Washington was unable to overcome another 21-point deficit as they fell 31-26 to the Stanford Cardinal.
Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake called his lack of defense for almost three full quarters ” unacceptable” and “not Husky football,” after the loss.
The Huskies (3-1) will travel to Eugene to face the Oregon Ducks next Saturday in a game that will likely determine the Pac-12 North’s Division.
Washington trailed 24-3 at halftime. A week prior they trailed Utah 21-0 at halftime but rallied to beat the Utes 24-21. This week the Huskies would make too many mistakes to pull off another miracle comeback.
Stanford bullied the Huskies around Husky Stadium for about 45 minutes until the Huskies finally made some stops on defense. The Cardinal rushed for 191 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry.
Stanford quarterback Davis Mills faced little resistance as he completed 20-30 of his passes for 252 yards and one touchdown.
The Cardinal scored on their first five possessions. Stanford’s first punt didn’t come until their was 14 seconds left in the third quarter. Stanford dominated the time of possession game – holding the ball for 32:25.
Whenever Washington needed a stop Stanford always came up with a big play. The Cardinal converted 10-of-13 third downs.
“As a defense we need to be consistent and we didn’t do that today,” Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio said after the loss.
Washington’s offense was a no show in the first half like the rest of the team. By halftime they scored just three points and had just 126 yards of total offense.
But Washington’s offense did come alive in the second half. Quarterback Dylan Morris found his groove completing long passes to wide receiver Ty Jones and tight end Cade Otton. Ty Jones’ one-handed 42-yard catch set up UW’s first TD of the game in the third quarter. And Cade Otton’s 42-yard catch set up a a 2-yard Sean McGrew TD that put Washington within one score.
Morris finished the day completing 15-of-23 passes for 254 yards and a rushing TD.
The Huskies failed to get the big stop when they needed. After a 45-yard Peyton Henry field goal, the Huskies trailed 31-26 with 7:54 remaining. Washington was unable to stop the Cardinal as they went on 14-play, 79-yard drive as they ran the clock to zero.
Key Stats
* Stanford out-gained UW 443-371 yards
* Stanford converted 10-of-13 first downs
* Washington averaged just 3.4 yards per rush
* The Huskies finished with zero sacks
