Instant Reaction: UW vs Arizona Game

What We Saw

A make-shift Husky offensive line took control of the game after the first quarter. Jacob Eason was back to looking more like Jacob Eason than Jake Browning. Hunter Bryant catches two early passes in the first quarter. That forced Arizona to pay a lot of attention to him, freeing up Puca Nacua, Aaron Fuller, and Jordan Chin to have a big second half.

An array of blitzes and coverages that forced Arizona QB Khalil Tate (and late in the game Grant Gunnell)to throw the ball away 10 times (unofficially).

Washington came from behind after heading into the locker room at half time trailing the Wildcats. It would be the Huskies first win in 10 games when they were trailing at half.

Washington forced 4 turnovers and scored 20 points. Fuller’s muffed punt set up an 8-yard drive that netted only a field goal for the Wildcats.

The Huskies took a 13-3 lead on the Brandon Wellington fumble recovery return for a TD, and Arizona responded by scoring on two long drives to take a 17-13 lead into the locker room.

Key Stats

• 36 carries 201 yards and 3 touchdowns combined for Sean McGrew and Salvon Ahmed

• Jacob Eason had just 2 incomplete passes in the second half

• Washington finished with 450 yards of total offense...316 of it coming in the second half

• The  Dawgs scored 38 second half points

• Unofficially, Arizona QB, Khalil Tate threw the ball away 10 times, was sacked 4 times, fumbled once and was intercepted once

Turning Point 

Last week, Washington fans learned a troubling stat: Under Chris Petersen, the Huskies have lost the last 10 games that they’ve trailed at half time. In the locker room Junior Husky quarterback Jacob Eason called out his teammates saying that it was time that they stepped up. They responded by putting up 38 points in the second half, while the Husky defense held the Wildcats to a field goal and a meaningless TD late in the 4th quarter.

Key Matchup

Washington left their All-American candidate center, Nick Harris, back in Seattle for “health reasons”. To add to the challenges up front for the Husky offense, Henry Bainivalu stepped in for Jaxon Kirkland who left the game in the first half and never returned. It took a little bit of time, but the make-shift offensive line gelled, and paved the way for a 200+ yard rushing performance between Sean McGrew and Salvon Ahmed. They also gave Jacob Eason enough time to settle into the passing game. 5 of his 8 second half completions were for 19 yards or more.

Where Do They Go From Here

In a game where the Huskies couldn’t seem to gain footing or catch a break, Jacob Eason rallied his team from a 4-point halftime deficit to a second half blow out. No time to celebrate as the Oregon Ducks come to town.