No. 19 Washington Huskies Survive Utah State Aggies; Win 16-14

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SEATTLE — For the second-straight week, the No. 19Washington Huskies football team was able to prevail despite a sloppy showing on offense in a 16-14 against the Utah State Aggies on Saturday at Husky Stadium.

"Glad we're sitting here 2-0," Washington head coach Jedd Fisch said in a postgame news conference after the game. " … We are glad that we have a victory and that we have a lot to learn. That's two weeks in a row that we're sitting here, learning a lot, and I think we will. But there's also things that we just need to execute better."

The Huskies entered Saturday shorthanded due to injuries to the top two running backs on the depth chart from Week 1, second-year Quaid Carr and fourth-year Jayden Limar.

The reps vacated by Carr and Limar were taken over by first-year running backs Brian Bonner Jr. and Ansu Sanoe. The two combined for 14 carries, 27 yards and a touchdown.

Sanoe accounted for the score between the two freshmen. The 240-pound running back scored on a 1-yard handoff from the goal line with six minutes, 41 seconds left in the first half. That score gave the Huskies a 10-7 lead.

"There's no doubt that (Sanoe's) a big, physical back that can make plays," Fisch said. "Now, you got to also be able to read the offensive line blocks on the run game that we have. … But I do believe that Ansu gives us an opportunity there. He runs hard. … But we can't be talking about a (35, 40-yard) running game by our backs and be really pleased with where we are as a running team right now."

Cooley, who was the only running back on the three-man committee from Week 1 that was healthy Saturday, added another 22 yards on the ground on seven carries.

Sanoe's score ended up being the only touchdown for the UW offense, which struggled to stay consistent throughout the entire 60 minutes.

Washington lost fourth-year wide receiver Rashid Williams early in the game. The team was already down one wideout after sixth-year Christian Moss went down in the first drive against the Cougars.

True freshmen wide receivers Trez Davis and Jordan Clay received a healthy amount of snaps in place of Rashid Williams, and second-year wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck had an uncharacteristic day and dropped two passes, which all added to the lack of chemistry on offense.

The pair of first years did well in their first extended reps in a college game. Clay finished with four catches for 42 yards, all in the first half, and Davis reeled in four passes for 44 yards.

"This (is) 'next-man-up' mentality," Demond Williams said after the game Saturday. "We talked about it all week. We had some guys go down today and had  true freshmen step up and make great plays at big times of the game. Regardless of who you're playing, true freshmen that haven't played a lot in college, it's different. It's different than high school. Seeing those guys go out there and still be successful, go out there and still make plays, it's definitely a bright sign for us."

With all the moving pieces on offense, Demond Williams had a less-efficient day than normal. He finished 26-for-41 for 249 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, and 11 times for 56 yards.

With the offense struggling, it came down to special teams to make up the necessary points and the defense to keep the Aggies offense in check.

Fourth-year placekicker Tyler Robles finished the day 3-for-4 on field goal attempts. He made a 30-yarder with 11:35 left in the first half, a 26-yarder with 12:54 left in the game and one from 43 yards with 6:28 left in the game. The last of the three accounted for the Huskies' final points of the day. He missed one from 48 yards that would have sent Washington into halftime with a 13-7 advantage.

The first of Utah State's touchdowns came on a brief drive, whereas the second was more sustained. Senior wide receiver Javon Robinson briefly gave the Aggies a 7-3 lead after a 78-yard catch-and-run on a run-pass-option with 11:19 left in the first half.

Utah State's second touchdown, which resulted in the eventual final of 16-14, was a 13-play, 75-yard march that took 4:38 off the clock in the fourth quarter.

The Aggies' second scoring drive ended with a seven-yard touchdown catch from graduate wide receiver Eli Wood with 1:50 left in the game.

Outside of those two touchdowns, the UW defense was able to put together a stellar outing for the second week in a row.

Washington had three interceptions Saturday, bringing its season turnover margin to plus-six.

Fourth-year safety Alex McLaughlin was all over the field on defense. He finished his day with nine total tackles (eight solo), including two tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and two pass breakups.

One of McLaughlin's sacks and his interception came on back-to-back plays.

"My (defensive) line, them getting to the quarterback helps us in the back and make plays on the ball," McLaughlin said after the game.

Second-year cornerback Dylan Robinson, who was without fellow starting outside cornerback Emmanuel Karnley for most of the game, accounted for another interception.

Third-year defensive back Rahshawn Clark had the final interception of the night, which came off a tip on a last-second Hail Mary attempt from the Huskies to secure the game.

Washington will have one more nonconference game, which will come against Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team, the Eastern Washington Eagles, at 4:15 p.m. PT on Sept. 19 at Husky Stadium.

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