Northwestern (2-1) at Washington (2-1), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Washington 10 1/2.
Series record: Washington leads 3-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Washington plays its first conference game as a member of the Big Ten against the Wildcats and looking to rebound from last week’s stinging loss to rival Washington State in the Apple Cup. The Huskies opened the season under new coach Jedd Fisch with a pair of convincing wins, but a late fourth-and-goal call in the loss to the Cougars cast a cloud over the coach. Northwestern rebounded from a sluggish start to thump Eastern Illinois 31-7 last week, but lost to Duke in its only game against a Power Four school so far.
KEY MATCHUP
Washington’s red zone offense cost the Huskies a chance at victory last week. The Huskies settled for field goals after driving inside the Washington State 30-yard line and then got stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the closing moments. Northwestern is allowing just 13 points per game through the first three games and just 57.7 yards rushing per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Northwestern: QB Jack Lausch made his first career start last week against Eastern Illinois and threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 62 yards. He was a perfect 11-for-11 in the second half. While that’s an impressive debut against any opponent, the level of competition is a significant step up this week for Lausch.
Washington: WR Giles Jackson had a huge game against Washington State in the losing effort. Jackson had eight catches for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown against the Cougars, and has 24 receptions through three games. Jackson’s best season came in 2022 when he had 28 catches in 13 games played.
FACTS & FIGURES
It's the first meeting between the teams since 1984. All three previous matchups happened between 1980-84 and two of the three were played in Seattle. … Northwestern has allowed just one sack in its first three games. … Washington QB Will Rogers threw for 314 yards and one TD in the Apple Cup. He’s completing 77% of his passes. … Washington has won 16 straight games at Husky Stadium. … Northwestern coach David Braun picked up his 10th win in 16 career games with the Wildcats last week. He’s the fastest Northwestern coach to 10 wins since Pappy Waldorf in 1935-36.
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Washington wide receiver Giles Jackson (5) makes a touchdown catch against Washington State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch watches from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Washington State, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the shootdown underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become over the ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite U.S. and European military coalitions patrolling the area.
The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.
The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, but hadn't specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
From the military's description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
It wasn't immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.
However, Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.
Since the Truman's arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.
On Saturday night and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes conducted airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen that the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as targeting a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” without elaborating.
Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without offering any casualty or damage information. In Sanaa, strikes appeared particularly targeted at a mountainside known to be home to military installations. The Houthis later acknowledged the aircraft being shot down in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.
Israel’s grinding offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The tally doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 15, 2025. (Kaitlin Young/U.S. Navy via AP)
FILE - Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is moored near Split, Croatia, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
FILE - A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)
