173 completions, 285 attempts, 9 pass TD, 8 INT, 60 carries, 185 rush yards, 4 rush TD; WR Michael Jackson III: 53 catches, 471 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD; LB Mani Powell: 94 tackles, 10 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 PBU, 1 forced fumble; DB Tahj Ra-El: 91 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 5 PBU, 1 fumble recovery.

Harris or Thomas? For the past two games, Purdue’s had two different leading rushers. The Boilermakers were led by senior Malachi Thomas, who had 15 carries for 68 yards during Purdue’s 21-16 defeat against No. 18 Michigan. Against No. 1 Ohio State, coach Barry Odom’s squad was led by sophomore Antonio Harris’ 45 yards rushing.

Leaning on Thomas and Harris wasn’t Odom’s plan. Fifth-year senior Devin Mockobee, a former walk-on running back who entered the 2025 season with 2,466 career yards rushing, was expected to spearhead the Boilermakers’ rushing game. But Mockobee suffered a season-ending ankle injury during Purdue’s Oct. 25 loss against Rutgers.

Thomas and Harris didn’t have much time to adjust to their new roles. Michigan has the Big Ten’s third-best run defense, allowing opponents just 86.1 yards rushing per game. Ohio State has the conference’s best run defense, giving up just 82.9 yards rushing per game.

Limiting Purdue’s running game is the best way to keep the Boilermakers out of a game. Northwestern, for example, shut Purdue out 19-0 despite allowing 218 yards passing because it limited the Boilermakers to 87 yards rushing. Ohio State, No. 17 USC and No. 9 Notre Dame all held Purdue below 100 yards rushing and won by comfortable margins. Michigan, Rutgers and Minnesota all allowed Purdue to tally more than 100 yards rushing and skated by on one-score margins.

Washington has the Big Ten’s fourth-best run defense, despite giving up 157 yards rushing to Wisconsin during its most recent game. The Huskies have held four opponents to 100 yards rushing or fewer, and allowed just 37 yards rushing during the second half against the Badgers after adjusting to its option offense.

Opportunities through the air: Purdue’s biggest defensive vulnerability this season has been its passing defense. Opposing teams have managed 252 yards passing per game against the Boilermakers. No Big Ten team is allowing more yards through the air than them.

Those numbers have only increased during Big Ten play, where they are allowing 283 yards passing per game. Even Illinois, which gave up 280 yards passing to sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. during Washington’s 42-25 win Oct. 25, is allowing fewer yards passing per game.

And Williams will be looking to rebound after compiling a season-low 134 yards passing against Wisconsin. It was just the second time he’s been held below 200 yards passing in 2025, and his 62.5% completion rate tied his lowest percentage this season – an out-of-character performance from a quarterback and an offense which enters Saturday as the conference’s fourth-best passing offense, averaging 257 yards through the air per game.

Of course, Williams may be without his favorite target against Purdue. Junior Denzel Boston (ankle) was considered questionable by coach Jedd Fisch on Monday. But the Huskies still have some options at wide receiver, including senior Omari Evans and true freshmen Raiden Vines-Bright, Dezmen Roebuck and Chris Lawson, even if Boston can’t participate.

Weather may also be a factor. There likely won’t be snow flurries whirling around Husky Stadium on Saturday like at Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium, but there may be some rain in the forecast. If it limits Washington’s pass game, the Huskies may be forced to run against a stout Boilermaker defensive front that’s allowing 151.3 yards rushing per game. Potentially without senior running back Jonah Coleman, who is questionable with a knee injury.

Close but no (victory) cigar: It’s been more than 700 days since the Boilermakers won a Big Ten game. On Nov. 25, 2024, Purdue – led by current UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters – defeated in-state rivals Indiana 35-31 to win the Old Oaken Bucket. Since then, the Boilermakers have lost 16 consecutive Big Ten games.

Just because the Boilermakers haven’t won a conference game, however, doesn’t mean they haven’t been close.

Purdue outgained Minnesota by 194 yards and led 20-13 after three quarters. However, the Golden Gophers tallied 14 unanswered points during the final period, and the Boilermakers failed to score on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line with 7:08 remaining to tie the game before running out of time on their final drive. Minnesota escaped with a 27-20 win.

Two weeks later, Purdue took another fourth-quarter lead against Rutgers when quarterback Ryan Browne found wide receiver Nitro Tuggle for a 14-yard touchdown and a 24-21 lead. The Scarlet Knights responded with a 73-yard drive and a game-tying field goal with one minute remaining.

The Boilermakers tried to be aggressive and reach field-goal territory, but Browne’s first pass of the drive was deflected back into his own hands. The Purdue signal caller tried to advance the ball, but then fumbled as the Rutgers defense swarmed him. The Scarlet Knights recovered, setting up Jai Patel’s game-winning 31-yard field goal as time expired to give Rutgers a 27-24 win.

Purdue trailed just 14-10 entering the fourth quarter against Michigan on Nov. 1. But after trading touchdowns – and the Boilermakers failing to score on a two-point conversion – the Wolverines converted four first downs and ate the final six minutes of clock before kneeling out the game on the Purdue 10-yard line.

So after all those close moments, and with No. 2 Indiana looming for Purdue’s final game of the season, the Boilermakers’ only real chance to end this season with a conference win requires beating the Huskies on Montlake – something only Ohio State has managed since Washington joined the Big Ten.

Andy Yamashita’s prediction: This game is interesting to me, personally, because I covered Odom in Las Vegas. I got to see, firsthand, how he transformed a directionless, uninspiring, UNLV program into one of the best Group of Six teams in the country. And while I think Odom can turn Purdue into a respectable Big Ten team again, he clearly needs more than one season to transform the Boilermakers.

Washington is at home, where it’s been nearly unbeatable under Fisch. Purdue will be making its longest road trip of the season. And even with some major contributors considered questionable for the Huskies, they will have a significant talent advantage.

My prediction for a Washington blowout against Wisconsin a week ago was very incorrect. But I can’t imagine anything else this weekend.

Prediction: Huskies 38, Boilermakers 17