Huskies Score in All 3 Phases in Dominating 45-19 Road Win Over BYU

The Huskies have been dominant in the 1st quarter so far this season and that continued today as an early 21-3 lead sparked the Huskies to a 45-19 road opener at BYU. Jacob Eason was dominant for the Dawgs and Washington also scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter which had previously been a problem quarter for them this year.

Jacob Eason was cool, calm, and collected to start against a BYU defense that often rushed 3 while dropping 8 back into coverage. The Huskies converted an early 3rd down on a crossing route to Hunter Bryant for 21 yards which was quickly followed by a gain of 18 to Aaron Fuller. But on 3rd down Jacob Eason rolled to his left and found RB Richard Newton wide open in the left corner of the end zone for a tip-toe grab to give UW a 7-0 lead.

BYU answered back though after a questionable PI penalty by Keith Taylor extended the drive on 3rd down (ball appeared uncatchable). However Benning Potoa’e got a sack on Zach Wilson and BYU was forced to settle for a field goal.

Penalties continued to be one of the stories of the game as the Huskies were bailed out when on consecutive plays a failed 3rd down conversion and run for a loss were actually facemask calls going against BYU. With new life Jacob Eason was able to zip a ball in to Aaron Fuller through a microscopic window in the zone for another UW touchdown.

On the next possession BYU moved the ball including a conversion on 3rd and 8 after Coach Pete accepted an illegal man downfield penalty which otherwise would’ve made it 4th down. It worked out well for the Huskies though as Ryan Bowman ripped through the line and hit Zach Wilson’s arm forcing a fumble. And for the first time this year the Husky defense was able to pick it up as Brandon Wellington rumbled 69 yards for a defensive TD to give UW a 21-3 lead.

After the Huskies forced a BYU punt they once again moved the ball methodically down the field. But inside the 10 yard line Aaron Fuller was unable to make his guy miss on 3rd down and Peyton Henry kicked a short field goal to go up by 3 touchdowns. Defensive penalties killed the Dawgs as multiple offsides and another DPI penalty on Keith Taylor off a RB pass (which was not even close and for which the receiver made no attempt to move towards the ball fyi) sustained the BYU drive until they punched it in from the 1 yard line. However, BYU’s kicker missed the extra point and Washington led 24-9.

One more time the Huskies drove down the field and enjoyed a 1st and goal at the 2 yard line. From there things fell apart. A false start made it 1st and goal from the 7. Then Richard Newton in the wildcat fumbled an exchange with Sean McGrew and Nick Harris somehow fell on the ball to preserve possession. Eason was forced to throw it away as it looked like Chris Petersen called a timeout which wasn’t granted and half the offense didn’t move. After a short completion to the 5 yard line, holder Race Porter tried a fake field goal and was stuffed after Devin Culp whiffed on a block. Coach Petersen said at halftime that the call was a miscommunication.

BYU kept up their positive momentum and seemed to move the ball at will until a Benning Potoa’e sacked for a loss of 12 derailed the Cougars. However their kicker still made a 54-yard field goal shortly before halftime to bring the score to 24-12. Eason finished the half 18 of 20 for 206 yards and 2 TDs.

The second half got off to a questionable start after Joe Tryon was called for targeting a play which everyone in the booth and watching at home viewed as clean. He will have to miss the 1st half of the USC game next week as well. But 2 plays later Trent McDuffie forced a fumble and then jumped on it for the 2nd turnover of the game. A few plays later Jacob Eason hit Andre Baccellia on a slant after BYU rushed 6 and with no safety help he easily outran the defense for a TD to put the Dawgs up 31-12.

From there the Husky defense stiffened up and Aaron Fuller had by far the best punt return of his career and ran it back 88 yards untouched to extend the lead to 38-12 and essentially seal the game. On the Husky’s next possession the offensive line took over and after a McGrew run for 36 and Newton run for 13, eventually Newton punched it into the end zone for his 6th career TD in his 4th career game.

After the Huskies forced a turnover on downs things got crazy when Eason forced a pass into triple coverage which was picked by BYU and returned inside the 10. It appeared that Richard Newton forced a fumble and Fuller recovered to give the Huskies the ball back. But on review it was overturned. On the next play Zach Wilson threw it directly to Keith Taylor but he dropped it and the ball ricocheted off his leg directly into the arms of Matt Bushman who caught it to bring the score to 45-19.

The defense got another 4th down stop and the Huskies looked to run out the clock with their dominating O-line but Richard Newton had the ball stripped and BYU recovered. However, on the next play Asa Turner was able to corral an errant Wilson throw for his first career pick to seal it. The backups came in and Sean McGrew had a few big runs to help run out the clock.

Jacob Eason finished the day 24/28 for 290 yards with 3 TD and 1 INT. Aaron Fuller led the team with 8 catches for 91 yards with both a receiving TD and an 88 yard punt return. Sean McGrew and Richard Newton combined for 183 yards on 34 carries and a TD in place of Salvon Ahmed.