Minnesota went to Washington on September 26 for a late kickoff and won its Big Ten opener 27-24 at Husky Stadium. The game ended after 10 p.m. Central time, and fans who stayed up saw the Gophers build a big lead and then hold on. The win moved Minnesota to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, and it came against a Washington team the program listed as RV/23.
Drake Lindsey gave Minnesota a fast start with 3 touchdown passes in the first half, each to a different receiver. One of them belonged to Quayd Hendryx, whose catch the program's own account called a "CLUTCH grab." It was a 15-yard score in the first quarter. It was Hendryx's first career touchdown, and it came on just his second career reception.
Hendryx also tied his career high with 2 kick returns for 41 yards. With his 15 receiving yards, that gave him a personal-best 56 all-purpose yards. Lindsey finished 21-of-29 for 204 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. That gave him 26 career touchdown passes, moving him past Tony Dungy for 10th on the Gophers' all-time list. Javon Tracy led the team with 7 catches for 41 yards and a score, and Jalen Smith caught the other touchdown.
The defense won this game. Minnesota had 7 sacks, its high for the season and tied for the second most of the Fleck era. The Gophers had just 4 sacks as a team before the game. Washington ran for only 40 yards, and in the second half the Huskies finished with minus-2 rushing yards. Maverick Baranowski shared the team lead with 7 tackles and made his first career interception. Joey Gerlach forced a fumble for the third straight game.
It still came down to the last 2 minutes. Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. hit Baron Naone on a 15-yard touchdown pass that made it 24-17 with 11:03 left. Luke Drzewiecki answered with a career-long 51-yard field goal, the longest by a Gopher since 2024, for a 27-17 lead. Williams ran in a 13-yard touchdown with 1:53 remaining, but Minnesota ran out the clock.
"Offense, defense and special teams were completely together," P.J. Fleck said. The win ended a 5-game road losing streak and gave Minnesota 2 straight wins over Washington. The Gophers now lead the all-time series 11-7. Washington had been 28-2 in its previous 30 home games, and the 27 points were the most the Huskies had allowed at home since 2023. It's the second straight year Minnesota has started 3-1 or better, and the sixth time in Fleck's 10 seasons.
