UW Huskies vs. Rutgers: Keys to the game, how to watch and prediction

SEATTLE – Here’s what to watch for when Washington (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) hots Rutgers (3-2, 0-2) at 6 p.m. on Friday night at Husky Stadium.

TV: FS1

Latest line (via ESPN Bet): Washington -10½, Total 59½

All-time series: Washington leads 2-1

Coleman vs. Raymond

When Washington and Rutgers met a year ago, they produced a running back duel worth remembering. UW’s Jonah Coleman rushed for a season-high 148 yards on 16 carries, averaging 9.2 yards per attempt. His 39-yard rush during the second quarter was one of his longest carries during Big Ten play.

But Coleman’s performance was matched by Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai. The consensus 2024 first-team All-Big Ten selection rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, including a 40-yard run during the third quarter, to help the Scarlet Knights and coach Greg Schiano win 21-18, their first win against the Huskies in program history.

Monangai has moved on, chosen by the Chicago Bears during the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft. Coleman returned to UW, where he currently leads the nation with 10 touchdowns rushing this season. Right behind him with nine touchdowns? Monangai’s replacement: Antwan Raymond.

Despite Rutgers’ massively improved passing offense – Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis is averaging nearly 70 more yards passing per game in 2025 than he did in 2024 – Raymond has been a steady presence in the Rutgers backfield.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound sophomore tailback has 471 yards rushing on 87 carries. His 94.2 yards rushing per game ranks 17th nationally. Coleman currently averages 94.8 yards rushing per game, No. 15 in the country. Raymond scored two touchdowns rushing in each of the Scarlet Knights’ past four games. He is coming off a career-high 161-yard performance during Rutgers 31-28 loss against Minnesota on Sept. 27.

UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said Coleman and Raymond have similar, physical running styles. He added that Rutgers’ experienced offensive line and run-pass option mastery will make it a significant challenge for his defense, which limited a pass-heavy Maryland offense to just 55 yards rushing during its most recent outing.

“They don’t do a whole lot in the run game from a schematic standpoint,” Walters said Tuesday. “But they execute at a high level. So we’ve got to do a great job of being gap sound and being physical up front. We’ve got to wrap them up.”

Another test for

the secondary

After a difficult first half, Washington’s secondary enjoyed a strong finish against Maryland.

The Terrapins vaunted trio of receivers – Octavian Smith Jr., Shaleak Knotts and Jalil Farooq – averaged 45 yards receiving per game before playing the Huskies. They combined for just 76 yards receiving during the second half. Sophomore nickel Leroy Bryant and cornerback duo Ephesians Prysock and Dylan Robinson allowed catches during just eight of their 15 targets for 64 total yards.

“The best teacher is experience,” Walters said. “It’s hard to fabricate it. It’s hard to simulate it. Sometimes, you’ve just got to go through certain things. Certain scenarios. You’ve got to go through the fire a little bit, learn from failures and log that information so you can improve in the future.”

Rutgers, however, will offer a similarly daunting test. Kaliakmanis’ strong passing season has been fueled, in part, by the play of his three starting wide receivers: sophomore KJ Duff (30 catches, 420 yards receiving), junior Ian Strong (29 catches, 413 yards receiving) and senior DT Sheffield (20 catches, 326 yards receiving).

Duff and Strong currently rank fifth and sixth in yards receiving among Big Ten wideouts, while Sheffield is 12th. UW’s only representative on the list, junior wideout Denzel Boston, is 11th with 346 yards on 25 catches.

Of course, Washington’s secondary might get a boost if senior cornerback Tacario Davis (ribs) can return to the field for the first time since Sept. 6. Walters said Davis practiced throughout the week leading up to the Maryland game before being ruled out shortly before the game.

“He’s itching to come back,” Walters said. “Obviously, our doctors and our coaching staff aren’t going to put him out there until he’s fully ready and able to play the way he knows how to play. But he’s really close.”

Getting in the paint

While the Scarlet Knight offense took a step forward during the past season, their defense has remained stagnant.

Rutgers lost former defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak, who departed to lead UMass after the 2024 season. So Schiano hired Robb Smith, a veteran defensive coach who had coordinated defenses for Duke, Minnesota, Arkansas and two previous stints at Rutgers, to be the co-defensive coordinator along with linebackers coach Zach Sparber, a fast-rising defensive assistant previously at James Madison. Smith is the team’s defensive play caller.

The Scarlet Knight defense has not shown much improvement through five games under Smith and Sparber. They are allowing 25.4 points per game, 79th nationally, and the exact same amount of points per game they surrendered under Harasymiak in 2024 when they finished the season ranked 71st in the country.

Rutgers has particularly struggled to defend its red zone. Iowa and Minnesota each scored 31 points in the red zone, converting all five of their opportunities during wins against Rutgers. It has not made a red-zone stop since Sept. 6 against Miami of Ohio.

Smith and Sparber’s defense isn’t forcing teams to settle for field goals, either. The Scarlet Knights have allowed 14 touchdowns in 19 red-zone situations, allowing opponents to score touchdowns on 73.7% of their red zone trips. UW, in comparison, is only giving up touchdowns on 64.7% of its red zone stands.

But getting in the end zone is easier said than done. UW outgained Rutgers 521-299 in 2024, but lost by three points because it failed to capitalize on red zone situations. Washington scored on just two of its five red zone opportunities after kicker Grady Gross missed two short field goals and UW failed to convert on fourth-and-goal from the Rutgers 2-yard line.

“You don’t win off of yards,” UW offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty said Tuesday. “You’ve got to get that ball in the paint. Get in the end zone.”

Prediction

The 21-18 loss against Rutgers felt like the one that really got away from UW during the past season. Everything that might have gone wrong for Washington did during a rainy Friday night in New Jersey. Gross, a 77% kicker during his career, missed three field goals, UW committed costly penalties and failed to find the end zone despite outgaining Rutgers by more than 200 yards.

Before the season, it felt like improvement for UW meant winning more games than it did in 2024, being competitive against every opponent and avoiding losses in surprising places – like against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are a better team in 2025, despite losing Monangai, but Washington is also vastly improved. If it can avoid the offensive malaise it battled for three quarters against Maryland, then UW seems like a two-score favorite for a reason.

Final score: Huskies 34, Scarlet Knights 24