Brown throws three touchdowns as Washington beats Purdue 38-26

Elijah Brown threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, and Washington answered Purdue’s last scoring drive with a 53-yard Trey Cooley touchdown run to win 38-26 on Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium.

The Huskies entered the game 0-3 in the Big Ten. Their first conference win came with mistakes to overcome: Brown threw three interceptions, and Washington lost two fumbles. Purdue’s five takeaways kept it close, but the Boilermakers could not match the visitors’ fourth-quarter scoring.

Brown found Dezmen Roebuck for a 4-yard touchdown with 14:12 remaining, extending a 24-20 lead to 31-20.

Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne responded with an 8-yard touchdown run. The two-point attempt failed, leaving Washington ahead 31-26 with 11:18 to play. Cooley broke his 53-yard scoring run 48 seconds later, making it 38-26. Neither team scored again.

Cooley needed eight carries to reach 113 rushing yards. Brian Bonner Jr. added 64 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and he also caught Brown’s 25-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Those contributions helped Washington gain 488 yards against Purdue’s 371.

Brown completed 21 of 27 passes. Chris Lawson led Washington with six receptions for 103 yards, while Roebuck caught five for 97. The Huskies produced enough explosive plays to keep rebuilding their lead despite the turnovers.

The first half had already required several answers. Brown’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Decker DeGraaf opened the scoring, but Purdue pulled even at 10-10 on Antonio Harris’ 1-yard run. Brown then hit Bonner for the 25-yard score before Browne tied it again with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Fame Ijeboi.

Bonner’s 1-yard run with 27 seconds left in the half gave Washington a 24-17 lead. Purdue cut it to four with a third-quarter field goal, setting up the touchdown exchange early in the fourth.

Browne finished 21 of 41 for 273 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Asaad Waseem caught nine passes for 116 yards. Harris gained 65 yards on four carries.

Washington converted four of seven third downs and finished with 24 first downs. Purdue went five of 14 on third down and converted only one of four fourth-down attempts. The Huskies also held the Boilermakers to 98 rushing yards while gaining 186 on the ground, giving Brown help beyond his passing totals.

Washington improves to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in conference play. Purdue falls to 3-4 and 2-2. The Huskies have an open weekend before their October 31 trip to Nebraska.