Game Information
Week: 7
Date: Friday, October 16, 2026
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Time: 8 PM EDT
TV: Fox
Head Coach – Jedd Fisch
Seasons at School (as head coach): 3
Overall Coaching Record: 32-33
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(’21 – ’23) Arizona: 16-21
(’24 – 25) Washington: 15-11
2025 Results
Overall Record: 9-4
Conference Record: 5-4
Colorado State: W – 38-21
USC Davis: W – 70-10
Washington State: W – 59-24
Ohio State: L – 6-24
Maryland: W – 24-20
Rutgers: W – 38-19
Michigan: L – 7-24
(23) Illinois: W – 42-25
Wisconsin: L – 10-13
Purdue: W – 49-13
UCLA: W – 48-14
Oregon: L – 14-26
Bowl Game – Boise State: W – 38-10
2025 Stat Leaders
Offense
Passing Yards: Demond Williams Jr. (Returning) – 3065
Touchdown Passes: Demon Williams Jr. – 25
Rushing Yards: Jonah Coleman – 758
Rushing Touchdowns: Jonah Coleman – 15
Receiving Yards: Denzel Boston – 881
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Receiving Touchdowns: Denzel Boston – 11
Total Touchdowns: Jonah Coleman – 17
Defense
Tackles: Alex McLaughlin (Returning) – 93
Sacks: Jacob Lane (Returning), Zach Durfee – 4
Tackles for Loss: Jacob Lane (Returning) – 8.5
Interceptions: Alex McLaughlin, Rahshawn Clark (Returning), Makell Esteen, Tacario Davis, Leroy Bryant – 2
2026 Key Players
Offense
Quarterback: Demond Williams Jr.
Offensive line: John Mills
Running back: Jayden Limar
Wide Receiver / Tight End: Dezmen Roebuck (WR), Decker DeGraaf (TE)
Defense
Defensive Line: Elinneus Davis
Linebacker: Jacob Manu
Secondary: Alex McLaughlin
2026 Media Predictions
7th out of 18 Big 10 Teams
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My Thoughts
I think Washington is better than their media prediction this year. Quarterback Demond Williams returns and is looking to build on his sensational sophomore season, which may be a tall task considering he threw for 3000 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for 611 yards and 6 touchdowns. Speaking of tall, it’s not a word that describes Williams at his listed 5’11”, 190 pounds, but he makes up for his lack of size by hitting high-percentage passes in rhythm and using his legs to get outside of the pocket, where he’s a threat to both run and deliver a pass on the run. Purdue’s defensive ends have to maintain their discipline when rushing Williams and try to collapse the pocket around him instead of flying off the edge and allowing him to break containment. He’s efficient in the pocket, but he’s dynamic when given a chance to operate in space. He’ll be one of the best quarterbacks Purdue faces this season.
The Huskies also boast an offensive line that returns 4 out of 5 starters from 2025. Massive 6’6″, 350-pound left guard John Mills and senior center Landen Hatchett, no small man himself at 6’3″, 315, give Williams the space he needs up the middle to operate and provide a road-grating tandem to run behind. In fact, the entire line looks like it made a wrong turn looking for the Seahawks game. Right guard Champ Taulealea is listed at a substantial 6’5″, 365, and right tackle Drew Azzopardi is 6’7″, 330. These husky, experienced gentlemen, along with Williams Jr. at quarterback, give this offense a rock-solid foundation.
Running back is a bit of a question mark, but it’s also one of the easier positions to fill in college football. They brought in junior running back Jayden Limar from Oregon out of the portal. The former 4* recruit has been part of a crowded Ducks backfield over the last three seasons, and while he’s appeared in 33 games, he only has 95 carries for 442 thus far in his career. His ability to catch the ball in addition to toting the rock should give him a leg up in the running back position. 4* freshman Brian Bonner could also be fully weaponized by this point in the season. He was considered the 7th-best running back in the 2026 class for a reason; if he gets to the second level untouched, there’s a high probability no one will touch him until he crosses the goal line. While this won’t be the most experienced group in the Big 10, I find it hard to believe someone doesn’t emerge running behind this line.
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Slot receiver Dezmen Roebuck was one of the best true freshmen in the Big 10 last season, pulling down 42 receptions for 560 yards and 7 touchdowns. He’s back for his second year and should be Williams’s safety blanket on third down. 6’3″, 200-pound Kennesaw State (by way of Virginia Tech) transfer Christian Moss gives them a big, athletic body on the outside, and like Brian Bonner at running back, incoming 4* wide receiver Jordan Clay could be up and running by this point in the season, giving Williams another big target on the outside with speed.
This offense has the potential to be one of the better units in the Big 10, but there are some questions on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive line was stout against the run last season but couldn’t generate a pass rush against the big boys in the conference. They’ll be looking for more out of returning defensive ends Jacob Lane and Isaiah Ward, along with a slew of portal additions who could end up grabbing one of these spots by this point if the returning group hasn’t shown improvement. Defensive tackle Davis Elinneus is yet another massive Husky at 6’3″, 320. He’ll eat a double team on most plays, opening things up for the linebackers and safeties to get downhill and make plays in the run game.
Speaking of linebacker, Arizona transfer Jacob Manu put up 116 tackles and 6.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2023 before getting his 2024 season cut short due to an injury and transferring to Washington. Manus’ 2024 injury followed him into 2025 and limited the former first-team All-Pac-12 defender to four games. It sounds like he’s back to full strength, and the Huskies are hoping he’s ready to recreate his 2023 season in 2026.
The secondary lost some talent to both the transfer portal and the NFL Draft and could be the defense’s pressure point. 2025 leading tackler Alex McLaughlin, however, does return and gives Washington another sure tackler in the run game. My guess is teams will want to throw the ball against this defense and see whether the two new starting corners can play up to the standard of Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock, both of whom are now playing in the NFL. They have some talent at corner, but I’d rather test them on the edge than run at their size and strength up the middle.
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Washington may be the best team outside of the Big 10’s big 3 of Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana (which is an absolutely crazy thing to type). If you’re looking for a Washington game to check out this season, their October 3rd game against USC in Los Angeles pits two former Pac-12 foes against each other in a battle for control of the second-tier teams in the Big 10. They finish the season with a home game against Indiana and a trip to Oregon.
If nothing else, Washington is positioned to be a spoiler in the Big 10 race, but Demond Williams Jr. and Washington have higher aspirations.
