Bow Down as No. 9 Utes Take Down Huskies
University of Utah running back Devin Brumfield (6) in an NCAA Football game vs. The Washington Husky in Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washinton on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019(Photo by Cassandra Palor | The Daily Utah Chronicle)
November 2, 2019
On a chilly afternoon on Saturday, the No. 9 University of Utah (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) did something they haven’t been able to do since 2015. The Utes marched into Seattle and took down the University of Washington (5-4, 2-4 Pac-12) 33-28.
The Utes’ start to the day was not ideal as the first two drives ended in punts, while the third drive led to a Jadon Redding field goal. Meanwhile, Washington scored on their first possession and fumbled on their second drive. On Washington’s third possession, they extended their lead to 14-3.
From that moment on, Utah only punted the ball once more in the game.
After only playing in the first half of last week’s victory, eyes were on Tyler Huntley and how he would respond to being not fully 100%.
And QB1 looked like he was at his full capacity today. He was 19-24 for 284 yards and 1 touchdown on the day. After the game, when asked what his health status was for today, Huntley just responded with one word — “Good.”
Utah’s defense was also playing at a whole different level today. Both Julian Blackmon and Jaylon Johnson had interceptions on the night. While Blackmon didn’t have a return on his pick, Johnson took his back to the house for a Utah touchdown.
“I watched film all week more than I have for any other game,” Johnson said. “I knew by the way he lined and his tendency of throwing an out route I took a chance on it and made a play.”
The explosive Washington offense was held to 369 total yards in the game. The Husky run game alone was held to 53 yards.
“It was a great defensive effort, man,” Blackmon said. “They were going to make plays, we knew they were going to make plays, it was just a matter of us responding.”
While the usually productive Utah rush game struggled at first, when all was said and done the team had 115 rushing yards. Zack Moss accounted for 100 of those yards and two touchdowns.
Another Utah record fell at Moss’ hands tonight. He became the school record holder for the most touchdowns scored as a Ute with 36.
According to Moss, there was no doubt the offensive line would start to make some holes for him as well as the other backs to run through.
“Those guys are gritty, man,” Moss said. “They believe they are the best in the Pac and I believe they are too, so they definitely aren’t going to let anyone shut them out for a whole four quarters. I was never worried about ’em, I knew they were never worried about it.”
While the Utes suffered two costly fumbles during the game, one as freshman Jordan Wilmore just dropped the ball on a rushing attempt and the other as Derrick Vickers got stripped of the ball after catching the ball the Utah receiving core was on fire.
Huntley had four passes of over 20 yards, each to a different Utah receiver.
“He means so much to this football team,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham. “He is one of the elite quarterbacks in the country and I’ll stand by that. Solomon Enis had a great catch, so did Samson [Nacua]. But he put some balls in some spots that were incredible.”
While no wide outcrossed the 100-yard mark, seven receivers had double digit yards. Jaylen Dixon lead the team with 72 yards. He was followed by Bryan Thompson who had 60 yards.
This game was not only huge for the team’s postseason hopes, but it shows that they can go toe to toe with any team in the conference.
“It just shows what type of team we got,” Blackmon said. “Once we got the lead it was going to be a run for their money.”
“Gangstas,” Huntley said.
“These guys, there is something special. The chemistry, the culture,” Whittingham said. “This team is enjoying what they are doing, they are having fun. It’s a good feeling.”
The Utes will take next week off but will be back at home on Nov. 16 to take on UCLA.
