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Inside The Huskies

3 Husky Objectives for Minnesota

The UW should be thinking pass rush, running Demond Williams and serving up a history lesson.
Dan Raley|
Jedd Fisch monitors the action from the sideline during the season opener.
Jedd Fisch monitors the action from the sideline during the season opener. | Dave Sizer photo

Throughout its history, when the University of Washington football team has played Minnesota, it's always been a big deal if not a milestone or a taxing moment.

Ninety years ago, the Gophers were the first Big Ten team to face the Huskies, beating them 14-7 in Seattle to open the 1936 season.

To hang out with Midwest football royalty, the UW had a small price to pay -- losing the first seven meetings to Minnesota.

The Huskies likewise made the Gophers pay for this newfound relationship when 25 years after the first meeting they upset No. 1-ranked Minnesota 17-7 in the 1961 Rose Bowl, thus sullying their national championship bid that was determined before the bowl games were played.

After near a 50-year gap in games between the schools, the UW and the Gophers will restart their college football rivalry on Saturday night at Husky Stadium. Here are three things to keep in mind:

1. PICK MINNESOTA'S POCKET

The Gophers depend on 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback Drake Lindsey, an Arkansas native, to run the offense. While he was a starter and a 2,382-yard passer in 2025, Mississippi State didn't respect him in their recent meeting. The SEC team went after Lindsey in its recent 38-13 win played at Minnesota by breaking down his pocket protection, sacking him twice and preventing an offensive touchdown.

It should be the Huskies' turn on defense. This could be UW freshman edge rusher Ramzak Fruean's coming-out party if he can get to Lindsey multiple times. He has a half sack to his credit so far and is looking for something more substantial to put on his pass-rushing ledger.

The Huskies also have a former Mississippi State defensive tackle in Kai McClendon and a Minnesota native in defensive tackle Elinneus Davis, who might try to meet at the quarterback.

2. TURN DEMOND LOOSE

While the overall UW run game slowly comes together, the Huskies simply should send a message to the rest of the Big Ten by unleashing dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr. for 100-plus rushing yards.

Dare the Gophers to stop him. Make them worry about him at all times. They couldn't contain Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, who got free for 86 yards rushing on 13 carries. Demond should be no different.

It's time to get Williams out in the open spaces as much as possible and see if he can surpass his career-best 136-yard rushing output against Rutgers in 2025.

Demond Williams Jr. goes airborne against Utah State.
Demond Williams Jr. goes airborne against Utah State. | Dave Sizer photo

3. WHO'S NO. 1?

If the home team is victorious, these modern-day Huskies should gather under the Husky Stadium south deck and point to the display affixed to it that advertises the UW as the 1960 national title team following its victory over Minnesota in the Rose Bowl.

Before that Pasadena game was played, the Gophers were declared the national champs in the Associated Press poll and no other vote was taken. It would be a good time to set the record straight.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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