Pac-12 football: No. 9 Utah rallies past Washington; Oregon State beats Arizona
SEATTLE — Tyler Huntley threw for one touchdown and ran for another, Jaylon Johnson returned an interception 39 yards for a score, and No. 9 Utah overcame an 11-point first-half deficit to beat Washington 33-28 on Saturday.
The Utes (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12 Conference) kept alive their College Football Playoff hopes thanks to a defense that forced Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason into three turnovers and got just enough offense from Huntley to rally from an early 14-3 hole.
Huntley hit Zack Moss on a nine-yard touchdown late in the first half and added a one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to give Utah its first lead at 26-21. Huntley’s touchdown run capped a drive that featured a key third-and-12 conversion in which Huntley hit Jaylen Dixon for a 41-yard completion.
Ian Book ran seven yards for a touchdown with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and No. 16 Notre Dame escaped with a 21-20 win over Virginia Tech.
Huntley finished 19 of 24 for 284 yards. He was sacked four times — Utah had allowed just seven all season — but all came in the first half and the Utes were able to protect Huntley much better as the game progressed. Huntley also had a pair of key third-down conversions on Utah’s final scoring drive, hitting Solomon Enis for 14 yards and Samson Nacua for 28 yards. Moss capped the 84-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run with 4:52 left.
Moss finished with 100 yards in 27 carries.
“It says a lot. We’ve had a lot of games, the last three games or whatever it’s been, by putting up 40 points and our defense looking impeccable,†Moss said. “When we can do this and come on the road and win a game like this and doing it the way we did, that’s what championship teams do and that’s what we’ve been missing the last couple of years.â€
Washington (5-4, 2-4) dropped its second straight after losing to Oregon two weeks ago and lost for the third time at home this season. Eason was 29 of 52 for 316 yards and four touchdowns. He had a nearly perfect beginning before a pair of critical mistakes in the third quarter.
Oregon State 56, at Arizona 38: Jake Luton threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns, Jermar Jefferson ran for three more scores, and the Beavers sliced through the Wildcats’ listless defense for a victory in Tucson.
Arizona (4-5, 2-3 Pac-12) fired defensive coordinator Marcel Yates this week, replacing him with former NFL assistant coach Chuck Cecil. The coordinator change changed little on the field.
Oregon State (4-4, 3-2) manhandled the Wildcats up front while churning out big plays, scoring 35 points by halftime and racking up 572 total yards.
Luton finished 20 of 26 and threw two touchdown passes to Isaiah Hodges, who had seven catches for 150 yards.
Grant Gunnell threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats, who have lost four straight.
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