Washington Huskies vs Utah Utes Match Player Stats On Oct 29, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 29, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY - Dante Pettis returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown with 3:25 remaining and fourth-ranked Washington held off a second-half rally from No. 17 Utah to claim a 31-24 victory on Saturday afternoon.

After Pettis ripped off his punt return to put Washington ahead 31-24, Utah drove down the field one more time. The Utes reached Washington's 26-yard line, but Keishawn Bierria sacked Troy Williams on third down, and Williams' fourth-down pass fell incomplete, allowing the Huskies to run out the clock.

Myles Gaskin rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown and Jake Browning threw for 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Huskies. Washington (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) has won 11 straight games dating back to last season.

Joe Williams rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown while Troy Williams added 163 yards and two touchdowns through the air to lead the Utes. Utah (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12) fell to 1-9 alltime against the Huskies.

After a sluggish start on offense, Washington finally broke through near the end of the first quarter. Back-to-back completions from Browning and a 23-yard run from LaVon Coleman pushed the Huskies into the red zone. Gaskin finished off the drive by racing 10 yards untouched around the left side to put Washington up 7-0.

The Huskies extended their lead to 14-0 on a 16-yard touchdown catch by John Ross. Washington set up the score on Browning's pass to Darrell Daniels, who turned it into a 38-yard catch-and-run.

Utah gained some momentum after Chase Hansen picked off a pass from Browning and returned it 30 yards to the Washington 19. It set up a 2-yard scoring run from Joe Williams, which cut the Huskies' lead to 14-7.

Andy Phillips tacked on a 29-yard field goal on the final play of the half. Then, Utah took its first lead of the game at 17-14 when Siaosi Wilson hauled in a 6-yard pass in the back of the end zone to cap off the Utes' opening drive of the second half.

Washington answered quickly. The Huskies hit one big play after another, culminating in Ross collecting a 5-yard touchdown pass. It gave the Huskies a 21-17 lead with 5:36 left in the third quarter.

After Cameron Van Winkle hit a 41-yard field goal to increase the Huskies' lead to 24-17, the Utes tied it up on a 24-yard touchdown pass to Evan Moeai with 9:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.

That set up Pettis' punt return and Utah's late drive that fell short.

NOTES: Utah is the first team to score points off a Washington turnover this season. ... Eight of Jake Browning's 12 completions went for 15 yards or more. The Huskies also had 10 runs of 10 or more yards from Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman. ... Joe Williams rushed for 110 yards in the first half, making it the third straight game he eclipsed 100 rushing yards before halftime. ... Washington and Utah were both 6-of-6 on scoring chances in the red zone.