PROVO — No. 22 Washington dominated every facet of the game in handing BYU a 45-19 loss at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, ending the Cougars’ two-game win streak.
The Huskies scored 21 points in both the first and third quarters and led by as many as 33 points in handing the Cougars another lopsided defeat, one year after Washington beat BYU 35-7 in Seattle.
Here are three takeaways that defined this game:
Eason leads an efficient Huskies offense
Quarterback Jacob Eason had a standout day leading the Washington offense, completing 24 of 28 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. That included throwing a pair of 17-yard touchdowns on the Huskies’ first two possessions to give Washington a 14-3 lead early on.
The Huskies scored touchdowns on five of their first eight possessions and added a field goal in that stretch before finally punting for the first time in the fourth quarter.
Sean McGrew (110 yards) and Richard Newton (80 yards, one touchdown) paced the Washington rushing attack, which accounted for 187 yards. The Huskies ended the game with 477 yards of total offense and Aaron Fuller had eight receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Washington makes BYU pay for miscues
BYU was far from perfect in the blowout loss against a ranked Power 5 foe, and like any ranked opponent might do, Washington made the Cougars pay for their miscues.
BYU trailed 14-3 in the first quarter but was driving. A dropped pass and false start, though, set the tone before Zach Wilson was stripped by Ryan Bowman on a sack, and teammate Brandon Wellington picked up the fumble and returned it 69 yards for the touchdown and a 21-3 lead.
The Cougars had five penalties for 50 yards in the first quarter, including two face mask penalties on Washington’s second touchdown drive.
BYU cut its deficit to 24-12 heading into the second half, but Dax Milne fumbled after making a catch in Washington territory on the Cougars’ opening drive to start the second half, and the Huskies capitalized on a 35-yard Andre Baccellia 35-yard touchdown catch.
That started a stretch where Washington scored 21 points in seven minutes of game time, including an 88-yard punt return by Fuller.
88-YARD HOUSECALL 💨📞@UW_Football's Aaron Fuller was gone on this punt return.
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 21, 2019
(📍@Carhartt) pic.twitter.com/j7JuwTqi6r
Future implications
BYU had one of its top offensive players, running back Ty’Son Williams, leave the game late in the first half with an injury and he never returned. Williams had 28 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards before exiting. It bears following what happens with BYU’s leading rusher, in terms of impact on the future.
In his absence, fellow running back Emmanuel Esukpa had nine carries for 49 yards and a touchdown.
One BYU player who had a good day was tight end Matt Bushman, who made several nice grabs and had six receptions (on 10 targets) for 89 yards and his first touchdown of the year, on the final play of the third quarter.
The Cougars will continue to lean on the junior tight end to provide a spark for their offense going forward.
Scoring summary: No. 22 Washington 45, BYU 19
First quarter
Washington, Richard Newton 17-yard from Jacob Eason (12:10), Peyton Henry kick
BYU, Jake Oldroyd 43-yard field goal (9:31)
Washington, Aaron Fuller 17-yard pass from Jacob Eason (3:50), Peyton Henry kick
Washington, Brandon Wellington 69-yard fumble return (2:17), Peyton Henry kick
Second quarter
Washington, Peyton Henry 30-yard field goal (11:00)
BYU, Emmanuel Esukpa 1-yard run (8:22), Jake Oldroyd miss
BYU, Jake Oldroyd 54-yard field goal (0:26)
Third quarter
Washington, Andre Baccallia 35-yard pass from Jacob Eason (12:28), Peyton Henry kick
Washington, Aaron Fuller 88-yard punt return (10:37), Peyton Henry kick
Washington, Richard Newton 3-yard run (5:22), Peyton Henry kick
BYU, Matt Bushman 7-yard pass from Zach Wilson (0:00), Jake Oldroyd kick