Efficient offense, dominant defense lead UW to win over BYU

SEATTLE — The offense was balanced and efficient. And once again, the defense was swarming and dominant.

The 11th-ranked Washington Huskies delivered their most complete performance of the season, controlling both sides of the ball in a 35-7 rout of 20th-ranked Brigham Young in a non-conference showdown Saturday evening before 70,155 roaring fans at Husky Stadium.

Washington rolled to a 464-194 advantage in total yardage and a 35-0 third-quarter lead, thoroughly drubbing a BYU team that upset then-sixth-ranked Wisconsin on the road two weeks ago.

“Excited about that performance,” Huskies coach Chris Petersen said. “… On both sides of the ball, we really executed the plan to a ‘T.’”

Behind an offensive line that provided ample protection, Washington senior quarterback Jake Browning completed 23 of 25 passes for 277 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in a highly efficient outing. The four-year starter became the program’s all-time leading passer and guided the Huskies (4-1) to touchdowns on five of their first seven possessions.

“When the offensive line blocks like they do and (Jake) can sit back there and really look at things, he’s a hard guy to stop,” Petersen said. “… The O-line let him set his feet, he was finding guys, the receivers made plays and he threw a couple tight (passes) into some windows.”

Browning was complemented by the one-two punch of Lynnwood native Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, who led an efficient Washington rushing attack that totaled 187 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

“We knew we had to get something done in the run game, because (BYU) plays conservative in the back end, so it’s hard to get shots down the field,” Petersen said. “It’s almost impossible unless you are running the ball. We were so fixated on that, and it allowed Jake to set his feet a little bit and take some play-action shots downfield. It was a good balance.”

Meanwhile, the Huskies’ defense compiled yet another suffocating performance, holding BYU’s deception-based rushing attack to just 34 net yards on 28 attempts. The Cougars’ lone score came against backups in the final minute and was set up by a muffed punt.

“They do a lot of shifting and smoke-and-mirrors type of stuff to try to get your eyes out of alignment,” Washington linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven said. “I think we did a really good job of understanding what they’re trying to do pretty much from the onset. We had it figured out pretty good.

“We shut down their sweep (and) a lot of their base stuff. They had to go deeper into the playbook, and eventually they had to throw the ball a lot more than they wanted.”

The Huskies are allowing just 11.6 points and 281 total yards per game this season. Washington has held all five opponents to 21 points or less, and each of its last four opponents to fewer than 300 total yards.

“Hats off to those guys,” Petersen said of his defense. “That’s an awkward offense to go against. … We stopped the run like we needed to, and (it was) a really impressive team effort.”

IMPACT

If the Huskies finish as a one-loss Pac-12 champion, this is the type of victory that bolsters their College Football Playoff resume. Washington’s dismantling of BYU should resonate on the national stage, given what the Cougars did two weeks ago in a 24-21 road upset of Wisconsin.

TURNING POINT

After the Huskies opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run by Ahmed midway through the first quarter, BYU responded with a 13-play drive that lasted more than eight minutes. But the Cougars (3-2) were hamstrung by five penalties on the drive, and their lengthy march ended with nothing to show for it after a missed 45-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left.

Washington fired right back on its ensuing possession with a 30-yard completion to Andre Baccellia and a 23-yard wide-receiver screen to Chico McClatcher. Gaskin capped the quick six-play drive, bulldozing into the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 four minutes into the second quarter.

BYU didn’t take another snap in Huskies territory until the game’s final minutes.

BURR-KIRVEN STRIKES AGAIN

One week after recording 20 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery against Arizona State, Burr-Kirven came up with yet another big play late in the first half.

With the Cougars seemingly content to run out the clock, the standout senior linebacker forced and recovered a fumble on a BYU third-and-long run, giving the Huskies the ball on the Cougars 24-yard line with 22 seconds left in the half.

“I thought that was the play of the game,” Petersen said.

Three plays later, Washington cashed in. On a designed quarterback keeper, Browning eluded a defender and dived into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown run with five seconds remaining, giving the Huskies a 21-0 halftime advantage.

“We (were) playing good on both sides of the ball,” Petersen said. “But then we get that turnover (and) get into the end zone — those are game-changers right there.”

BROWNING MOVES ATOP THE RECORD BOOKS

With a 9-yard completion to tight end Drew Sample late in the first half, Browning became the program’s all-time leader in career passing yardage. Browning entered the night needing 151 yards to surpass the mark set 15 years ago by Cody Pickett, who held the career record with 10,220 yards.

“I think it’s cool to be along with some of those names of guys that accomplished some pretty cool things here,” Browning said. “But my whole thing with records now going forward is I hope some other Washington quarterback comes along and … is able to break my record, too.”

Browning reached another milestone in the third quarter, when he extended a third-down play and found Sample for a 15-yard touchdown pass that pushed the Huskies’ lead to 28-0. It marked the 100th total touchdown — passing and rushing — of Browning’s career. He is one of just six players in Pac-12 history to achieve that feat.

“Jake’s a heck of a player,” Petersen said. “He has been since the day that he came here, and he’s continually gotten better.”

With his 23-of-25 passing performance, Browning fell just one completion shy of tying the NCAA single-game record for completion percentage. The record is held by former Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert, who completed 24 of 25 pass in a 2015 game.

“When everybody else is doing their job, that’s what (Jake) can look like,” Petersen said. “… I think you saw one of the better versions of his whole game (tonight).”

OTHER TOP PERFORMERS

Aaron Fuller continued his breakthrough junior campaign with eight catches for 107 yards. It was his third 100-yard receiving game this season.

Ahmed rushed for a team-high 86 yards and two touchdowns, and Gaskin added 81 yards and a score.

LOCAL WATCH

Washington junior defensive lineman John Clark, a 2015 Marysville Getchell graduate, recorded two tackles, including a solo tackle late in the third quarter.

Washington junior defensive back Austin Joyner, a 2016 Marysville Pilchuck graduate, didn’t suit up after suffering a concussion last week against Arizona State.

LOOKAHEAD

Washington travels to Pasadena to face winless UCLA next Saturday at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins (0-4) are in their first season under new coach Chip Kelly, the former University of Oregon coach who left Eugene for NFL head-coaching stints with Philadelphia and San Francisco. The Huskies never beat Kelly during his four success-filled seasons as Oregon’s head coach from 2009 to 2012.