After a couple of tough tests in Big Ten play against Iowa and Minnesota, Rutgers football will open the month of October with a Friday night road game in Seattle against the Washington Huskies. Rutgers dropped a couple of nonconference contests in 2016 and 2017 to Washington, but the Scarlet Knights won their first game against UW in the thrilling blackout environment a season ago to open Big Ten play on a Friday night.
Despite being outgained 521-299 in yards, Rutgers executed in the red zone and
on third down, while the Huskies missed three field goals, were penalized in crucial moments, and went just 2-12 on third down. Even with the miscues, Washington rallied back to cut the lead to 21-18, but missed a 55-yard field goal attempt as time expired to a delirious and frenzied crowd in New Jersey.
Although the Scarlet Knights let Virginia Tech and Washington back into games they were in control of, Rutgers held on both times to advance to their first 4-0 record since the 2012 season. The Huskies went on to a 6-7 season, with a 35-34 Sun Bowl loss to Louisville. Washington went 6-0 at home, but just 0-5 on the road, plus a neutral-site Apple Cup loss to Washington State. This year, the game will be in Seattle, but more importantly, the Huskies’ roster will be upgraded from 2024, starting with the quarterback.
With Jedd Fisch returning for his second year as UW’s head coach, he will be starting Demond Williams at the game’s most important position. After Will Rogers delivered a decent but underwhelming year, Williams was tantalizing in limited action. During his two starts against Oregon and Louisville, Demond completed over 80% of his passes, provided the offense with another dimension through his running, and capped it off with a 400-yard performance in the Sun Bowl.
The offense returns star running back Jonah Coleman, who ran for over 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns in 2024, along with top receiver Denzel Boston, who had 834 yards and nine touchdowns. Joining Boston will be Penn State receiver Omari Evans and former Arizona transfer Kevin Green Jr, who missed all of last season with an injury. The offensive line struggled with pass protection, but added some of the top transfers in the portal, including big tackle Carver Willis from Kansas State and Gearian Hatchett from Oklahoma.
On defense, Fisch hired Ryan Walters, the former head coach at Purdue, as his defensive coordinator. Walters was outstanding during stints at Illinois and Missouri, and will look to improve a struggling unit that has often failed to complement an explosive offense. As with many teams, Washington went through a complete overhaul using the transfer portal.
The defensive line has brought in 350-pound nose tackle Simote Pepa from Utah to anchor the front, with talented tackle Jayvon Parker looking to have a bigger impact after suffering a torn Achilles in last year’s contest against Rutgers. Productive transfers Anterio Thompson and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei will bolster the line, with Uiagalelei making 70 tackles and having 4.5 sacks in three years at Arizona.
The outside linebackers will be expected to do a lot of pass rushing, and will return Russell Davis and Zach Durfee, both of whom were often injured this past season. On the inside, top tacklers Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala are off to the NFL, which brought in several transfers. Taariq Al-Uqdah, Xe’ree Alexander, and Jacob Manu are all transferring in from Power Four-level schools, bringing with them loads of experience and productivity in tackles, tackles-for-loss, sacks, and interceptions.
The secondary will be highlighted by Arizona transfer cornerback Tacario Davis, who broke up 21 passes and made 69 tackles over the last two seasons. Davis will play opposite Ephesians Prysock, who is known for his tackling ability and size at the corner position. Behind them are safeties Makell Esteen and Alex McLaughlin, who made 96 tackles with 5.5 sacks for Northern Arizona before transferring to the Huskies.
Washington has an over-under of 7.5 wins, with the team expected to improve over its 6-7 record last year. will start the season with three straight nonconference games. They will be favored significantly against Colorado State and UC Davis before a pivotal Apple Cup showdown at Washington State. A date with top contender Ohio State looms in late September, before Washington travels to Maryland and returns home for the Rutgers game on a short week.
With tougher games coming up against Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Oregon in the back half of the schedule, the Huskies will look to get revenge on Rutgers on their home turf and earn what could be their fifth win of the season. Washington boasts a revamped defense and an offense featuring Demond Williams at quarterback and many of their top weapons back in the lineup. Similarly, Rutgers brings back some of its top playmakers with Kaliakmanis at the helm and also boasts a defense led by transfer additions.
This game will conclude a pivotal three-game stretch for the Scarlet Knights, with their combined record against Iowa, Minnesota, and Washington likely being the difference between five and eight wins, assuming Rutgers plays the rest of the schedule as expected. If Rutgers can win even two of these three games, it will be in a good position for bowl eligibility with the schedule getting tougher, starting with the following week’s homecoming clash against the Oregon Ducks.
