Three takeaways from Washington Huskies’ win vs. Purdue | Analysis
Washington offensive lineman John Mills shows how many the Huskies scored in the second quarter against Purdue on Sunday. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters downplayed his personal connections to Purdue, the team that fired him less than a year ago after two difficult seasons, all week.
“I’ve already had the reflection period as far as my time there,” he said Tuesday. “For us — for me personally — it’s another Big Ten game.”
But after beating the Boilermakers 49-13, including a scoreless first half, Husky coach Jedd Fisch was asked whether Walters particularly wanted to win this one against his former employers.
“I don’t think I’m going to answer that question,” Fisch said, before flashing a quick smile and shrugging. “Take a guess.”
Washington’s rout of Purdue clinched a winning season in Fisch’s second season on Montlake. UW’s seventh win of the season guarantees it will finish with an improved record from a year ago.
So here are three more takeaways from Washington’s commanding victory Saturday.
Evaluating the O-line again
Fisch has watched his offensive line shuffle throughout the season. After settling on an established first unit — sixth-year left tackle Carver Willis, true freshman left guard John Mills, junior center Landen Hatchett, sixth-year right guard Geirean Hatchett and junior right tackle Drew Azzopardi — the Huskies (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) have been forced to turn to contingency plans because of injuries.
Against Purdue, Azzopardi was unavailable because of a lower leg injury suffered against Wisconsin Nov. 8. Landen Hatchett wore a ball cast on his right hand — his normal snapping hand — for an injury he suffered against Illinois Oct. 25. He dressed and went through warmups but did not participate.
The Huskies deployed a new group versus the Boilermakers (2-9, 0-8). Willis remained at left tackle while redshirt freshman Paki Finau played left guard. Sophomore Zachary Henning replaced Landen Hatchett at center next to right guard Geirean Hatchett while Mills moved to right tackle. True freshman Champ Taulealea, UW’s highest-rated 2025 offensive line signee, also got his most significant playing time to date, spelling Geirean Hatchett for 32 snaps.
“We wanted to give Geirean a bit of a break and we wanted to get Champ rolling,” Fisch said. “We have high expectations of Champ and what he’s going to do for us.”
The group generally fared well against a Purdue defense that features two players — linebacker Mani Powell and edge rusher CJ Nunnally IV — who rank top-10 in the conference in tackles for a loss. The Huskies allowed just three pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Only one was credited to an offensive lineman, with Finau deemed responsible for one hurry. The other two pressures, including the lone sack surrendered, were given to sophomore running back Adam Mohammed.
Washington also rushed for 212 yards, its highest total since accumulating 324 yards rushing against FCS opponent UC Davis Sept. 6, and averaged 5.3 yards per carry despite senior running back Jonah Coleman (knee) being unavailable. Outside of Henning’s two early errant snaps, Fisch said mistakes were fairly limited.
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“I think the whole offensive line did a great job,” he said.
Audric Harris’ cameo appearance
It’s been a strange couple of seasons for Audric Harris. The sophomore wide receiver from Las Vegas transferred to Washington to follow Fisch and wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings from Arizona, where he enrolled early, before the 2024 season.
Harris appeared in eight games as a true freshman, burning his redshirt and making two catches for 17 yards. He played 72 offensive snaps and five special teams snaps, primarily appearing in brief moments to backup junior wideout Denzel Boston at the X-receiver spot.
Entering his true sophomore season, Harris was one of several options Washington tried at slot receiver. He moved back outside during fall camp after falling behind Penn State transfer Omari Evans and true freshman Raiden Vines-Bright, but was still behind sophomore Rashid Williams and true freshman Dezmen Roebuck.
But Washington’s wide receiver depth has been battered approaching the end of the season. Boston (ankle) missed his first game since 2023, while Williams (hand) is out for the year. Vines-Bright’s early exit against Purdue made Fisch and Cummings look down their bench, where they found Harris waiting.
Fisch said he’d previously decided to play Harris in just three games in 2025 to preserve the former Bishop Gorman High standout’s redshirt, saving him a year of eligibility and giving UW one extra game to insert Harris in if the situation required it. Harris played 42 snaps entering Saturday, making two catches for 10 yards, and hadn’t appeared since the 117th Apple Cup against Washington State Sept. 20.
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But Harris was ready when his name was called. With 1:40 remaining in the first half, he hauled in a 29-yard catch along the left sideline after a flea-flicker between sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and Mohammed.
His next catch was even more impressive. Harris lined up in a receiver stack behind Evans on the left side of the formation with 12:10 remaining in the third quarter. Sprinting up field, he sold Purdue cornerback Hudauri Hines with a head fake and ended up wide open deep down the field after safety Tahj Ra-El dropped down to cover Evans.
Demond Williams Jr. dropped a pass right into Harris’ hands, allowing him to score a 61-yard touchdown, his first career score and Williams’ career-long pass. Harris finished the game with 90 yards receiving.
If Fisch still plans to redshirt Harris in 2025, then the 6-foot, 190-pound wideout can’t appear in another game until the postseason. So if this was his final appearance of the regular season, it was certainly one to remember.
“He’s done a great job of being ready,” Fisch said. “We called upon him. We needed him. And he did a great job for us.”
Productive day for the pass rush
Washington’s 2025 defense has improved across most categories under Walters. They’re holding opposing teams to fewer points per game, fewer yards per game and significantly fewer yards rushing per game. The Huskies already have more interceptions with two games remaining than they did a year ago.
But the Huskies have struggled to convert pressure into sacks this season. Despite registering 163 pressures in 10 games, according to PFF, they have just 18 sacks. They currently rank 14th in the Big Ten in total sacks, slightly better than Michigan State (17 sacks) and Northwestern (16).
Against Purdue, Washington tied its season-high mark with three sacks — one each from fifth-year edge rusher Zach Durfee, sixth-year edge rusher Deshawn Lynch and senior defensive lineman Anterio Thompson. Six different players registered a tackle for a loss, led by junior linebacker Xe’ree Alexander who had 1.5 by himself. Lynch also added two more pass breakups. His six deflections are now tied for the team lead with senior cornerback Ephesians Prysock.
“I thought it was really nice to see the way our guys attacked the quarterback,” Fisch said, specifically singling out the play of Durfee and Lynch.
The Huskies also registered 23 pressures against the Boilermakers, their highest total in a Big Ten game this season. Junior defensive tackle Bryce Butler led the team with seven — five hurries and two quarterback hits — while Durfee had five. Four other Huskies had multiple pressures.
And Purdue, despite its winless conference record, had been good at protecting the quarterback. The Boilermakers entered Saturday having allowed just 16 sacks all season, 53rd nationally. A week ago, Purdue didn’t concede a single sack against No. 1 Ohio State, a defense that sacked Demond Williams Jr. six times earlier this season.
Now, UW has a chance to replicate its performance against a UCLA team that entered the weekend ranked 103rd nationally in sacks allowed.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.