SEATTLE — On a night of missed chances, mental lapses and other miscues, the University of Washington football team still had an opportunity to beat bitter Northwest rival Oregon on Saturday night.
Alas, the Huskies dug themselves a deep early hole, and a late rally allowed them only to come close in a 26-20 loss to the Ducks at Husky Stadium.
Washington never led in the game and trailed 23-6 late in the third quarter. But an electrifying 72-yard touchdown dash by running back Myles Gaskin gave the Huskies hope, and a 3-yard TD pass from quarterback Jake Browning to wide receiver Jaydon Mickens late in the fourth quarter gave them a chance.
After forcing an Oregon punt, the Huskies began their final possession at their own 20-yard line with 1:11 to play in the game. The drive reached the UW 42, but a desperation pass by backup quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels — he was summoned after Browning hurt his shoulder — was intercepted with 24 seconds to play, snuffing Washington’s last hope.
“We just didn’t play well enough … in all phases,” said UW head coach Chris Petersen.
Though the Huskies had some shining moments, “we had too many self-inflicted wounds,” he said. “I’ve seen us play better. … I think we have a team that if we play like we’re capable of playing we can win, and we didn’t.”
Added Mickens: “We weren’t firing on all cylinders.”
It was Oregon’s 12th consecutive victory against the Huskies, who have not defeated the Ducks since a 2003 game in old Husky Stadium. And the disappointment of that streak is “12 years disappointing,” said UW nose tackle Elijah Qualls.
Defensively, Washington was stung by a series of third-down big plays by the Ducks and their quarterback Vernon Adams, who returned from an early-season hand injury that caused him to miss three of the team’s first six games.
On Oregon’s opening possession, Adams had pass completions on third down for 48 and 36 yards, the latter a pass to wide receiver Darren Carrington for a touchdown just two minutes into the game. Later in the quarter, Adams had another third-down completion of 24 yards, though that march ended in a punt.
Midway through the second period, a third-down pass by Adams covered 29 yards and set up an Oregon’s second TD. And in the waning seconds of the first half, Adams completed a pass on third down for 44 yards, leading to a late field goal by Aidan Schneider and a 16-3 Ducks lead at halftime.
The Huskies had other miscues, too. Just before the half, Washington’s Deontae Cooper had a pass to the end zone fall right into his hands— and then right out again. The drop cost the Huskies a touchdown, though they did pick up three points moments later with a 40-yard field goal by Cameron Van Winkle.
Even good moments were sometimes followed by breakdowns. After Gaskin’s TD run late in the third quarter, Washington’s special teams allowed Oregon’s Bralon Addison to follow up with an 86-yard kickoff return, giving the Ducks a first-and goal at the UW 9. The good news, Washington’s defense pushed Oregon back and place-kicker Aidan Schneider missed a 32-yard field goal.
Other times the Huskies simply sputtered, particularly on offense. On their opening drive of the second half Washington marched smartly down the field, reaching a first down at the Oregon 11. But three straight plays lost yardage, including second- and third-down sacks, and the Huskies had to settle for a 46-yard Cameron Van Winkle field goal.
Still, the Huskies had a last-gasp chance to pull out a victory. With Browning ailing, Carta-Samuels came into the game — “He was thrown into about the most difficult situation you can throw a guy into,” Petersen said — and scrambled for one first down. But with time winding down, his pass into Oregon territory was intercepted by cornerback Ugo Amadi, and the Ducks needed one snap to run out the remaining seconds.
“It’s very disappointing,” said UW safety Budda Baker. “Not just because it’s Oregon, but because we lost the game.”
“It’s real tough to know that I’ll never get a chance to beat Oregon,” said Mickens, a senior. “But with this young team, I’m just proud of the way we fought to the end and held an offense like that to 26 points. And if we could’ve done a little bit more offensively, (maybe) we could’ve pulled it out.”
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