Huskies grab early lead, but can’t hold on late in 35-30 loss to Arizona State
The Washington Huskies led most of the way.
Their offense opened a game with back-to-back touchdowns for the first time this season, seeming to find the spark that has often been missing.
Their defense, for much of the first three quarters, kept one of the Pac-12’s top offenses in Arizona State from piling up points.
They led from their opening drive until the final two minutes here Saturday night.
But, the early momentum fizzled, and Arizona State rallied with four touchdowns in the second half — including three in the fourth quarter, and two in the final two minutes — to hand the Huskies another loss, this time 35-30 inside a soggy Husky Stadium.
Arizona State (7-3) took the decisive lead with 1:11 remaining, when Rachaad White stamped a quick drive in which the Sun Devils rushed on all eight plays with a 10-yard touchdown to make it 28-24.
But, it was four plays later when Arizona State sealed the game. On the ensuing drive, the Huskies threw on four consecutive plays, and on fourth-and-1, Dylan Morris’ pass was hauled in by Arizona State linebacker Merlin Robertson, who returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Sun Devils a two-possession lead with 32 seconds left.
UW (4-6) did manage a quick response, with Morris finding Devin Culp for a 2-yard score with three seconds left, and the Huskies recovered the onside kick, but Morris’ final pass over the middle dropped to the turf.
So ended what has surely been a challenging week for the program.
“Proud of our guys, though,” Huskies acting coach Bob Gregory said. “Could not be more proud of them. They played as hard as they could and fought until the very end.”
The university announced Sunday it had fired second-year offensive coordinator John Donovan, then announced Monday coach Jimmy Lake had been suspended for one game following a sideline incident involving a player during the previous week’s loss to rival Oregon.
“I think it’s definitely just been a week that the team has been able to just take a step back and really just come together and find who we are.,” Huskies cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “I know there was a lot of craziness, but I think the guys really in the locker room just looked at one another and just came closer.
“All we focused on was each other and going out there and playing our hearts out because that’s all we can do and that’s all we can control.”
For much of Saturday’s contest, it seemed the week might end with a win.
Early on, the Huskies’ offense — a week after their least productive showing of the season against Oregon, which ended with 116 total yards, only seven first downs and the program then moving on from Donovan the following day — showed encouraging flashes.
The first two drives with interim offensive coordinator Junior Adams calling plays resulted in touchdowns.
For only the fourth time this season, the Huskies opened with seven points. With an empty backfield and four-receiver set, Morris tossed back-to-back completions on quick screens to Rome Odunze on the first two plays of the game for a first down. Two plays later, UW tried some trickery, with Jalen McMillan taking a pitch and tossing it out wide to Morris, who rushed forward, setting up a third-and-short Odunze then promptly converted on an end around.
A pass interference penalty set the Huskies up in the red zone, and Cameron Davis carried the ball on three consecutive plays. His third attempt was a 3-yard score that gave UW its early lead.
The Huskies scored again their following drive. Morris found Odunze again for a first down on the first play. Then, after a face mask on Arizona State sent the Huskies across midfield, Morris connected with Davis and tight end Cade Otton on back-to-back plays to reach the red zone again. Odunze then made a toe-tapping catch on the sideline to move the Huskies inside the 10.
Morris made it 14-0 two plays later, when he scrambled to his right and dove for the pylon for a 3-yard touchdown.
What changed for this offense, which has had so much trouble finding rhythm this season? Gregory said the Huskies worked on simplifying the offensive approach this week.
“For the most part, it worked pretty good,” he said. “We played a little bit better on offense. Got a little spark going.”
“I just love that we locked arms and did better on the offensive side of the ball this week,” Huskies left tackle Jaxson Kirkland said. “But, I just still think we can still push over that mountain and get to that really elite level there.”
The spark did fade some. After those first two drives, the Huskies had their next three drives end in punts before a Peyton Henry field goal extended the lead to 17-7 at the break.
Another punt, a fumble and a turnover on downs on a fake punt attempt ended their first three drives of the third quarter, before Alex Cook’s interception set them up in Arizona State territory. Davis rushed on seven consecutive plays, and Kamari Pleasant capped the drive with a 1-yard score as the quarter expired to push the Huskies’ lead to 24-14.
That was the last time UW found the end zone until after Arizona State had taken its fourth-quarter lead.
Morris finished 16-of-28 passing for 151 yards, two total touchdowns and one interception, while splitting reps with five-star freshman quarterback Sam Huard. Playing for the third time this season, Huard finished 3-for-5 for 20 yards on his three drives.
Davis — UW’s primary running back this week in place of Sean McGrew, who didn’t play — led the Huskies with 18 carries for 67 yards and the one score.
Odunze caught eight passes for a team-high 82 yards, while Otton — who was injured in the first half and returned to the tunnel on crutches — had four catches for 26 yards, and Culp two catches for 28 and the late touchdown.
The Huskies’ defense held Arizona State out of the end zone the first four drives, forcing three punts and a turnover on downs before the Sun Devils finally found the end zone with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter, when Jayden Daniels capped a drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Hodges.
Midway through the third quarter Arizona State found the needed momentum when Davis bobbled a pitch from Morris, and Tyler Johnson scooped it up and returned it 32 yards to the UW 9. White cut the lead to 17-14 two plays later on a 5-yard score.
After Pleasant’s touchdown, Arizona State responded with an 18-play drive that ended with Daniels scoring on a 4-yard keeper with 5:46 to play.
The Huskies then went three-and-out, leading to White’s eventual go-ahead touchdown.
Like so many previous opponents, Arizona State relied heavily on its rushing attack against a Huskies defense that has struggled to stop the run, and racked up 286 yards on the ground.
White led the way with 32 carries for 184 yards and the two touchdowns, and added another 53 receiving yards on five catches.
Daniels was 10-of-16 passing for 90 yards, the one passing touchdown and interception, and added 56 yards and his one rushing score on 15 attempts.
“For the most part it was missed tackles, and then it was just a run fit here or there, and that’s really what it usually comes down to,” Gregory said. “When they’re pulling guys and the quarterback has the option to keep it, you’ve got to be pretty on it, and we weren’t all the time.”
The Huskies now head into their final two regular season games — they visit Colorado next week, then host Washington State in the Apple Cup — needing two wins to become bowl eligible.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Huskies grab early lead, but can’t hold on late in 35-30 loss to Arizona State."
