Minnesota at Washington
SEATTLE (Interstat) — Washington will host Minnesota on Saturday in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Husky Stadium, with the Huskies seeking to stay unbeaten and the Golden Gophers trying to earn a road victory.
Washington (3-0) is coming off a 48-16 win over Eastern Washington. Demond Williams Jr. completed 27 of 33 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns and ran seven times for 33 yards. Elijah Brown completed 2 of 3 passes for 25 yards and a touchdown, and Brian Bonner Jr. ran six times for 81 yards. The Huskies also defeated Utah State 16-14 and Washington State 24-10. Williams passed for 249 yards and ran for 56 yards against Utah State, then threw for 268 yards and ran for 61 yards with one touchdown pass and one touchdown run against Washington State. He is the player to watch for Washington.
Minnesota (2-1) enters after a 41-7 win over Akron. Drake Lindsey completed 17 of 31 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns. TJ Thomas ran 13 times for 122 yards and caught three passes for minus-8 yards and a touchdown, while Xavier Ford ran eight times for 41 yards. The Golden Gophers lost 38-13 to Mississippi State before beating Eastern Illinois 59-7. Lindsey is the player to watch for Minnesota after directing a productive passing attack in the most recent victory.
The forecast for game time calls for 52-degree conditions at Husky Stadium. Minnesota will be the visiting team, while Washington will be the home team in the Bowl Division matchup. Washington’s offense has shown balance through three games, with Williams creating plays through the air and on the ground. Minnesota’s ground game found success against Akron, and the Golden Gophers will need similar production to control possession against the Huskies. The Huskies will aim to protect their home field and remain unbeaten before a challenging stretch of games. The Golden Gophers will try to slow Washington’s offense and generate takeaways.
After Saturday, Minnesota’s schedule includes home games against Michigan, Iowa, UCLA and Northwestern and road games at Purdue, Indiana, Penn State and Wisconsin. Washington’s coming schedule includes a trip to Southern California, a home game against Iowa, a trip to Purdue, a trip to Nebraska, a home game against Penn State, a trip to Michigan State, a home game against Indiana and a trip to Oregon.
Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Washington 34, Minnesota 21. Interstat’s ELO system gives Washington an 88.5 percent probability to win. Minnesota has been installed with a pregame spread of +10.5, and the over/under for the game is 45.5.