Washington and Rutgers enter their Big Ten matchup Friday night in Seattle with vastly different mindsets.
While the Huskies (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) are flying high after rallying from 20 points down in the second half of a win at Maryland, the Scarlet Knights (3-2, 0-2) are coming off consecutive Big Ten losses in which they surrendered fourth-quarter leads.
Washington will look to Demond Williams Jr., who passed for 275 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter, to trigger the Huskies’ 24-20 comeback win Saturday at Maryland.
In September of last year, Williams was a true freshman backup when the Huskies lost to the Scarlet Knights in New Jersey, 21-18. But he eventually seized the starting role late last season and quickly displayed his dual-threat arsenal.
In two seasons, Williams has completed 75.4 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
“He can run. He can throw. He can do everything,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said. “He’s one of the most dynamic quarterbacks that I’ve seen in a long time.”
The Huskies also are propelled by Jonah Coleman, who leads the nation in rushing touchdowns with 10 and is third in the Big Ten in rushing yards with 474.
“We’re gonna have to bring every bit of our tackling to get this guy on the ground,” Schiano said.
Washington coach Jedd Fisch said that he expects to have three key defensive players return from the injured list.
Tackle Jayvon Parker, who hasn’t played since suffering a torn Achilles tendon last year against Rutgers, is expected back along with highly touted freshman linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, who has yet to play, and cornerback Tacario Davis, who has missed the Huskies’ last three games.
With a bye last week, Rutgers has had time to recover from its conference defeats, at home against Iowa, 38-28, and on the road at Minnesota, 31-28. In both games, the Scarlet Knights outgained their opponents, but their defense faded late.
That’s a troubling trend against a Washington team that has outscored foes 73-10 in the fourth quarter.
Rutgers’ balanced offense is led by Athan Kaliakmanis, who has thrown nine touchdown passes and two interceptions, and Antwan Raymond, who has rushed for 471 yards and nine scores.
“We have to play better than we’ve played the last five games to get a victory on Friday night,” Fisch said.
