Meet The Opponent: Washington Brings Nation’s Top Passing Defense To Indiana

In its first season under coach Jedd Fisch, Washington brings a 4-3 record, one of the Big Ten’s leading passers and a strong pass defense to Bloomington to face No. 13 Indiana.

Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch talks with quarterback Will Rogers (7) against Northwestern. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It’s a new era for both Indiana and Washington football with new coaches and overhauled rosters for the 2024 season.

Curt Cignetti is off to a 7-0 start at Indiana, and he’ll face coach Jedd Fisch’s 4-3 Washington team on Saturday at Noon ET at Memorial Stadium, with ESPN’s College GameDay pregame show in Bloomington.

Fisch took the Washington job after an impressive rebuilding job at Arizona. Following three losing seasons under Kevin Sumlin, Fisch went 1-11 in his first year at Arizona, but he improved to 5-7 in 2022 and 10-3 in 2023. The Wildcats ended last season on a seven game win streak, which included five wins over ranked teams, four wins away from home and a victory over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl..

“Really was very impressed with his team last season, Arizona, where he turned that program around, the way they finished,” Cignetti said Monday. “… Playing about as well as anybody in the country last season.”

Like Cignetti, Fisch had to overhaul a large portion of Washington’s roster as he replaced current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer. Washington lost 13 players to the NFL from its 2023 roster, which lost in the national championship game to Michigan. Fisch added 28 transfers, a class that ranked 11th in the country and third in the Big Ten, per 247Sports’ portal rankings.

Washington began its season with dominant wins at home against Weber State and Eastern Michigan, but it lost its rivalry game against Washington State, 24-19. The Huskies won their first Big Ten game, a 24-5 home win over Northwestern, but they lost their first road conference game 21-18 at Rutgers. 

In October, Washington won 27-17 at home against Michigan but most recently lost 40-16 at Iowa. The Huskies had a bye week to prepare for the Hoosiers, and Fisch said he doesn’t believe in the idea of flushing a bad loss like the Iowa game. He said the team had a lot of corrections to make during the bye week before preparing for No. 13 Indiana.

“We’re fully focused on playing one of the best teams in the country,” Fisch said Monday.

Key offensive players

Washington added transfer quarterback Will Rogers, who threw for over 12,000 yards in four seasons at Mississippi State. He’s been one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten this year, ranking fourth nationally in completion percentage (72.2%), 20th in passer rating (162.6) and 20th in passing yards (1,820).

Rogers is coming off his statistically worst performance of the year at Iowa, including a season-low 64.7% completion percentage and 195 passing yards. He went five games without an interception to begin the year, but threw one against Michigan and another against Iowa the last two weeks.

Washington Huskies quarterback Will Rogers (7) and wide receiver Denzel Boston (12) celebrate a touchdown against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Washington also has a talented true freshman quarterback in Demond Williams Jr., who has played in all seven games this season. Fisch said he hopes to play Williams about 12 snaps per game, both to help Washington win now and prepare him for next season, when Rogers is gone. 

Williams has completed 26 of 33 passes for 242 yards and zero interceptions this season while also rushing 22 times for 133 yards. He was used most frequently in Washington’s last game at Iowa, attempting 16 passes. He adds a unique wrinkle in Indiana’s preparation.

Washington’s top wide receivers have been the 5-foot-9 Giles Jackson and 6-foot-4 Denzel Boston. Jackson leads the team with 47 receptions and 542 yards, but Boston has a team-high nine touchdown receptions and is close behind Jackson with 40 catches for 540 yards.

Running back Jonah Coleman ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 681 rushing yards despite having at least 22 fewer carries than the three players ahead of him. He’s averaging 6.9 yards per carry but finished with just nine rushes in Washington’s loss to Iowa. Fisch hopes to have him back to full strength against Indiana.

“He has not practiced except for [Sunday] a little bit, so we needed to rest him up,” Fisch said Monday. “He feels like he’s pretty close to being back. One of the things we noticed was when he’s in the game, there’s a pretty big impact.”

