As the Washington Huskies prepare to open Big Ten play against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will face a different challenge than he's seen in the first three weeks with quarterback Drake Lindsey.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound signal caller is a traditional pocket passer who has completed 65 percent of his attempts for 747 yards and 4 touchdowns with an interception through his first three games, as he receives some buzz as a potential 2027 NFL draft candidate.
However, one thing that Lindsey won't do is be a consistent threat outside the pocket, after quarterbacks have led Washington's opponents in rushing for each of the first three games in 2026.
"He reminds me a little bit of (now Seattle Seahawks QB) Drew Lock
when I was at Missouri," Walters said on Tuesday. "Big arm, can make all the throws, comfortable in the pocket, knows where his reads are, and who to spread the ball out to if his reads aren't there. Doesn't take a lot of sacks, and he's not afraid to check it down and get positive yards. He's a good quarterback."
As for the rest of Minnesota's offense, Lindsey is surrounded by talent, including left guard Greg Johnson, who has also been popular in NFL draft circles, and several promising wide receivers, led by Javon Tracy, who has 17 catches for 240 yards on the year, along with a pair of punt return touchdowns against Eastern Illinois in the Golden Gophers' season opener.
"Obviously, the talent on the roster is better," Walters said when asked how defending the Golden Gophers will be different from the non-conference slate. "They're big up front, work really well together, quarterback is a big, traditional pocket-type passer, gets the ball out on time. Wideouts are disciplined, run really good routes, good catch radius, and they do a good job of getting (yards after the catch) yards, extending plays, and breaking tackles."
"They are who they are schematically; they don't really deviate. They're throwing the ball a lot more than I remember in the past, but it'll definitely be a challenge."
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Minnesota offense presents new challenge for Washington football
