Backup quarterback Elijah Brown threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns and Washington overcame five turnovers to snap a three-game losing streak with a 38-26 victory against Purdue on Friday in West Lafayette, Ind.
Freshman Brian Bonner Jr. scored twice for the Huskies (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten), on a 25-yard reception and a 1-yard run.
Starting for Demond Williams Jr., who sustained a rib injury in a loss to Iowa last week, Brown completed 21 of 27 passes with three interceptions.
Washington’s Trey Cooley rushed eight times for a game-high 113 yards and a touchdown, and Bonner added 64 yards on 13 carries as the Huskies amassed 188 yards on the ground after rushing for minus-3 against the Hawkeyes. Chris Lawson had six catches for 103 yards, and Dezmen Roebuck added 97 yards and a TD on five receptions.
Ryan Browne connected on 21 of 41 passes for 273 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Boilermakers (3-4, 2-2), who had a two-game winning streak come to an end. Antonio Harris rushed for 65 yards and a TD on just four carries, and Asaad Waseem had nine catches for 116 yards.
Brown threw a 4-yard scoring strike to Roebuck in the back right corner of the end zone with 14:12 remaining to extend the Huskies’ lead to 31-20.
Browne scored on an 8-yard scramble around the left end with 11:18 left, but a two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, leaving Washington up 31-26.
Cooley answered with a 53-yard touchdown run to make it 38-26 with 10:30 to go.
The Huskies led 24-17 after a back-and-forth first half.
Washington opened the scoring with Brown throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Decker DeGraaf in the right flat.
A Brown interception led to a 24-yard field goal by Jacobo Echeverria Lozano to pull Purdue within 7-3 with 1:54 left in the first quarter.
The Huskies answered with a 25-yard field goal by Tyler Robles to go up 10-3 early in the second.
Purdue tied it on a 1-yard run by Harris, capping an eight-play, 87-yard drive.
Bonner took a short pass from Brown and made his way down the right sideline, scoring from 25 yards to put the Huskies up 17-10 with 6:27 to go before halftime.
Fame Ijeboi scored on a 10-yard pass from Browne with 2:35 left in the half to tie the score.
Brown guided the Huskies on a nine-play, 91-yard drive, with Bonner scoring on a 1-yard run with 27 seconds left before the intermission.
Echeverria Lozano booted a 48-yarder with 3:33 left in the third to pull Purdue within 24-20.