Fisch noted that Indiana hasn’t trailed in any game this year, which may have given opponents play-calling anxiety, meaning that they’d throw the ball more than they’d run it because of the score. He wants Washington to avoid that against Indiana.

“The key is for us to be able to run the ball. We have to be able to run the ball. That’s how we’re building this team. That’s how we’re building Washington football for the years to come – good run game, great defense, take shots down the field on offense and be explosive and get wide receivers touchdowns.” 

Washington’s offensive line is not viewed as a strong unit by Pro Football Focus, which grades the Huskies 115th nationally in pass blocking and 73rd in run blocking.

Washington’s kicker Grady Gross is 10 for 17 on field goal attempts with a season-long field goal from 44 yards. He has missed both attempts from 50-plus yards, but he’s 17 for 17 on extra-point attempts.

Key defensive players

Linebacker Carson Bruener leads the Huskies with 44 tackles, followed by fellow linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala with 31. Tuputala is tied for second on the team with 2.5 sacks, along with edge rusher Zach Durfee. Durfee did not play against Michigan or Iowa due to injury, but Fisch is glad to have him against Indiana.

“Feel good about having Durfee back,” Fisch said. “We feel like he’s certainly an impact player when he’s played.”

Another pass rusher to keep an eye on is the 6-foot-5, 227-pound Isaiah Ward. He has a team-high three sacks, each coming in Big Ten play. Against an Indiana defense that leads the nation with 48.7 points per game, Fisch is looking for production from Ward and company up front.

Washington Huskies edge rusher Isaiah Ward (91) tries to deflect a pass against Washington State. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

“This is a big game for Isaiah Ward. This [Indiana] team knows how to run and pass really, really well, so this is a great opportunity for a guy like Ward, obviously Durfee, Jacob Lane, Lance Holtzclaw, the whole group, to be able to show up,” Fisch said. “We’re gonna need everybody in a game like this against the number one offense in the Big Ten and I think a top five offense in the country.”

Cornerback Thaddeus Dixon leads Washington with six passes defended, and he’s one of four Huskies with one interception. Dixon has the third-highest defensive grade and fourth-highest coverage grade on the team, per PFF. Safety Kamren Fabiculanan leads the team with a 77.7 coverage grade.

Washington team rankings

• Total offense: 452.7 (23rd)
• Rushing offense: 158.1 (71st)
• Passing offense: 294.6 (17th)
• Scoring offense: 24.1 (94th)
• Total defense: 266.3 (8th)
• Rushing defense: 143.3 (66th)
• Passing defense: 123 (1st)
• Scoring defense: 17 (16th)
• Turnover Margin: 0.14 (63rd)
• 3rd down conversion: 38.3% (86th)
• 4th down conversion: 42.9% (105th)
• Red zone offense: 75% (117th)
• Red zone defense: 76.5% (25th)

Related stories on Indiana football

• TODD'S TAKE ON CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT: It’s popular to complain about traditions lost, but what was gained by accident is a system that creates a more compelling conference race. CLICK HERE

• HOW DOES ROURKE'S INJURY AFFECT IU?: Indiana is fortunate after quarterback Kurtis Rourke’s injury to have a backup like Tayven Jackson, a well-balanced roster and quarterback-friendly coaching staff. CLICK HERE

• CIGNETTI, CORSO HAVE CROSSED PATHS: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and former Indiana coach and ESPN analyst Lee Corso have have contact with one another over the years. CLICK HERE.

• E.J. WILLIAMS NO LONGER WITH IU: Williams posted a statement Tuesday morning on social media about why he is no longer with the Indiana football program. CLICK HERE

• WHAT CIGNETTI SAID: Read all of Curt Cignetti's comments from his Washington game week press conference. CLICK HERE.

• REMAINING GAMES SOLD OUT: Indiana has announced that its three remaining home football games are sold out. CLICK HERE.

• GAMEDAY IS COMING TO BLOOMINGTON: ESPN announced on Sunday morning that its College GameDay program will be at Indiana next Saturday. CLICK HERE.