The Washington Huskies (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) rebounded from the previous weekend’s heartbreak with a commanding 49-13 win over Purdue (2-9, 0-8 Big Ten) on Saturday. That dominant performance included a first-half shutout pitched by defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who was previously the Boilermakers’ head coach from 2023 to 2024.
Walters’ defense forced two turnovers on downs in the first quarter, and freshman linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale nabbed his first career interception in the second. Each of the three Purdue turnovers were answered with Washington touchdowns, which put the Boilermakers in a 21-0 hole halfway through the second quarter.
“I thought our team, looking back on the film, played probably the most complete game I think we’ve played,” Fisch said during a Monday press conference in which he gave significant credit to his defense.
Fisch focused praise onto his defensive linemen, an experienced group which includes four senior defensive tackles and two senior defensive ends.
“That group right there is allowing us to be the tougher team up front and be able to stop the run because of their size, their weight, their age,” Fisch said.
That seasoned group of defenders will play a major role in neutralizing the UCLA Bruins’ (3-7, 3-4 Big Ten) offense when the Huskies enter the Rose Bowl on Saturday night. They’ll be the first line of defense against redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who has defined UCLA’s offense through 10 games as a Bruin.
Iamaleava, a former five-star who stands at 6-foot-6, enrolled at Tennessee before the 2023 season as the third-highest-rated recruit in program history. He led the Volunteers to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance as a redshirt freshman in 2024 but transferred to UCLA in April following a highly publicized falling-out with the Tennessee program.
The Bruins were in the midst of a rebuild when Iamaleava arrived, and their struggles have continued despite the upgrade at quarterback. Of the Big Ten’s 18 teams, UCLA ranks in the bottom five for total yards per game (332.3, 15th), passing yards per game (181.3, 14th), and points per game (19.4, 17th).
Those numbers aren’t great, but consider the workload Iamaleava is shouldering. Passing aside, his rushing statline of 96 carries for 474 yards and four touchdowns means he also leads his team in yards from scrimmage and scrimmage touchdowns. Walters made it clear on Tuesday that an offense with Iamaleava at the helm will always be a dangerous one.
“He is an elite talent at that position, so it’s going to be a huge challenge for us,” Walters said. “The games that they’ve won, he has been Superman out there.”
To stop Iamaleava, the Huskies’ defense will need to dominate at the line of scrimmage. A blitz-heavy attack could limit Iamaleava’s downfield potential, but overcommitting could give Iamaleava opportunities to counterattack with his legs.
Containing Iamaleava for 60 minutes is a serious challenge, but senior defensive tackle Anterio Williams has faith in his fellow battle-hardened Huskies linemen.
“Being out there with those guys, you’re just confident every time you go out there that you’re going to get the best from them,” Williams said on Tuesday.
The Huskies and Bruins will clash inside the Rose Bowl on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PST on NBC.