Why the UW Was Powerless to Stop Colorado State's Final TD

Trailing by a touchdown midway through the third quarter, the Colorado State offense came to the line of scrimmage at the Washington 27 and set itself.

Husky cornerback Ephesians Prysock immediately began pointing at 6-foot-8, 245-pound tight end Jaxxon Warren, who had just caught two long passes to move his team into scoring position.

Prysock, however, wasn't calling for help.

To the contrary, Warren was positioned in such a manner in an unbalanced line, it made him an ineligible receiver and the UW corner spotted this and was letting everyone know.

So what happened?

Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi drilled a pass to a wide-open Warren over the middle, who ran in untouched for a 27-yard score to tie the game at 21 -- while Prysock trailed him, arms outstretched to question how this could happen.

Colorado State Rams tight end Jaxxon Warren (19) catches a touchdown pass out of an illegal formation. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

For Colorado State, it was free one.

"It was a miss," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "It was very clear."

Prysock was beside himself that the play stood as a touchdown.

"Ephy is a very bright individual," Husky defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. "He definitely can count to 11."

In hindsight, the defensive coordinator said Warren, who had hauled in 10- and 25-yard passes on the same drive, with the second one erasing a third-and-19 situation, should have been given more attention, even if he was ineligible, just to be safe.

"No. 19 was getting the majority of targets, so [it was] erring on the side of caution there," Walters said. "But you love the pre-snap anticipation off of counting numbers."

Typically, in the post-game film review, somebody gets marked down when opponent scores a touchdown.

That wasn't the case for Prysock, who did everything right except prevent the six points, Colorado State's final touchdown, from going up on the scoreboard, because, in this case, it was unpreventable.

"I didn't downgrade him to what the formation was," Walters sadi.

Could anything have been done different?

"Well, ah, look to the side and talk to the official and say they don't have enough guys on the wall," Walters said unconvincingly, knowing there wasn't time for any pre-snap banter with the refs.

The Husky coaching staff and the officiating crew did have a post-play conversation.

"It was, 'Sorry,' " Walters said.

It was the play that wasn't that was.

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