No. 18 Utah Comes Up Just Short as No. 5 Washington Remains Undefeated
It was a beautiful yet windy day for some Pac-12 powerhouse action in Seattle and the football didn't disappoint.
The start of the first half was a back-and-forth tussle as the first 3 possessions of the game ended in a punt. Penix then broke the deadlock open when he ran 2 yards across the goal line for the Huskies to take the lead 7-0 but the Utes answered back as Ja'Quinden Jackson ran for a 2-yard TD to make it 7-7. On the following drive, Washington split the uprights for a field goal to end the first quarter 10-7.
Utah kicked off an electric 2nd quarter when Bryson Barnes threw a 6-yard TD to Miki Suguturaga to make it 14-10. The Huskies matched the Utes with a 34-yard pass TD to Rome Odunze to regain the lead 14-17. With roughly 6 minutes left before half-time, Barnes hit Vaki on a cut-back screen route which turned into a 53-yard TD and the lead, 21-17. The boys in purple and gold reacted with a touchdown on the following drive as Dillon Johnson ran for 5 yards and the TD, 24-21 Washington. Then with under a minute left before the half, Ja'Quinden Jackson bagged his second rushing TD of the game, running 11 yards across the pylon and giving Utah the lead 28-24 going into the locker room.
The 3rd quarter was all Washington as the Utes couldn't get anything going on offense. With 8 minutes to go, Grady Gross knocked in a field goal from 38 yards out, closing the gap 28-27. 4 minutes later, the Heisman favorite Penix struck again, finding his favorite target Odunze for the second time with a 33-yard TD to give the Huskies a 33-28 lead. The Utes had a chance to capitalize on the failed two-point conversion and they did the complete opposite by throwing an interception for what should've been a pix six. Luckily, the Washington player fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line and Utah recovered, giving them a second chance at redemption. With their backs against the wall, the Utes ran a draw play, relying on their weak O-line to create a hole, they instead gave up a safety increasing the Husky lead 35-28 at the end of the 3rd.
The 4th quarter began with a punt a piece from both teams before Washington drove the ball slowly down into Utah territory, chewing the clock for almost 7 minutes. The ferocious Utah defense held their ground and forced the Huskies to kick a field goal on 4th and 12 from 32 yards away. As Grady Gross got it off the ground, the Utah unit blocked the kick and recovered it just barely keeping their hopes alive. With 1:32 left in the game, Utah had a chance to make a miracle happen but sadly it was all for naught as Barnes was intercepted with 44 seconds left, keeping Washington undefeated.
The Utes showed fight throughout and never gave up, but just fell short when they needed it most. The game ends 35-28 as the Huskies keep their CFP hopes alive while Utah falls to 7-3 on the year with two games left on the schedule. The Utes will travel down to Tucson next for a desert duel with Arizona while Washington travels to Corvallis to face Oregon State.
