SEATTLE, WA — Washington’s offense never found the rhythm it wanted Saturday, but the Huskies’ defense made sure an uneven afternoon still ended with a victory.
No. 19 Washington forced three turnovers, including a game-clinching interception in the final seconds, to escape with a 16-14 victory over Utah State at Husky Stadium and improve to 2-0.
The Huskies led 16-7 after Takoda Robles kicked field goals of 26 and 43 yards in the fourth quarter, but Utah State refused to go away. Grady Brosterhous connected with Eli Wood for a 7-yard touchdown with 1:56 remaining, cutting Washington’s lead to two.
Utah State got one final opportunity and drove into Washington territory, but the Huskies’ defense delivered again. Rashawn Clark intercepted Brosterhous at the Washington 4-yard line with three seconds remaining, sealing a victory that highlighted Washington’s defensive strength while exposing areas of concern offensively.
“We’re 2-0, which we’re happy about,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said. “We need to do some things better. We need to find some points. We need to not pass up opportunities for touchdowns when they’re there.”
Washington finished with 356 yards of offense and controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes, but repeatedly settled for field goals. Robles made three of four attempts, including a 30-yarder that opened the scoring in the second quarter.
The Huskies’ lone touchdown came on Ansu Sanoe’s 1-yard run with 6:44 remaining in the first half. Utah State answered almost immediately when Brosterhous found Javon Robinson for a 78-yard touchdown, sending Washington into halftime with a 10-7 advantage.
Demond Williams Jr. completed 26 of 41 passes for 249 yards without a touchdown or interception. He also led Washington with 56 rushing yards, but the Huskies struggled to establish consistent production from their running backs.
Williams credited the defense for carrying Washington through its offensive difficulties.
“I would say not very good,” Williams said of the offense. “As an offense, we shot ourselves in the foot a lot. When you do stuff like that, you just got to understand that the game’s going to be close. I want to shout out to our defense for the way that they played. They closed out the game for us.”
Brosterhous threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns for Utah State, but his three interceptions proved costly. Washington held the Aggies to 271 total yards and did not commit a turnover.
For the Huskies, the result was far from polished, but their defense provided enough timely plays to keep Washington unbeaten through two games.
