Did UW’s thrashing of Purdue offer a glimpse into Huskies’ future?

Adam Mohammed scores on the one-yard run in the first quarter. The Purdue Boilermakers played the Washington Huskies in Big-Ten Football Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Husky Stadium, in Seattle. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)

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By Mike Vorel Seattle Times columnist

Between the first and second quarters Saturday, the lights went out at Husky Stadium. Attention turned to the video board beyond the east end zone, where Washington rolled a package of highlights through history. Myles Gaskin’s snowy 80-yard touchdown trot in the 2018 Apple Cup. Elijah Jackson’s leaping swat to turn back Texas in the 2024 Sugar Bowl. Don James’ heavy haul, lifting a single finger with one hand and the 1992 Rose Bowl trophy with the other.

Foo Fighters’ “There Goes My Hero” served as an appropriate soundtrack.

The Huskies have had more heroes than you can cram into a highlight tape.

But Washington’s 49-13 win over Purdue was not about the past. It was about the next round of hopeful Husky heroes.

Such as sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who rebounded from last week’s letdown loss against Wisconsin to complete 16 of 19 passes and throw for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Or blazing redshirt freshman Jordan Washington, who exploded along the sideline for a 68-yard score. Or 220-pound sophomore running back Adam Mohammed, who barreled forward for a trio of touchdowns. Or sophomore wide receiver Audric Harris, who coasted 61 yards untouched for his first career touchdown. Or freshman linebacker and Tacoma product Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, UW’s jewel recruit in the 2025 class, who snared his first career interception.

I could keep going. UW certainly did.

“A lot of young guys were playing, guys that had to step up. It was fun to watch,” said UW coach Jedd Fisch, after standout running back Jonah Coleman and wide receiver Denzel Boston sat out Saturday with injuries. “That’s how you build it. You build it with young guys.”

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The Huskies’ building blocks beat up on the Boilermakers.

A caveat: At 2-9, Purdue is terrible, limping pitiably to the finish line. The Boilermakers have not won a conference game in more than 700 days, trapped indefinitely in the Big Ten’s basement. A home win over Purdue does not solve the Huskies’ problems, nor does it undo last weekend’s nosedive.

This was not a statement about who the Huskies are but who they’d like to be.

It was, perhaps, a peek into the future. Though in the current era of college football, all futures are fragile.

In the current era of college football, Fisch could soon be calling plays at Florida or UCLA or (fill in imminent opening). Williams could be dodging tackles and dropping dimes basically anywhere he wants. An improving program could be pillaged and left for the crows.

In the current era of college football, fortunes are fleeting. Daring to dream is dangerous. The transfer portal beckons, a fickle temptress. Loyalty is broken by a bigger bottom line.

So, then, the question: Do you dare to dream?

“What we’re building right now is going to be phenomenal when the future comes,” said junior linebacker Xe’ree Alexander, who led the Huskies with eight tackles, a pair of fourth-down stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. “We’re letting all these young guys play right now. We’re developing them, and they’re going to be the best next season. I see that we’re going to be a great team next season. But right now, we’ve got to go 1-0 again this week.”

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On Saturday, Washington went 1-0 … and left a lot to like. Behind an offensive line that featured true freshmen at right tackle (John Mills) and right guard (Champ Taulealea), UW rushed for 212 yards, 5.3 yards per carry and five touchdowns. Williams completed 84% of his passes. Washington swiveled and sprinted for 108 yards and a touchdown on just five carries. True freshman wideout Dezmen Roebuck tacked on his fifth touchdown. UW’s building blocks paved over Purdue.  

Not that they’ll necessarily help the Huskies beat UCLA next weekend or No. 8 Oregon on Nov. 29. This is still a maddeningly inconsistent program that struggles to excel outside of Husky Stadium. It’s still a roster with depth deficiencies, specifically on both lines of scrimmage. It’s still a 7-3 team with a defined ceiling, unable (for now) to topple the Big Ten’s best.

But there’s a bigger picture here. There’s something to build on.

Fisch also knows the Huskies need more building blocks.

“I’m really excited about what our team’s looking like,” he said. “We’re going to have to continue to add with size in this conference. We were able to bring some size ins recruiting class. We’ll bring more size in the next one. We’ll continue to build out a Big Ten team, no longer a Pac-12 team.

“Those teams are going to have to carry the load on 60-play games, not 75-play games. They’re going to have to be more physical. They’re going to have to look a lot more like John Mills (6-6, 325) on the offensive line.”

Saturday’s win was not about the past and the parade of Husky heroes between quarters. Truthfully, it was not about the present, either.

It was about the future Fisch is trying to build. When they roll the highlight tape 10 years from now, what will we see?

Mike Vorel: mvorel@seattletimes .com. Mike Vorel is a sports columnist at The Seattle Times.