SEATTLE — Historic second-half comebacks are not a sustainable strategy.
For the second consecutive week, the Washington Huskies trailed by three touchdowns at halftime. And for the second consecutive week, they stormed back in the second half.
But this time, No. 22 Washington (3-1) — which entered the locker room staring up at a 24-3 deficit — couldn't muster the decisive score, or stop. Instead, Stanford — a team that spent its week sleeping at a hotel and practicing at a high school — delivered the first loss of the Jimmy Lake Era. The Huskies fell by a final score of 31-26.
Despite the defeat, UW redshirt freshman quarterback Dylan Morris completed 15 of 23 passes for 254 yards and added a rushing touchdown. Senior running back Sean McGrew rushed for 65 yards and two scores, and inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio led the way with 17 tackles and a 39-yard fumble recovery.
But on Stanford's side, the Cardinal rushed for 191 yards, 4.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns — including 138 yards and two scores for tailback Austin Jones. Stanford senior quarterback Davis Mills completed 20 of 30 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown.
A week after it gained 300 total yards and scored 24 points in four quarters against Cal, Stanford (2-2) amassed 270 total yards and 24 points in the first two quarters on Saturday. The Cardinal scored in each of their four first-half drives — rushing for 121 yards, 5.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns in the process. That's the same Stanford squad, by the way, that entered the game ranked dead last in the Pac-12 in rushing offense (120.67 yards per game).
The Cardinal also possessed the ball for 17:55 of a possible 30 minutes in the first half, in large part by going 6 of 7 on third down (and 1 of 1 on fourth down). David Shaw's team converted 36.96% of its third downs in its first three games, which ranked 10th in the Pac-12 and 94th nationally.
Meanwhile, Washington — which managed only a first-half field goal — finally came alive after halftime, scoring touchdowns on each of its first three offensive possessions. That was due in large part to redshirt junior wide receiver Ty Jones, who hauled in a pair of chunk passes — the most memorable being a 42-yarder he somehow snared out of the air at the Stanford 6-yard line.
The Huskies also piled up a nine-play, 92-yard drive to begin the fourth quarter — with the highlight being a 42-yard Morris pass to tight end Cade Otton. All three scoring drives were capped with rushing touchdowns — two from running back Sean McGrew, plus a quarterback sneak from Morris.
And early in the fourth quarter, the UW defense finally made a play. On the Stanford 49-yard line, cornerback Trent McDuffie stripped Cardinal running back Austin Jones, and inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio returned the bouncing ball 39 yards.
But, for the first time in the second half, the Husky offense failed to capitalize. On first-and-goal from the 10, Morris hit a wide-open Ty Jones in the corner of the end zone — but a holding penalty by left guard Ulumoo "M.J." Ale negated the play. Left tackle Jaxson Kirkland was subsequently flagged for another holding penalty, and the Huskies were held to a 45-yard field goal that narrowed the deficit to 31-26.
UW would come no closer. In a 14-play, 79-yard, seven-minute and 47-second drive, Stanford converted on third-and-10 and third-and-11 to strangle the clock and secure the win. It was an all-too-fitting end. Stanford — which converted 36.96% of its third downs in its first three games, ranking 10th in the Pac-12 and 94th nationally — went 6 for 7 in that department in the first half and 10 for 13 in the game.
When it was most needed, Washington fell a few plays short.
