Huskies Find More Than Enough Replacement Parts to Pound Purdue

On a misty and chilly Saturday in Montlake, Husky Stadium turned into a Roosevelt Way auto repair shop -- it hosted a game that was all about replacement parts.

The University of Washington football team went up on the rack and swapped out its wheels. The front bumper. Both side mirrors.

After losing four starters to injuries from the previous game, and trading out a couple more during this outing, the Huskies still found more than enough firepower to pull away from Purdue 49-13 at a stadium that was just two-thirds full at best.

An injured Jonah Coleman greets Adam Mohammed after his teammate scored against Purdue. | Dave Sizer photo

Adam Mohammed, a sophomore running back making his first career start in place of senior Jonah Coleman, got the UW (7-3 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) moving in the right direction with three short touchdown runs in the opening half.

"It felt great, coming off the bench," said Mohammed, who rushed 17 times for 59 yards as a first-teamer. "I just went out there and produced."

Behind Mohammed was redshirt freshman Jordan Washington, who preferred something a little quicker and longer in reaching the end zone. He snapped off a 68-yard scoring run -- his first career Husky TD and his team's longest rush of the season -- midway though the second quarter.

The 5-foot-11, 18-5 Washington led all rushers with 108 yards on just five carries. His previous best was 33 yards against UC Davis early in the season.

"We knew when Jordan made the first guy miss, nobody was going to catch him," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "It was fun to watch him."

The Huskies actually used four running backs in all, giving freshman Quaid Carr his first varsity action and a run for 8 yards, and freshman walk-on Ryken Moon, Warren's son, got 4 rushes for 22 yards.

Jordan Washington breaks away from Purdue on a 68-yard scoring run. | Dave Sizer photo

By the third series of the game, Mohammed and Washington were alternately running behind a line that was barely recognizable and consisted of, from left to right, senior Carver Willis, redshirt freshman Paki Finau, sophomore Zach Henning, freshman Champ Taulealea and freshman John Mills.

Only Willis was in his usual spot at left tackle on game day, with Mills moving from his usual spot at left guard to right tackle.

"I just went to him and said, 'I think our best move was to put you out at right tackle and let Paki settle in at left guard,' " Fisch said of Mills. "He said, 'Let's go.' "

That doesn't mean there wasn't a little confusion by all of the personnel shifting all at once. Henning, replacing junior Landen Hatchett and his clubbed hand, fired a pair of snaps over quarterback Demond Williams Jr.'s head.

One resulted in a lost fumble to the Boilermakers (2-9, 0-8), the other in a nice recovery by Williams, who retrieved the ball on the bounce and a lofted 6-yard pass to tight end Decker DeGraaf for a first down.

Williams had more than enough protection to complete 16 of 19 passes for 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added 23 yards rushing on 7 carries.

"I trust all of them -- I made sure they knew that before the game so they played with the utmost confidence," the quarterback said of the new starters. "Going into each drive, I was letting them know I've got their back and they've got mine."

UW freshman receiver Raiden Vines-Bright, on a stretcher, is loaded into a Medic One vehicle. | Dave Sizer photo

Not all of this injury stuff was standard either, by just replacing one guy with another. It got a little scary, too.

Early in the second quarter, freshman receiver Raiden Vines-Bright caught a 10-yard pass and didn't get up after taking a hit. He was placed on a stretcher and loaded into a red Medic One vehicle that drove onto the field.

Ten minutes after Vines-Bright had been transported away, a school official said the young pass-catcher was responsive and moving all of his extremities.

"Raiden is doing good, from what I understand," Fisch said in the postgame. "Everything has checked out. He's fully mobile at this point. He's fully awake. He's fully aware."

The Huskies played without Coleman, leading receiver Denzel Boston, offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi and the younger Hatchett.

With Vines-Bright and Boston out, the team turned to Penn State transfer Omari Evans and sophomore Audric Harris to fill in, with Evans making his first start for the UW and Harris scoring his first touchdown.

Harris, who caught 2 passes for 90 yards, had played in just three of the Huskies' first nine games, trying to preserve his eligibility and redshirt. Purdue made it four, meaning he'll likely sit out the next two games against UCLA and Oregon unless the UW has a dire need.

"He's done a great job of being ready," Fisch said of Harris. "We called upon him, we needed him and he did a great job for us."

The Huskies scored on their third series of the game, with Mohammed going over the right side and diving in from 1 yard out behind a block by Mills to cap a 6-play, 62-yard drive.

After holding Purdue on downs to end the opening quarter, the UW moved 61 yards in 14 snaps for another Mohammed 1-yard score, this one with him going in over the left side standing up.

Freshman linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale next intercepted a pass at his 47 and, following the mark off of a taunting penalty called on UW cornerback Ephesians Prysock, the Huskies took over on their 32.

Adam Mohammed (24) scores again behind freshman tackle John Mills (72). | Dave Sizer photo

The Huskies weren't at the 32 very long.

The speedy Washington burst through a huge hole over the right side, faked a Purdue defender off his feet and zipped up the right sideline for an instant touchdown. It was Washington's Washington with a quick six. He also was called for taunting, after taking off his helmet and dropping to his knees and crawling with teammates all around him.

Setting up the score, Rainey-Sale reached high for the football, took a few steps and decided to secure the interception and went down.

"It feels good," Rainey-Sale said, holding a game ball afterward. "I feel like I've been waiting for this moment."

With his teammates, it was vindication after he dropped a potential interception against Illinois.

"They said I couldn't catch," Rainey-Sale said with a laugh

After forcing a punt by former teammate Jack McCallister, the UW took over at its own 10 with three-plus minutes left in the first half.

It was enough time for the Huskies to move those 90 yards in 8 plays, with Williams finding DeGraaf with a 28-yard pass and taking a backward lob from Mohammed on a double pass and finding Harris for a 27-yard gainer to get close.

Linebackers Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (23) and Deven Bryant (17) bring down Purdue QB Malachi Singleton. | Dave Sizer photo

Mohammed capped that drive once more, with a 4-yard scoring run over the right side, bouncing off a Boilermakers defender and into the end zone for a 28-0 lead at the break.

Nothing changed following the break. None of the injured got healthy. Purdue didn't make it a game.

After forcing the visitors into a 3-and-out to open the second half, the Huskies went for the jugular. Williams found Harris running wide open behind the secondary and put a 61-yard scoring pass in his hands and it was 35-0 with barely three minutes played.

Following a 42-yard field goal by Purdue's Spencer Porath, the UW responded with an 8-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 2-yard TD pass from Williams to freshman Dezmen Roebuck, the only receiving starter still standing from the three usual guys. With 3:22 left in the third quarter, the Huskies led 42-3.

It was freshman after freshman after freshman.

"This is how you build it -- you build it with young guys," Fisch said.

In the final period, Porath added a 53-yard field that showed Purdue could indeed kick, and EJ Horton hauled in a 9-yard TD pass that showed it could catch, but tackling and blocking largely remained a problem for the Boilermakers.

The visitors might have needed some replacement parts. The Huskies know where to get them.

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