By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Husky defense rises to the occasion

On a  day the  Washington Huskies offense played its worst under the  Kalen DeBoer era the defense answered what many Husky fans were thinking but dared not too say it out loud. Is the  Husky defense capable of winning a game with minimal production from the nation’s number-one-ranked offense?  After a fourth-quarter 89-yard pick-six by Mishaal Powell, the answer is  an emphatic yes!  The  Odea High School’s pick-six propelled the Huskies to a 15-7  win over an Arizona State Sun Devil team that was hell-bent on winning two consecutive games against the Huskies.

A TOUGH MATCHUP

After beating the Huskies in  Tempe last year the  Sun Devils looked like they were out to make history repeat itself after a  Michael Penix Jr. interception on Washington’s opening drive. After the jaw-dropping interception by Penix  Jr. things went from bad to dismal.  The interception was followed by a punt, another interception and  Penix Jr. fumble that sucked the life out of Husky Stadium. The unthinkable became a conscious thought in the hearts and minds of  Husky Nation when the  Sun Devils offense broke down the Husky defense’s resolve when it cashed in on  Penix JR’s third blunder of the game.

  ASU running back  Cam  Skattebo scored on a one-yard run to cap an impressive 8-play 62-yard drive that saw the Sun Devils take a 7-0 lead.  It looked like the Husky offense had found its rhythm when it marched 73 yards to the Sun Devil’s seven-yard line . Looks can and were deceiving, the promising march down into the  ASU red zone stalled as the Huskies settled for a Grady Gross 24-yard field goal after back-to-back incomplete passes by Penix Jr on second and third down.

NO SO GOOD START TO START SECOND HALF

Another self-inflicted wound this time a fumble by   Ja’Lynn  Polk on the second play of the third quarter saw the Husky offense turn Husky Stadium into a house of horrors. With the offense struggling the Husky defense seized the moment. Despite the Sun Devils converting a  perfect 2-2 on fourth down attempts the Husky defense held the  Sun Devils to just 80 yards in the third quarter,  zero third down conversion, and kept them the visitors off the scoreboard.

INSPIRED DEFENSIVE EFFORT

Continued inspired play by the Husky defense saw the unit stop the Sun Devils on 4th and 3 at the Husky 30-yard. Feeding off the defensive vibes the Husky offense cut the deficit to just one point with Gross’s 47-yard field. The Devil’s offense returned to the field and marched to the Huskies’ 12-yard line. On  4th and three the Devils went for the win. ASU quarterback Trenton Bourguet’s  at the 11-yard line was intercepted by Powell who  awoke  Husky Nation with the pic six

A third field goal by Gross sealed the win for the Huskies who remained undefeated  7-0  ( 4-0 conference.  The Sun Devils 

GAME NOTES

Tonight marked the first time that Washington won a game without an offensive TD since the 2018 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, a 10-3 win over Utah in which the only touchdown was a 66-yard interception return from Byron Murphy. The last such regular-season win was in 2001 vs. Michigan. In that one, a 23-18 win, the Huskies got three John Anderson field goals, a 77-yard blocked field goal return from Roc Alexander, and a 21-yard interception return from Omare Lowe to account for the final total.

Washington has won 14 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the country, behind Georgia, and the third-longest in Husky history (40 straight wins 1908-16; 22 straight wins 1990- 92).

Mishael Powell’s 89-yard interception return for a touchdown was the sixth-longest INT return in UW history, and the fifth-longest for a touchdown. The UW record is a 96-yarder from Brandon Beaver vs. Utah State in 2015, which did not, remarkably, result in a score.

UW cornerback Elijah Jackson blocked an ASU field goal attempt in the third quarter, marking the first time a Husky had blocked an FG since Taniela Tupou blocked one vs. Sacramento State on Sept. 12, 2015.

Washington was held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time since last season’s game vs. Oregon State (Nov. 4, 2022). UW had scored in the first period in 10 straight games since. The last time the Huskies were held without a touchdown in the first half was in the game before that, vs. Cal on Oct. 22, 2022. The Huskies won both of those games.

Washington is 7-0 for the first time since 2016. There have been 13 7-0 starts in UW football history. However, six of those have come since 1927. UW’s 7-0 starts since the 1920s: 1982, 1984, 1991, 1992, 2016, and 2023.

Penix has 2,576 passing yards through seven games this year, ahead of pace to break his own school record of 4,641 yards (over 13 games). His average of 368.0 yards per game would give him 4,784 yards over a 13-game 2023 season (UW is bowl eligible).

UW head coach Kalen DeBoer is now 97-11 as a head coach. Washington is 12-0 at home under DeBoer.

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