SEATTLE It turned out to be a two-touchdown defeat, but to the Boise State players and coaches Saturday’s 24-10 loss to Washington will be remembered as a victory that got away.
The visiting Broncos had chances aplenty, finishing with more yards of offense (388-342) and more first downs (21-16) than Washington. In the second half, they took the ball inside the UW 30-yard line three times and each time failed to score.
Boise State was undone by a bevy of mistakes, including nine penalties (one took a touchdown off the board) and four turnovers, the last sealing the outcome in the late minutes.
The loss ended a 14-game Boise State winning streak, the longest in NCAA Division I. It also dropped the Broncos to 0-13 all-time in road games against BCS conference teams.
“We know we had a good chance to win this game,” said Broncos quarterback Taylor Tharp. “It was there for us to take and we just didn’t take it.”
The Huskies, said head coach Chris Petersen, “played good and we didn’t. We had a lot of chances and we just couldn’t capitalize. We had too many turnovers, too many penalties. And when you’re playing a team like Washington, you’re only going to get so many chances.”
Boise State spent the entire fourth quarter threatening a rally. A first offensive possession ended with a punt, the second with an interception deep in Washington territory, the third on downs at the Huskies 5, and the fourth on another interception at the Washington goal line.
“With a couple of breaks here and there, we put it in the end zone and it’s a different game,” Tharp said. “We were down there a lot, we just couldn’t put it in. … We just didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”
In the second half, he went on, “I really thought we had the momentum. We were moving the ball well at times. And we had plenty of chances. But give credit to Washington and their defense. They bend, but don’t break.”
“If we could’ve scored when we got the ball down (near the end zone), we would’ve been in good shape,” Petersen said. “I mean, we got the ball down there two or three times and came away with nothing.”
Locker continues to impress: Boise State, like Syracuse a week ago, came away impressed with UW redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker.
“He’s a good player, and that’s kind of what we thought (before the game),” Petersen said. “He does a lot of damage with his feet, even when you’ve got him corralled. And those are hard, frustrating quarterbacks to deal with.”
“I think he’ll mature a lot in the passing game,” said Broncos safety Marty Tadman.
“He’s got some work to do in that. But I think he’s a great quarterback as far as leading his offense. He plays to his strengths and the coaches allow him to get out there and run. And when he does that it’s hard to catch him because he’s a fast guy.
“In the first half we underestimated his speed a little bit and we missed some assignments,” Tadman said. “And when that happens, and when you have a quarterback who runs a 4.5 (40-yard dash), he’s going to make you pay.”
Surprise: While Boise State came into the game with a reputation for trickery, but it was the Huskies, not the Broncos, using deception to their advantage.
Washington’s second touchdown came on a 16-yard pass from tailback Louis Rankin to Quintin Daniels. It was Washington’s first touchdown pass of the season after rushing for all six scored against Syracuse, and the first score Saturday.
Locker said he joked with Rankin about that fact after the play, saying, “That’s terrible man, you threw a touchdown before I did.”
Locker might have had his first touchdown pass on another trick play if not for a penalty. The Huskies tried to go deep with a flea-flicker, but Boise State’s Orlando Scandrick interfered with Anthony Russo.
“The flea-flicker was a touchdown,” said offensive coordinator Tim Lappano. “But the kid made a good play to pass interfere there or that was gone. An interference saved them a touchdown there.”
Rare block: Jordan Reffett’s block of Kyle Brotzman’s third-quarter field goal attempt was the first for the Huskies since 2001.
Injury update: Cornerback Byron Davenport, who missed most of last week’s game while recovering from a hamstring injury, made a tackle for a two-yard loss on his first play of the season. Unfortunately for the Huskies, he didn’t play much from that point after injuring his other hamstring.
Defensive tackle Wilson Afoa was limited in playing time with an unknown injury, though Willingham did not believe the injury was serious.
It’s good: Ryan Perkins, who missed all of last season while recovering from a pair of surgeries on his kicking leg, connected on his first career field-goal attempt, a 34 yarder.
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