No. 5 Washington survived an upset scare at the hands of No. 18 Utah, which brought the fight to the undefeated Huskies early and pushed them to the brink in a 35-28 win. The victory improves Washington to 10-0, which is the second-best start in program history only trailing the 12-0 season in 1991 that included a claim to the national championship.
Quarterback Michael Penix finished with 332 yards passing and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), but putting away Utah in the second half required high-level contributions from Washington’s defense and the Huskies rushing attack. Dillon Johnson finished with 104 yards rushing and a score to lead Washington on the ground, and the Huskies defense pitched a second-half shutout thanks in part to a pair of interceptions.
The first interception marked arguably the biggest swing of the game with Washington able to overcome a potentially devastating mistake. Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes threw a red zone interception, which Huskies linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala nearly returned all the way for a pick six only to drop the ball at the 1-yard line. With the Utes at 1-yard line, Washington’s defense delivered with a game-changing safety to put some points on the board and give possession back to the offense.
Utah got a terrific early effort from Barnes, who at one point led four straight touchdown drives in the first half, but the Utes could not replicate that success in the second half. After rolling up 306 yards of offense in the first half, failing to break 100 (76 yards) marked a notable turn for Utah’s ability to keep pace with one of the most prolific offensive teams in the country. That remains one of Washington’s great strengths in this College Football Playoff race.
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