Washington marks Big Ten opener by thumping Northwestern 24-5

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach David Braun of the Northwestern Wildcats gestures before the game against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on September 21, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

SEATTLE - Washington made its debut as one of the newest members of the Big Ten Conference with an emphatic victory and the Huskies defense leading the way.

Will Rogers threw a pair of first-half touchdowns to Denzel Boston, Jonah Coleman added a second-half touchdown run, and Washington stymied Northwestern in a 24-5 win on Saturday night.

The Huskies (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) rebounded from last week’s stinging Apple Cup loss to rival Washington State in their first conference game by thumping the overmatched Wildcats.

The Huskies held Northwestern to 112 total yards, grabbed two interceptions and had a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter.

"Our defense just played extraordinary. I don't really know if there's many other good adjectives to describe (it)," Washington coach Jedd Fisch said.

Rogers was excellent in the first half when he found Boston on touchdowns of 46 yards on Washington’s second possession and a 13-yard strike in the second quarter.

Coleman scored on an 8-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the fourth quarter, capping a drive where he made an excellent catch then cleanly hurdled Northwestern Evan Smith as part of a 16-yard reception.

Rogers finished 20 of 28 passing for 223 yards, while Boston had seven catches for a career-high 121 yards.

"It's going to go down in the books that we won our first game in the Big Ten," Boston said. "I think that's a big thing not only for us but for our alumni to see us continuing what they began years ago. It's exciting. A great beginning to a new start."

The Wildcats (2-2, 0-1) played without top running back Cam Porter due to a lower-body injury. Porter was Northwestern’s leading rusher on the season and the offense suffered with him unavailable. The Wildcats had just 59 yards rushing and their inability to get any push against Washington defensive front was most obvious near the goal line.

Washington defensive lineman Isaiah Ward said the Huskies wanted to "show we could stop the run," this week.

Northwestern received a gift when Rogers fumbled a snap in the third quarter and the Wildcats recovered at the Huskies 33. Northwestern had first-and-goal at the 4, but couldn’t convert on three attempts, and on fourth-and-goal from the 1 opted for an 18-yard field goal rather than going for the touchdown.

The kick by Jack Olsen pulled the Wildcats within 17-5.

Early in the fourth quarter, Northwestern received a 96-yard kickoff return from Joseph Himon II to the Washington 2. A penalty moved the ball to the 1, but the Wildcats failed on four attempts – three of them passes – and turned the ball over on downs.

"Regardless of the outcome in those two goal line situations, I don’t think we played well, played our brand of football," Northwestern coach David Braun said. "But we certainly had opportunities to make this a closer football game than it was."

Quarterback Jack Lausch was 8 of 27 for 53 yards passing and two interceptions.

"I thought they did a good job on defense and mixed some things up. But at the same time, I've got to figure it out, got to find a way there," Lausch said.

Numbers Game

The last time Washington held an opponent to exactly five points was Oct. 28, 1939 when the Huskies held on for an 8-5 win over Stanford.

It was also the first time Washington held a conference opponent without a touchdown since Utah in the 2018 Pac-12 title game.

The Takeaway

Northwestern: The Wildcats will gladly take the early bye week to get healthy and start to figure out their offensive woes. In its two games against Power Four teams so far this season (Duke and Washington), Northwestern has been held under 300 yards total offense in both.

Washington: The competition wasn’t the best, but the Huskies continue to be stout defensively. Take away the first half last week against Washington State when the Cougars scored 17 points, the Huskies have allowed just 24 points in the other 14 quarters this season.