No. 23 UW Huskies’ comeback falls short in 31-26 loss to Stanford
Inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio doesn’t want No. 23 Washington to rely on magic or miracles.
Last week’s come-from-behind victory over Utah was exciting, sure. But Ulofoshio has little interest in a “cardiac kids” moniker, either. Mostly because sometimes, the comeback falls short — just like it did in the Huskies’ 31-26 loss to Stanford on Saturday afternoon.
The game felt familiar, like watching a. movie when you already know the ending. Even the deficit was the same. Down 21 points at halftime against the Utes last week, the Huskies didn’t allow a point in the second half as they scored 24 straight. But this time, the movie had a plot twist, and UW tripped right before the finish line. Instead of charging back from a 24-3 halftime deficit, UW dropped its first game of the season.
And that’s why Ulofoshio would rather avoid all the drama to begin with.
“That’s not football,” Ulofoshio said. “As a defense, we got to be consistent but we didn’t do that today.”
Ulofoshio was visibly frustrated as he took questions from the media over Zoom, and most of his answers were preceded by long sighs. He had good reason to be upset. The Huskies’ defense allowed Stanford to score on each of its first five possessions. The Cardinal didn’t punt until late in the third quarter. By that time, they were already leading 31-10.
Stanford, who rushed for 191 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry, also converted 10-of-13 third downs and was 2-for-2 on fourth down.
“It feels like a missed opportunity, to be honest with you,” Ulofoshio said, “because I know the defense that we can be and we showed it in the second half. But it doesn’t really matter if we give up (24) in the first and our offense gets in a hole and has to play catch up.”
Still, the Huskies almost made it back. They opened the third quarter with a touchdown — just like they did against Utah. A one-handed, highlight-reel catch by receiver Ty Jones set up the 6-yard touchdown run from tailback Sean McGrew.
But then Stanford did something the Utes couldn’t — respond. The Cardinal drove 69 yards on seven plays. On 3rd-and-8, quarterback Davis Mills found Brycen Tremayne for a 33-yard reception that was reviewed and confirmed. Mills then hit tight end Scooter Harrington with a 3-yard touchdown pass.
“It’s always disheartening when it’s second-and-short, second-and-medium and then you get to third down, ready to get off the field and they do a nice job converting,” said UW head coach Jimmy Lake. “I think everyone was frustrated ... that they were making more plays than we were. That’s really what it comes down to.”
UW kept trying to claw back. A 1-yard quarterback sneak from Dylan Morris cut the lead to 31-16 with 2:33 left in the third quarter, but the drive took more than 6 minutes off the clock and Stanford blocked the extra point.
Then the Huskies defense came up with a much-needed stop on third down and Morris guided UW down the field, completing a 25-yard pass to freshman receiver Rome Odunze and a 42-yard pass to tight end Cade Otton along the way. After McGrew scored on a 2-yard run, UW had pulled within 31-23 with 11:03 remaining.
When UW forced a turnover — cornerback Trent McDuffie caused a fumble and Ulofoshio scooped it up for a 39-yard return to the Stanford 10-yard line — the Huskies seemed in prime position to tie the game. But the offense stalled. After a holding penalty eliminated a touchdown, another one pushed the Huskies back to the Stanford 29-yard line. They had to settle for a 45-yard field goal from Henry that cut Stanford’s lead to 31-26 with 7:54 left.
“We just got to do a better job of flushing it and getting our next play down because we still had a few plays to execute,” said wide receiver Ty Jones, who caught the wiped out touchdown pass. “I think we let that linger a little bit. I think we need to do a better job of flushing stuff and just finishing drives.”
Down five points, UW desperately needed a stop. Instead, the Cardinal’s success on third down continued. They converted on 3rd-and-10. They converted on 3rd-and-11. When they couldn’t convert on 3rd-and-4 in the red zone, they converted on 4th-and-1 and ran out the clock.
“We got to get it fixed,” Lake said. “We got to play better. We got to get off blocks and shed blocks and get in the backfield and tackle better. We can’t have runs go 5, 6 yards and then it’s second-and-4, second-and-5. A lot easier to call plays on offense when you’re always second-and-medium or second-and-short.
“We got to tackle better. We got to get off runs better. We got to get our guys in position to make sure guys aren’t able to run the football the way they have in the first two halves of these first two games.”
Lake doesn’t know exactly what has started so slow. Despite the empty fans at Husky Stadium, he doesn’t feel a lack of energy from his players’ on the sideline. They seem locked in. They seem focused. But when they take the field in the first quarter, the cracks immediately start to show.
Both Utah and Stanford put together touchdown drives to score the first points of the game. Utah went 48 yards in nine plays and converted a fourth down and a third down. The Cardinal went 65 yards in 11 plays and converted three first downs, including third-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Like Stanford, Utah also had success on the ground. The Utes rushed for 215 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
“I think without watching the tape, from the sideline, we’re not stopping the run two times in a row,’’ Lake said. “That’s really the issue. Last two games, both opponents have been able to run the football, move the chains. Just like we want to be able to do on offense, force our will and run the football, our last two opponents have been able to do that against us. That takes a lot of wind out of your sails when you’re not able to stop the run.”
The Huskies will now travel to No. 21 Oregon next week for their first road game of the season. The days ahead will be spent trying to find a solution for the sluggish starts and halftime deficits. Because — as UW learned on Saturday — not every game comes with an escape hatch.
And while magic can be exciting, it’s not a reliable way to win.
“I think it’s just lack of execution,” Jones said. “We just need to do our thing from the get-go and not really focus on what our opponent’s doing, focus on what we’re doing. We just need to come out faster — high energy and focus.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 4:33 PM.
