WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA - OCTOBER 16: Dezmen Roebuck #2 of the Washington Huskies hurdles over Don Saunders #7 of the Purdue Boilermakers during the fourth quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium on October 16, 2026 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
Elijah Brown threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, and Washington rushed for 186 yards on the ground as the Huskies beat the Purdue Boilermakers 38-26 on Friday night for their first Big Ten win of the season.
Trey Cooley had 113 yards and a touchdown, and Brian Bonner had 64 yards and a touchdown to supplement Brown's passing attack in the victory. The combined effort allowed Washington to overcome five turnovers – which came from three Brown interceptions, a Cooley fumble, and a special teams turnover.
Washington's defense held Purdue to just 5-of-14 on third down, and 1-4 on fourth down, while intercepting Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne twice.
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Brown made his first start with the Huskies, playing in place of an injured Demond Williams Jr.
Brown was intercepted on his first pass of the game, underthrowing a deep ball for Dezmen Roebuck that was picked off by Hudauri Hines. While Brown was picked off three times, he also adeptly piloted the Washington offense for most of the night.
Washington's defense held on the ensuing Purdue drive, stopping Fame Jeboi on fourth-and-2 to prevent any points off the turnover.
Brown was sharp on his second drive, converting one third down on the way before finding Decker DeGraff for a 2-yard touchdown that gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead.
After UW's defense delivered a three-and-out, Brown was intercepted for the second time in the opening quarter. Smiley Bradford beat Chris Lawson to the ball over the middle of the field that was out in front of its intended target.
The Huskies held Purdue to a 24-yard Jacobo Echeverria Lozano field goal, forcing an incomplete pass from Ryan Browne on third-and-goal from the 5.
Brown marched the Huskies back into the Boilermakers' red zone on UW's next possession before it stalled out inside the 10-yard line. Jeremy Lewis broke up Brown's pass for Roebuck before a 25-yard Tyler Rogers field goal gave the Huskies a 10-3 lead.
A 59-yard run from Antonio Harris with a personal foul on Ramzak Fruean tacked on allowed Purdue to quickly answer on their next possession. A pass interference on Emmanuel Karnley gave the Boilermakers a fresh set of downs at the UW 1-yard line, and Harris converted two plays later for a touchdown that evened the game at 10-10.
Brian Bonner's 30-yard run combined with a trio of completions from Brown allowed the Huskies to go back in front on their next drive. Brown's 25-yard catch-and-run completion to Bonner made it a 17-10 UW game with 6:33 left in the half.
Washington's defense forced a punt, but the kick bounced off the heel of Husky gunner Dylan Robinson and Purdue recovered at the UW 10-yard line. It took just one play for Browne to connect with Fame Ijeboi for a touchdown to tie the game at 17-17.
With 2:32 left in the half, Brown led the Huskies on a terrific nine-play, 91-yard touchdown drive to take the lead into the break. Brown went 5-for-6 for 76 yards on the drive, with a trio of completions to Lawson. Bonner capped the effort with a 1-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left in the half to take a 24-17 lead.
Another fourth down stop by UW's defense had the Huskies set up with the chance to make it a two-score game in the third quarter. Instead, Brown was intercepted for the third time. Baron Naone appeared to slow down as Brown seemingly anticipated him to keep running, leading to a pick by Jojo Hayden for Purdue.
The Boilermakers settled for a 48-yard Echevarria Lozano field goal to cut the lead to 24-20 with 3:33 left in the quarter.
Another gem of a drive by Brown allowed the Huskies to create some breathing room. A nine-play, 75-yard drive saw Brown connect with Lawson for 24 yards and Roebuck for 25 as UW moved into Purdue territory. A 4-yard touchdown to Roebuck gave Washington a 31-20 advantage on the second play of the fourth quarter.
A 49-yard completion from Browne to Asaad Waseem helped Purdue quickly strike back. Browne's 8-yard scramble, tiptoeing up the left sideline, cut the lead back to just one score. However, a failed two-point conversion attempt preserves a 31-26 UW lead.
It took just two plays for Washington to make it a two-score game once again. A 22-yard completion from Brown to Roebuck preceded a 53-yard touchdown run by Trey Cooley that gave the Huskies a 38-26 lead with 10:30 left to play.
Jeron Jones intercepted Browne on a throw to Tra'Mar Harris for their first forced turnover of the game by Washington's defense.
A fumble from Cooley gave the ball right back to Purdue with 4:39 remaining to keep chances alive for a late rally, but the UW defense forced Purdue to go four-and-out without gaining a yard on four straight incompletions from Browne.
A second interception of Browne – this one by Rylon Dillard-Allen – fully sealed the victory for the Huskies.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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