Washington will have to go into Friday night without Demond Williams Jr., and that puts even more pressure on a Huskies offense that has already been scraping for answers. Williams is out because of a rib injury, and junior Elijah Brown is set to make the start against Purdue.
Brown’s path to this moment has been a winding one. A former four-star recruit from California, he spent his first two college seasons at Stanford before transferring to Washington during the offseason. He saw limited work with the Cardinal, but he did start a pair of games last season - including a win over Cal and a loss to North Carolina.
Across nine career appearances at Stanford, Brown completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 1,103 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also gotten some mop-up work in his first season with Washington, putting up 276 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 71.4 percent of his throws.
Washington needs that version of Brown to show up, because the passing game has been the main way the offense has moved the ball this year. The Huskies are averaging 26.2 points per game, which ranks 16th in the Big Ten, and the run game has been a major reason the offense has lagged.
The ground attack has been rough all season. Washington is averaging just 90.3 rushing yards per game, a mark that ranks 135th out of 138 teams nationally. The Huskies are also 106th in yards per rush at 4.06 and sit at 39.7 percent in rushing success rate.
Williams had been somewhat disappointing in 2026, but he still managed to make plays and get the ball into the end zone enough times to keep the offense afloat. That sort of stability matters even more now that Brown is being asked to step in on the road in conference play.
Brown did give Washington something to build on after Williams was injured against Iowa last week. He came on in relief and opened the second half 14-of-16, leading back-to-back touchdown drives against the Hawkeyes.
"Just trusting in the process," Brown said of his performance against Iowa. "Just trusting in the coach's plans.
I feel like they prepared us very well. That's pretty much it."
Whether that carries over against Purdue is the big question. Washington has reason to believe Brown can keep things moving efficiently, but there’s also the possibility that he hasn’t taken the step forward the Huskies need. If that happens, the offense could go from one-dimensional to having no dimension at all, and even Purdue’s subpar defense could make life hard for Washington.
If that’s the outcome, Jedd Fisch and his team would drop to 3-4 and remain winless in Big Ten play.
In Other News...
Purdues Surging Defense Faces Its Biggest Test Yet At Nebraska
No. 13 Purdue heads into Friday night with a defense that has steadily tightened and now leads the Big Ten in digs per set, a promising sign for a team trying to prove it can hang with the leagues elite. The Boilermakers have leaned on that improved back line while building confidence through a tough stretch of conference play, and the matchup at Nebraska offers a clear chance to measure just how far that progress has carried.
Nebraska brings a much different challenge, pairing one of the conferences most efficient offenses with a defense that has been just as difficult to crack. For Purdue, the task is not only about absorbing pressure but also sustaining the kind of disciplined, point-by-point resistance that has defined its recent surge. The numbers and the rankings suggest a heavyweight meeting, and the Boilermakers will learn plenty about their ceiling once the first serve goes over the net. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Has A Chance To Keep Its Surprise Run Rolling Friday
Purdues unexpected surge gets another spotlight Friday night when Washington comes to Ross-Ade Stadium for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX. The Boilermakers have already put together back-to-back wins, and this one offers another chance to keep momentum building in Big Ten play while the home crowd gets a prime-time stage.
Washington arrives still looking for its first conference win, adding a little more intrigue to a game that already has plenty of it. The Huskies are also dealing with a change under center, with Elijah Williams expected to handle quarterback duties to start the night, so Purdue will see a familiar sort of test: a conference opponent with something to prove and just enough uncertainty to make Friday feel bigger than the record might suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues First Real Clues On Matt Painters New Rotation Arrive Friday
Fridays exhibition against Ball State will be Purdues first real chance to sort through a reshaped roster and start answering the questions that always come with October basketball. With several changes on the team and a new-look lineup to evaluate, Matt Painter and his staff should use the opener to test combinations, see how the returning pieces fit with the newcomers, and get a better read on the groups spacing and perimeter shooting.
One of the more interesting variables is Enzo Shahrvin, who is expected to make his first competitive appearance for Purdue after being unavailable on the Canada trip. His role should be one of the first things worth watching, because how Painter deploys him could say plenty about the kind of frontcourt balance Purdue wants this season, and whether the staff starts leaning into bigger lineups or keeps pushing toward the floor-spacing looks it has been exploring. [Read more 🡒]