SEATTLE _ Jacob Eason did it all on Saturday.
And that wasn't always a good thing.
In a 33-28 loss to No. 9 Utah, the 6-foot-6, 227-pound junior quarterback completed 29 of 52 passes for 316 yards and four scores. He lofted picturesque passes into tight windows. He delivered a pair of beauties to junior tight end Hunter Bryant for 34- and 40-yard scores. He made NFL throws.
And amateur mistakes. Eason _ who threw three interceptions in his first eight games _ surrendered two of them in the third quarter alone. The first, which was lofted into triple coverage, ended a promising drive at the Utah 23-yard line. The second was returned down the sideline by cornerback Jaylon Johnson for a 39-yard score.
UW led 21-13 with 8:15 remaining in the third quarter on Saturday, before Utah responded with 20 consecutive points to hand Washington its fourth Pac-12 loss (and third at home).
Washington's offense wasted little time on Saturday afternoon. In the Huskies' opening drive, Eason and Co. traveled 70 grinding yards in 13 plays, using 5:56. They converted three separate third downs _ including an Eason laser on a crossing route to redshirt freshman receiver Marquis Spiker for 21 yards on third-and-17. The physically gifted quarterback rifled a five-yard pass to Terrell Bynum on fourth-and-3. And on first-and-10 from the Utah 11, he found Jordan Chin on a slant for the junior wideout's second touchdown in his last two games.
But Eason wasn't done. Early in the second quarter, he floated a rainbow into the waiting arms of Bryant for a 34-yard score.
The only significant first-half blemish for UW's highly touted signal caller came on UW's second offensive drive. On third-and-4, Eason attempted to scramble for a first down and fumbled instead, leading to a 31-yard Utah field goal that got the Utes on the board.
On the other side, Washington's inexperienced defense held its own early. The Huskies forced three punts and two three-and-outs in the first half. Utah _ which had allowed just seven sacks in eight games entering Saturday _ surrendered four of them, including two by redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Joe Tryon. Utah standout senior running back Zack Moss was limited to 10 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry in the first quarter.
But in the second quarter, Moss got going. Utah churned out a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, and the 222-pound Moss accounted for 64 of those yards. He also got into the end zone, corralling a short pass from Tyler Huntley and dragging UW linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio across the goal line for a 9-yard score.
The momentum swung further late in the second quarter, when UW's offense opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Utah 45-yard line. Against the best statistical rushing defense in the country, Eason faked a handoff, settled in the pocket and floated a rain drop to redshirt freshman tight end Devin Culp behind the defense.
Culp dropped what would have been his first career catch.
Instead of tacking on a touchdown or field goal to end the half, Washington essentially gave the ball away, and Utah responded with a 41-yard drive that resulted in a 32-yard Jadon Redding field goal. UW led 14-13 at the break, and it felt like a loss _ all things considered.
But again, Hunter Bryant came to the rescue. The 6-2, 239-pound junior tight end showcased every bit of his supreme athleticism on Saturday, racking up five catches for 97 yards and two scores. His defining moment arrived midway through the third quarter, when he corralled a pass on a shallow crossing route, hurdled a tackle attempt and tumbled into the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown.
UW led 21-13 with 8:15 left in the third quarter _ and then, for the second consecutive game, things fell apart. Eason threw the pick-six. Utah ripped off an 82-yard touchdown drive that included a 41-yard completion to sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Dixon on third-and-12. The same UW defense that sacked Huntley four times in the first half couldn't touch him in the second. The Huskies even forced and recovered a pair of fumbles in the third quarter, but couldn't do anything with them.
Following Bryant's second score, UW's next four offensive drives looked like this: three-and-out, pick-six, three-and-out, three-and-out.
Eason and the Husky offense put together a late 19-play drive capped off by a 3-yard touchdown strike to Fuller, narrowing the Utah lead to just 5. But it was too little too late for UW as Utah nabbed the ensuing onside kick.
That's how you lose Pac-12 football games at home.
Unfortunately, these Huskies seem to have perfected the formula.
