GT_ 14 | 
UGA 38 | 
NW_42 | 
FSU 30 | 
USC 38 | 
CAL 35 | 
BAY 35 | 
BCU 31 | 
FLA 28
CLE 59 | 
VAN 19 | 
LSU 45 | 
BYU 45 | 
PSU 13 | 
SMU 38 | 
LOU 10 | 
MIA 24 |
ALA 11 Despite AJ Turner rushing for over 250 yards again, three turnovers sinks Gophers in Seattle, 38-35
AJ Brand walks off the field in frustration after his tipped pass was intercepted in the red zone.
By: Tony Liebert
Week 4, 2026
SEATTLE — In one of the loudest stadiums in the Big Ten, AJ Brand made his first road start of the season and the crowd proved to be too much for the young freshman. Brand went 16/28 with 164 yards with one touchdown and one interception to go along with a fumble. “It was loud, I won’t lie but I just had an off game. The moment didn’t feel too big, just a few missed throws and a tipped ball that was intercepted.” Brand said after the game. “I know we are better than this.”
Minnesota started the scoring with the games only points in the first quarter, a 39-yard pass from Brand to AJ Turner on a running back seam route halfway through the first quarter. The Gopher defense came out on fire, two sacks in the first two drives and an interception, Demond Williams Jr first interception thrown this season.
Minnesota would add a field goal three minutes into the second quarter to go up 10-0, that is when the first half chaos started. The following possessions all happened between 11:45 on the clock to 9:16 left in the second quarter. 17-yard touchdown for Washington, to plays later 79-yard touchdown run for Turner and the Gophers, one player later, 82-yard touchdown pass by Washington, three plays later 66-yard touchdown run by Turner.
“It felt like a basketball game, as cliche as that sounds.” Coach Smith said after the game. “We would blitz or play man, and they just found the open holes with deep balls. We tried controlling possession and running the ball, but it was big play after big play. In a way, our explosive offense hurt us.”
Washington added another touchdown right before the half following Brand’s fumble, making it 24-21 Minnesota at the break.
The third quarter was all Huskies. After receiving the kickoff, Washington went down the field in 8 plays, ending with a 2-yd touchdown run by Bryson Donelson. Minnesota took the next possession to their own 44-yard line facing a 4th and 1. Smith decided to go for it but Turner was stuffed on the run, a rare stop by the Huskies gave them the ball and a short field.
Four plays later, Nyziah Hunter caught his second touchdown pass of the day, the fourth thrown by Demond William to put Washington up 35-24 to end the third quarter.
Minnesota started to come back in the fourth, Manuel Valles made his second field goal to make it an 8-point game. With 5:31 left, AJ Turner broke free again for a 31-yard touchdown, his fourth touchdown of the day, another career day for the Heisman hopeful. Turner finished with 288 yards on 30 carries with three rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.
With the score tied at 35, it was Demond William Jr turn to take over. The Huskie quarterback put together a four-minute drive, ending with a 40-yard field goal with only 10 seconds left, giving Washington the 38-35 win.
“It was a battle today, after losing one earlier in the year against USC, we knew we had to win this one against another ranked team.” Williams said after throwing for 345 yards and four touchdowns to go along with his three interceptions.
“This one is going to sting a bit. The defense played better than the numbers showed, the offense helped at times but also put the defense in bad positions. Taking the ball away from Williams three times and sacking him four times, those are things nobody else has done this season. But when our offense gives the ball right back, we can’t rest on defense and continue to play with our backs against the wall. We need to be better. That’s all there is to it.” Smith said in his post-game interview.
The loss drops Minnesota to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten. They play at Happy Valley next week against 1-2 Penn State.
My brother, welcome to the Lose By 3 Club. We welcome you to the fold
