UW makes it through after goal-line gaffe, relocates to 10-0

• Kyle Bonagura, ESPN

  • Staff WriterNov 11, 2023, 09:56 PM ET Close Covers the Pac-12.
  • Joined ESPN in 2014.
  • Attended Washington State University.SEATTLE– When No. 18

Utah’s potential game-tying drive fell well short in the last minute of No. 5 Washington’s 35-28 win, maybe nobody exhaled much deeper than Huskies linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala.It was Tuputala’s interception that eliminated an appealing Utah drive near completion of the 3rd quarter. But when he commemorated a yard and a half too soon on what would have been a pick-six– fumbling to turn the ball over following a 76-yard return– it set up the possibility for a problem. The Huskies still led 33-28, however if Utah came back to win, the psychological gaffe would have registered a regrettable place in program history.Instead, Washington’s defense responded with a security on the next play and kept Utah scoreless the

remainder of the way. Catastrophe avoided.Editor’s Picks “Regrettably, you just get delighted, and it’s a terrific lesson to learn from,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said. “Fortunately, we won the football game, and so we can gain from that. But it is the defense getting back out there, getting some points with the security and then just continue to get and play ball. I saw a great deal of guys as the game is going along going to Zo and making sure that he understood they got his back.”

It was another case of Washington (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12) discovering a brand-new way to win, as it extended the country’s second-longest winning streak to 17 games.The contest was

a shootout in the making early on. Utah had actually scored touchdowns on 4 straight possessions to take a 28-24 lead at halftime. In the second half, it became a protective battle, and the Utes failed to score again.After starting the season with 4 straight comfortable wins, things have been more difficult since for the Huskies. That current stretch consisted of closer-than-expected wins versus Arizona State and Stanford, however 3 other wins have come versus ranked challengers, including a 36-33 thriller against Oregon, the highest-ranked one-loss team in college football.”I think the majority of the games we’ve remained in rather of control I believe towards the end,” DeBoer stated.” I would state the Arizona State game was probably the toughest one, where we just seemed like we were fighting an uphill battle and found a method. But being from a point of control for the most part there, specifically in the 4th quarter with the lead, we have actually had the ability to pull ’em out. “There’s something to be stated about simply not panicking and just playing.”After Washington debuted at No. 5 in the preliminary

College Football Playoff rankings, DeBoer acknowledged the stakes are higher at this point in the season which it refers attempting to streamline things for his team offered the added pressure.There’s likewise quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s Heisman Prize project running down a parallel track.

Penix tossed for 332 yards with a pair of touchdowns on Saturday, and while those numbers were below his season averages, it was the best performance by a QB versus the Utes this season– all in a driving wind and scattered rain showers.”It’s not over yet,”Penix said.”We got 2 more in the regular season to round off with two more wins, go 12-0– and, male, it’s right there in front of us. We just got to take advantage and make certain we put in the work. Never ever get contented.” Washington will take a trip to Oregon State next week in what could be a match of top-10 groups.