Instant impressions from Washington Huskies’ dominant win over Purdue

Purdue misses its defensive assignments and allows Washington’s Jordan Washington to slip past defenders and rush for a 68-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The Purdue Boilermakers played the Washington... (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)

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By Percy Allen Seattle Times staff reporter

The Huskies are back on track.

Without standout running back Jonah Coleman and receiver Denzel Boston, Washington had more than enough firepower to capture a 49-13 win and hand the Purdue Boilermakers their ninth straight loss.

The win gives Washington (7-3, 4-3 in Big Ten) and coach Jedd Fisch one more victory than last season with two conference contests and a bowl game remaining. Purdue fell to (2-9, 0-8).

Here are three impressions from the game.

Everything is good again on Montlake

The 36-point beatdown doesn’t erase last week’s 13-10 upset loss at Wisconsin, but the offensive explosion and defensive demolition eases concerns among worrisome UW fans for at least a week or two.

After managing just 251 yards (117 rushing and 134 passing) against the Badgers, the Huskies racked up 506 yards (212 rushing and 294 passing) against a hapless Boilermakers defense.

During the feel-good performance, Washington tallied its longest passing and rushing plays of the season. (More on that later.)

The last time the Huskies outclassed a conference opponent this badly, they thrashed Colorado 54-7 on Nov. 19, 2022.

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It was also Washington’s most lopsided league win since joining the Big Ten and topping last year’s 24-5 victory against Northwestern.

Where has he been?

Before Saturday night, redshirt freshman running back Jordan Washington appeared in six games while tallying 68 yards on 14 carries.

On one play, he equaled a season’s worth of production while simultaneously introducing himself to Husky fans who were unfamiliar with the 5-foot-11, 185-pound speedster from Long Beach, Calif.

Midway in the second quarter, Washington took a handoff and ran off tackle on the right side where he froze Myles Slusher with a stutter step before cutting right while the Boilermakers cornerback stumbled to the ground.

Washington sprinted ahead of the pack and out ran Purdue safety Tahj Ra-El for a 68-yard touchdown scamper that drew a roar from the Husky Stadium crowd.

It was UW’s longest play of the season and the longest run for the Huskies since Salvon Ahmed dashed 89 yards in 2019.

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Washington finished with a career-high 108 rushing yards on just five carries.

No Denzel, no problems?

It was fair to wonder if the Huskies would be able to throw the ball downfield without Boston who sat out due to an ankle injury. He leads UW in catches (52), receiving yards (730) and touchdown receptions (eight).

However, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. connected with seven different receivers. He had seven passes that went 25 yards or longer to five different pass catchers.

After compiling just 14 yards on the first two drives, Williams hooked up with receiver Omari Evans for a gorgeous 43-yard reception.

Evans got a step on Boilermakers cornerback Hudauri Hines and despite tight coverage used his left hand to haul in the throw while crashing to the ground at the Purdue 19.

Early in the third quarter, sophomore receiver Audric Harris eluded Hines on an out-and-up route and ran freely to haul in a long pass from Williams a 61-yard touchdown reception.

Before Saturday, Harris had two catches for 10 yards in three games this season.

It was the longest pass for Washington since Michael Penix completed a 92-yard reception to Ja’Lynn Polk against Stanford on Oct. 28, 2023.

Williams finished with 257 yards on 16-of-19 passing.

Percy Allen: pallen@seattletimes .com. Percy Allen is a sports reporter for The Seattle Times, where he writes about the University of Washington Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams and the Seattle Storm.