Minnesota’s first Big Ten test of the season comes with a look at a Washington roster that has talent, injuries and a few moving parts all at once.
The Huskies return home Saturday night for a 10 p.m. central kickoff, opening league play against the Gophers. Washington is making it four straight home games to begin the season, while Minnesota is heading on the road for the first time.
The Huskies were picked 17th nationally and sixth in the 18-team Big Ten before the year, but they’ve still opened 3-0 despite some early setbacks. Their wins have come against Washington State, 24-10, Utah State, 16-14, and Eastern Washington, 48-16.
Minnesota enters at 2-1, with its lone loss coming against undefeated Mississippi State.
The headliner for Washington is quarterback Demond Willams Jr., who has been efficient and productive through three games. He has completed nearly 71 percent of his throws, is averaging 36 passes per game, and has already piled up 890 passing yards with five touchdowns and one interception.
He’s also added 150 rushing yards on 25 carries. In his career, Demond has thrown for 38 touchdowns against ten interceptions and rushed for 1,043 yards and nine scores.
On the defensive side, Alex McLaughlin has been a major piece. The safety, a returning starter in his fourth year who began his college career at Northern Arizona, has a 90.2 PFF rating and has been considered one of the nation’s elite safeties through the first three weeks. He already has two sacks, two interceptions, two passes deflected, one forced fumble and 20 solo tackles.
Washington’s preseason All-Big Ten group on offense starts with Dezmen Roebuck, a 5-foot-11 sophomore receiver who earned third-team preseason honors after a freshman season that included 42 catches for 560 yards and seven touchdowns. He has 23 receptions for 221 yards this season, including nine catches for 121 yards last weekend. Tight end Decker DeGraaf, a 6-foot-4 junior and another preseason third-team selection, has eight catches this year after making 32 grabs a season ago.
The Huskies’ offensive line has been part of the concern, especially with Landen Hatchett still uncertain. The senior center and preseason third-team All-Big Ten pick has not played yet this season, though Washington hopes to have him back for this weekend.
His status remains up in the air. John Mills has been one of the steadier pieces up front.
The left guard started as a true freshman last year, earned preseason All-Big Ten recognition this offseason and was the highest-graded true freshman offensive lineman in the country at 80.2. He’s been one of the few bright spots on an offensive line that has struggled through three games.
Hunter Green gives Washington a decorated specialist on defense. The punter, a fourth-year player on his third school after stops at Northern Arizona and San Diego State, is listed at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds.
He has punted 12 times this season and is averaging nearly 46 yards per kick. Elinneus Davis, a fourth-year defensive tackle from Moorhead, Minnesota, was injured in the opener against Washington State and has not played since, though he is expected back against the Gophers.
He entered the year as a preseason All-Big Ten fourth-team selection. Linebacker Jacob Manu, a fifth-year player and Arizona transfer, was a preseason second-team All-Big Ten pick after earning first-team All Pac 12 honors in 2023.
Injuries slowed him down last season, but he has 22 tackles, 15 of them solo, plus 1.5 sacks so far this year.
Washington’s transfer class has also been hit hard by injuries. Kolt Dieterich, the highest-rated transfer to the program from Sam Houston, arrived as an offensive tackle but has been forced into the center role in place of Hatchett.
He has never played center before, so the adjustment has included learning the timing of blocks on the fly. Running back Jayden Limar, the second-highest ranked transfer, came over from Oregon after rushing for 252 yards there last season, but he is out for a couple of months.
Fellow backs Quaid Carr and Jordan Washington are also sidelined for a couple of months, with Carr and Washington set to be re-evaluated in November. Those three are described as Washington’s most talented backs.
At receiver, Christian Moss was the third-highest rated transfer, arriving from Kennesaw State, but he also won’t be back for at least a couple of months and will be re-evaluated in November. He was expected to start alongside Roebuck and Rashid Williams, but only Roebuck is healthy. Williams was hurt against Washington State and is week to week, which means two of the Huskies’ top three wideouts are currently out.
One more name to track is Kodi Greene, the true freshman left tackle. A five-star recruit out of California, he was the nation’s 27th-ranked recruit and the fourth-best tackle prospect in the country.
With Dieterich sliding to center because of Hatchett’s injury, Greene has been starting at left tackle. He’s had some rough patches there as a young player, though he was better against Eastern Washington.
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