New-look Huskies Come Up with New Result in Last-minute Win at Stanford

The UW prevails for the first time in Palo Alto in 14 years on late touchdown pass.

An almost unrecognizable University of Washington football team ran on to the field on Saturday night at Stanford Stadium. It was resolute, grinding, almost boring — and that was a good thing.

The Huskies also were mistake-free on offense, stingier with rushing yards for a change and resilient enough to pull out a 20-13 victory over the Cardinal on Dylan Morris' 20-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan with a scant 21 seconds left to play.

Yes, there is a heartbeat to Jimmy Lake's team (4-4 overall, 3-2 Pac-12) after all.

These guys were the first Husky outfit to win at Stanford in 14 years, since ex-Cardinal coach Ty Willingham was in charge at the UW. 

It was far from easy as those wearing white shirts and purple pants squandered a 12-3 advantage in the fourth quarter, built on four Peyton Henry field goals, and had to scramble to beat the Cardinal (3-5, 2-4). 

Over the game's final 2:51, the Huskies meticulously drove 68 yards, needing only a fifth Henry 3-pointer but finding McMillan behind the Stanford secondary for something less nerve-wracking than a kick attempt on the game's final play. Giles Jackson next took a jet sweep and came up with a 2-point conversion and the final 7-point margin. 

McMillan finished with 6 catches for 84 yards. Morris was good on 17 of 25 passes for 146 yards and that one score.

The UW ground game was a nice complement, too, churning out 229 yards. Sixth-year senior Sean McGrew led all rushers with a career-high 114 yards on 19 carries and redshirt freshman Cam Davis backed him with a career-best 99 yards on 18 carries.

While some of these faces in the Husky starting lineup were brand new, at least one name registered immediately with everyone.

The UW coaching staff gave freshman inside linebacker Carson Bruener his first collegiate start and unleashed a star player in the making. In his first outing with unrestricted snaps, the son of Husky tight-end legend and long-time NFL player Mark Bruener piled up 15 tackles and a strip sack, the turnover leading to one of the field goals.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder was told of his promotion at practice on Thursday, which enabled him to leapfrog redshirt freshman Daniel Heimuli, who started last week in place of the injured Edefuan Ulofoshio. In two weeks, he went from third-teamer to the starter. Bruener admitted to being shocked by this, but he put on his game face.

"I felt as ready as I could be," he said. "We were able to stop the run today, which we weren't able to before."

The Huskies also inserted sophomore edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui into the opening lineup for the first time since he tore his Achilles tendon and, while he was kept in check for the most part, his full-circle return was inspirational enough.

The UW secondary nearly went for a full makeover. Sophomore strong safety Dominique Hampton made his first career start and had 5 tackles. Transfer Bookie Radley-Hiles opened at free safety for the first time, moving over from nickelback. Redshirt freshman walk-on Mishael Powell started for a second time in the defensive backfield, the first time at nickel.

The Huskies made it all work as they beat a Pac-12 brand name once and for all. In a conference that won't permit any team to get too far ahead of itself, the UW now has conference victories of 7 in overtime, 5 and 7 points, and league losses of 3 and 7. 

For as generous as they've been lately, these Husky defenders permitted Stanford just 71 yards rushing on 27 carries, or 2.6 per run, which is huge progress.

Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Dom Hampton were first-time starters this season against Stanford :: Neville E. Guard/USA TODAY Sports

 

After spotting the Cardinal an opening-series 3-pointer, a 34-yarder from Joshua Karty, the Huskies matched it on their second possession. Fifty-three seconds into the second quarter, Henry was true on a 24-yarder. He would be busy on this night.

The UW's second field goal came after Stanford was driving for a go-ahead score and linebacker Jackson Sirmon intercepted Tanner McKee, catching a deflected ball inside the red zone and returning it to the Husky 31.  Eight plays later, Henry lifted a 37-yarder over the crossbar for a 6-3 lead. 

Luck was on the Huskies' side, too, when they had a Cade Otton fumble overturned on their next drive. Otton got flipped in the air after catching a ball in the right flat and coughed it up, seemingly putting Stanford in great field position deep in UW territory. An officiating review, however, ruled that Stanford never had possession of the ball before it went out of bounds. 

Given that reprieve, the UW completed a methodical 95-yard drive with no more histrionics and Henry converting a 32-yard field goal on the last play of the half for a 9-3 advantage. 

When play resumed, Bruener crashed into Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee from the left side and separated him from the football, which teammate Sav'ell Smalls recovered. Six plays later, Henry had his fourth field goal, this one from 35 yards and good for a 12-3 lead. 

Stanford wouldn't give in easy. The Cardinal changed everything up by next coming up with a six-pointer in this field-goal fest.

Early in the fourth quarter, McKee scored the first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard dive while in the grasp of Bruener, making it 12-10.

Cam Davis had a career-best 99 yards rushing against Stanford.  :: Neville E. Guard/USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinal next did to the Huskies what Oregon State did — stopped Morris on a late fourth-and-1 sneak on his own 45 in the final period. Same as in Corvallis, this gamble brought a go-ahead field goal by Stanford, a 43-yarder by Karty with 7:06 left to play.

Unlike the Willamette Valley kick, this one did not hold up as the game-winner. There was still enough time for the Huskies to rescue the game and maybe even a bowl bid well down the line. 

Yet the UW had to make it overly interesting. These guys failed to convert a fourth-and-5 at the Stanford 35, too far out for a Henry field goal, when Morris' pass for Rome Odunze fell incomplete. The clock had just 3:12 on it and things looked rather bleak

Yet that restructured Husky defense came up big, forcing Stanford to punt. Starting at its 32, this team methodically moved up the field and burned the clock. 

And won.

Who were those guys?

Well, Bruener no longer needs an introduction.

"It's unreal," he said. "I'm still trying like to come to terms on what happened out there. How hard our team fought, especially on that last drive, from D-Mo to Jalen on the touchdown. It was a good win."

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