Washington rallies from 21-point deficit, beats Utah 24-21
SEATTLE (AP) — Dylan Morris hit Cade Otton on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left and Washington rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to beat Utah 24-21 on Saturday night.
Morris was brilliant on Washington’s final drive, taking the Huskies 88 yards in less than four minutes, capping the winning drive by rolling to his left and throwing across his body to find his big tight end. Otton had eight catches for 108 yards and a pair of second-half TD receptions.
It was the fifth time in school history Washington rallied from a deficit of 21 or more points to win, and the first since 1989 when the Huskies trailed UCLA 21-0 and rallied for a 28-27 win.
Morris was 23 of 38 for 272 yards and the two TD passes to go along with three interceptions. He was 6 of 9 for 71 yards on Washington’s final possession.
The unexpected matchup between the Utes and Huskies came about after both teams had their originally scheduled games canceled due to COVID-19 issues with their opponents. Washington was supposed to play rival Washington State while Utah was scheduled to travel to Arizona State.
Jake Bentley was 16 of 23 for 144 yards and one touchdown in his first start for Utah. But Bentley also threw two interceptions, one in the third quarter that helped Washington’s comeback and a desperation throw that was intercepted by Trent McDuffie in the closing seconds.
Ty Jordon rushed for 97 yards as Utah rolled up 215 yards rushing. But Jordan also had a costly fumble in the fourth quarter deep in Washington territory that cost the Utes a chance to pad their lead.
Down 21-0 at halftime, Washington awakened in the third quarter on both sides of the ball. Kamari Pleasant’s 2-yard touchdown run capped the opening drive of the half and Washington pulled within 21-10 after Elijah Molden intercepted Bentley, leading to a field goal.
On Utah’s next possession, Bentley was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 QB sneak at the Washington 41 and turned the ball over on downs. Three plays later Morris hit Cade Otton on a 21-yard TD strike and Utah’s leads was down to 21-17.
Morris had one mistake midway through the fourth quarter when he underthrew Ty Jones and was intercepted by Vonte Davis, but the freshman QB made up for it on the final drive.
Utah’s first half was nearly perfect, a strong rebuttal coming off last week’s loss to USC.
The Utes had 221 total yards and 134 yards rushing in the first half. They were 4 of 7 on third downs and Bentley was excellent at keeping plays alive with his feet.
When he did take his shots, Bentley didn’t miss. On the final drive of the first half, Bentley connected with Bryan Thompson on a 19-yard strike on third down, then found him in the back corner of the end zone for a 21-0 halftime lead.
THE TAKEAWAY
Utah: The Utes like playing close games against Washington. Five of the past six have been decided by a touchdown or less.
Washington: Zion Tupulola-Fetui has been a revelation for Washington’s defense. He was listed as a backup on the initial depth chart to begin the season but an injury to Laiatu Latu gave Tupulola-Fetui a chance to start as a pass rusher. He had three sacks against Utah and now has seven sacks and three forced fumbles in three games.
UP NEXT
Utah: The Utes are scheduled to host Oregon State next Saturday.
Washington: The Huskies are scheduled to host Stanford next Saturday.
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