In Jimmy Lake’s debut as Head Coach of the University of Washington, the Huskies beat Oregon State, 27-21.
“Just so proud of those guys,” Jimmy Lake said multiple times after the win.
Washington used their powerful offensive line to rush for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Sean McGrew led the Huskies with 91 yards rushing that was highlighted by a 21-yard touchdown, that tied that game 7-7 in the first quarter.
When asked about whether the heavy rushing attack would be the offensive philosophy moving forward, head coach Jimmy Lake spoke the truth.
“We are going to do whatever we need to do to win football games,” Lake said.
The Huskies (1-0) after having their season opener cancelled a week ago against California showed some rust. A bad snap on a punt resulted in a block punt that Oregon State returned for a touchdown to give the Beavers a 7-0 lead.
In a game the Huskies led 24-21 at halftime. Just a 23-yard Peyton Henry field goal would be the only points between the teams in the second half.
A game that could easily could be described as a “smash-mouth football game”, the teams combined for 434 yards rushing. Oregon State rushed for 167 yards. Led behind Jermar Jefferson who rushed for 133 yards and one TD.
Oregon State’s rushing attack got them back into the game after falling behind 17-7 in the second quarter. The Beavers responded with two touchdowns before halftime to trim the deficit to 24-21.
In what became a defensive battle in the second half, one play had the biggest impact in the game. With the Huskies clinging to a 24-21 lead at the start of the fourth quarter the Beavers had a fourth down and inches inside the Huskies 5-yard line. Washington stuffed the Beavers in what would be Oregon State’s last threat of scoring. It was a shocking play considering UW struggled to stop Oregon State’s ground game all night.
The game was finally sealed when safety Asa Turner intercepted Oregon State QB Tristan Gebbia’s pass with just 1:03 remaining in the game.
Quarterback decided
The much anticipated starting quarterback for UW was finally decided. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Morris got his first career start. Morris for the most part was a game manager as his offensive line had their way against the Beavers. Morris completed 14-of-24 passes for 141 yards.
Extra Point
Outside of Washington’s offensive line the MVP of this game could have gone to Zion Tupuola-Fetui. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound outside linebacker had four tackles, two tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
