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Player of the Game: Dante Pettis. Field position was the best thing the Huskies had going for them, and seemed to be the only reason the Husky offense scored when they did. Pettis had 4 returns for 98 yards, including two that went for 35.
Play of the Game: Jeff Lindquist's second TD run. It was pretty clear that he was running the ball when he entered the game, and he just went right around GSU's defense and waltzed into the end zone. Maybe giving that look outside of the red zone to pick up some yards on the ground would be a good idea too.
Goat of the Game: The offensive line. Dwayne Washington and Lavon Coleman needed 25 carries to combine for 100 yards, and Cyler Miles was faced with pressure all game long. Georgia State is exactly the type of team that a veteran offensive line like UW's should manhandle and open up cavernous holes in the run game, but they just didn't.
Stat of the Game: Husky players have thrown 99 passes without an interception, and run the offense has run 303 total plays with just 1 turnover this season.
Who Stepped Up: Marcus Peters. After sitting out a week ago, he came back this week and kept the Panthers from pulling away in the first half with two interceptions.
The Game Tipped When: The defense made whatever adjustments they needed to at halftime, and after forcing just 1 punt in the first half forced 7 in the second.
It Was Over When: Miles completed a 3 yard touchdown pass to Kasen Williams to put the Huskies up 21-14. It was pretty clear at that point that the Husky talent advantage had shown up and that the Dawgs were going to pull away.
Surprise of the Game: The first half offense. There's no world in which that kind of performance against a team that has never beaten an FBS team is acceptable. The perfectly reasonable expectation that the Huskies should have been able to push the Panthers around left all onlookers shocked when they just couldn't move the ball at all.
WTF Moment of the Game: I don't know if it's by design, but it seems that UW's "zone reads" aren't. Most of the time when Miles gives that look, he hands off regardless of what the defense does -- even when he's got an enormous valley to run down if he'd keep it. Maybe they're keeping it in their back pocket for conference play, but right now that play inspires no confidence at all and it was expected to be a big part of the offense coming into 2014.