What a night… it took an overtime period to get it done, but Washington is back to .500, and is undefeated in conference play. Cam Williams forced the fumble on Damien Moore on the two-yard line to keep Cal out of the end zone in overtime. The energy of having the student section back, and the relief of beating the Golden Bears after the last few years of crushing defeats at their hands, and you could see the joy in the player’s faces as they stormed the field in overtime.

Even without All-American tight end Cade Otton, the Husky offense picked up right where they left off against Arkansas State in the first half, scoring 21 points and dominating every drive. Wide receiver Rome Odunze played in his first game of the season, after missing the first three due to injury. Odunze showed up in some big spots when Dylan Morris needed him, and his athleticism flashed on a few bubble screens that he took for big gains. The 6’3 receiver from Nevada finished his day with three catches for 56 yards, and will continue to be an impact player as the season progresses.

In Otton’s absence, a lot of the slack was picked up by Devin Culp, with Otton’s primary backup Jack Westover also missing Saturday’s game. Culp started off hot in the first half, and he ended up finishing the day as the team’s leading receiver with five catches for 81 yards.

The second half was a different story, with Washington only coming away with three points. The offense seemed to just roll over, and didn’t score on five straight drives after scoring on four straight. Thankfully for Husky fans, as Jimmy Lake said, “We scored on our only drive in overtime.”

On defense, cornerback Kyler Gordon stepped up in a big way without All-American Trent McDuffie. Walk-on Mishael Powell got the start, but most of the action seemed to come Gordon’s way. He recorded his first two career interceptions, and was a menace in the open field, winning every one on one matchup with ball carriers who came his way. Gordon was absolutely the biggest star of the day, as he also led the team in tackles, and made a fourth-down stop with 11:19 remaining in the game that should’ve sealed the game.

“He’s an incredible player… we’re blessed to have guys like him in our defense,” outside linebacker Ryan Bowman said of Gordon after the victory.

Notable Nuggets

Taj Davis hauled in his first career touchdown to open the scoring in the first quarter. He only had two receptions on the day, but Davis has turned into a reliable option for Dylan Morris whenever he’s needed.

This was the first time this season that Washington won the turnover battle. Between Gordon’s two picks, and the fumble to end the game, the Husky defense needs to continue to get the ball back to create easy opportunities for the offense.

Not only did the defense force turnovers, but they got to the quarterback three times. Brendan Radley-Hiles, Ryan Bowman, and Faatui Tuitele all recorded sacks, but we should talk about Tuitele. The highly-touted recruit is coming into his own, and is going to be a major problem for opposing offenses going forward. The defensive line was consistently getting pressure for the first time this season, and will be something to watch going forward.