SEATTLE — Going into Saturday night’s game at No. 11 Washington, No. 20 BYU was looking to keep the score close in the fourth quarter and figure out a way to win.
Just like the Cougars did two weeks earlier in a massive upset of then-No. 6 Wisconsin.
But mistake-prone BYU dug a big hole for itself in the first half and never recovered.
From there, things got ugly as the Cougars were clobbered by the speedy Huskies, 35-7, before a crowd of 70,155.
“As a team, we made way too many mistakes to even have a chance in this game. Washington is a great team and you can’t give great teams that opportunity,” said coach Kalani Sitake. “Otherwise, what happened tonight happens. They got everything rolling and we were on our heels the entire game. That’s what great teams do when you make mistakes.”
BYU (3-2) managed to avoid a shutout by scoring a touchdown on a one-yard run by Lopini Katoa with 41 seconds remaining after Washington fumbled a punt deep in its own territory.
In the wake of Saturday’s abysmal performance at Husky Stadium, the Cougars will likely drop out of the national rankings Sunday.
BYU’s offense made too many errors while the defense got worn down by a dynamic Washington (4-1) team that showed it is still in the hunt for a College Football Playoff berth.
“It all comes down to focus and discipline. It didn’t happen. It’s frustrating because that’s not who we are,” said Cougar quarterback Tanner Mangum, who completed 18 of 21 passes for 160 yards. “We pride ourselves on being smart, taking care of the football and not killing ourselves with penalties. We didn’t do that. It’s something we have to learn from.”
The Huskies’ quarterback, Jake Browning, dissected BYU’s defense, completing 23 of 25 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown.
Running back Salvon Ahmed rushed 10 times for 86 yards and two TDs while Myles Gaskin had 14 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Aaron Fuller caught eight passes for 107 yards.
“They made the big plays when it counted,” said BYU defensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi. “We weren’t able to execute the way we wanted against their run game.”
As a team, Washington amassed 464 yards of total offense, compared to 194 yards for BYU. The Huskies converted 9 of 12 third down attempts.
The Cougars trailed Washington 7-0 midway through the first quarter and started their second drive of the game at their own 16-yard line. BYU committed an illegal formation penalty, two holding penalties and a false start penalty on that possession, which lasted 8:33.
One holding penalty negated a 15-yard catch by Katoa. On the next play, Mangum connected with Matt Bushman for a 39-yard completion to the Husky 34-yard line.
Aleva Hifo fumbled a couple of plays later and was ruled a turnover. However, officials overturned the call when the video showed that Hifo’s knee was down before he coughed up the ball.
While BYU dodged that bullet, an eight-yard run by Squally Canada was nullified by a holding call.
The drive ended when Skyler Southam missed a 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
“It showed what we are capable of and it gave us confidence and showed us we can move the ball on these guys,” Mangum said of that drive. “But we weren’t able to string multiple drives like that together. It’s too bad. We had some flashes but we weren’t able to be consistent throughout the night. Giving the defense short fields, that’s not what we want to do.”
Washington drove 72 yards on its ensuing possession and took a 14-0 lead when Gaskin scored on a six-yard touchdown run.
Later, the Huskies marched to the Cougar 22 but missed a 40-yard field goal, giving BYU the ball with 1:28 remaining. The Cougars started the drive with a holding call, putting them in another bad situation.
Katoa fumbled on third-and-14 and Washington recovered. The Huskies capitalized on that mistake, as Browning ran for a nine-yard TD with five seconds remaining. Washington led at halftime, 21-0.
“Definitely right before the half is less than ideal,” Mangum said of that turnover. “Putting the defense out there on a short field was a big blow.”
BYU hosts Utah State next Friday.
EXTRA POINTS: Saturday’s loss ended BYU’s four-game road winning streak, dating back to last season. … The Cougars are 1-4 all-time at Husky Stadium. … Washington has now won 18 consecutive non-conference home games. … Linebacker Zayne Anderson and defensive back Dayan Ghanwoluku did not play against Washington due to injuries. Tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau suffered a leg injury on BYU’s opening drive and did not return.