SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Myles Gaskin ran for 143 yards on 30 carries and added a touchdown, and Washington’s defense forced three turnovers as the No. 10 Huskies beat Utah 21-7 on Saturday night.
Jake Browning threw for 155 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Aaron Fuller led the way with 108 yards on six catches. Washington (2-1, 1-0 Pac-12) beat the Utes for a third straight season, and holds an 11-1 lead in the all-time series.
Zack Moss rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Tyler Huntley threw for just 138 yards with one interception and added 40 yards on the ground.
Utah (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) lost its conference opener for the first time since 2014. The Utes fell to 0-4 all-time against ranked Washington teams after generating 261 total yards.
Washington struck on its opening drive. The Huskies went up 7-0 after Gaskin broke loose for a 38-yard scoring run down the sideline.
Utah answered before the end of the first quarter, tying the game at 7-all when Moss eluded a pair of tacklers and scored on a 4-yard run.
Washington came right back and scored on its next drive, taking a 14-7 lead when Browning scored on a 1-yard keeper. Andre Baccellia set it up when he raced 37 yards to the Utah 2-yard line two plays earlier.
Utah moved within field goal range in the final minute of the first half, but came away emptyhanded after Jordan Miller picked off pass from Huntley with nine seconds remaining.
Washington extended its lead to 21-7 on a 6-yard scoring catch by Ty Jones midway through the third quarter. The Huskies cashed in after Taylor Rapp recovered a fumble by Britain Covey following a first-down catch at the Utah 44. The Utes’ ensuing drive also ended in a turnover. This time, Bronson Boyd coughed up the ball after a first-down catch.
Utah could not take advantage of starting a pair of drives inside the Washington 30 yard line in the fourth quarter. Pita Tonga returned an interception to the 11, and a 21-yard punt from Race Porter put the ball on the 28. Utah turned it over on downs to end both drives.
THE TAKEAWAY
Washington’s defense is once again one of the better units in the Pac-12. The Huskies kept the Utes from seriously threatening after the first quarter and their defense stuffed Utah after an interception and a bad punt gave the Utes excellent starting field position deep in Washington territory on consecutive fourth-quarter drives.
A mishmash of bad reads and turnovers show that Utah’s offense has not taken the step forward that the Utes hoped for this season. Huntley threw an interception that ended a Utah drive that moved into field goal range just before halftime. Britain Covey and Bronson Boyd fumbled following first down catches to end back-to-back third quarter drives.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Washington will likely move up a spot or two with a pair of top-10 teams (Auburn, Wisconsin) losing this weekend.
UP NEXT
Washington hosts Arizona State on Saturday.
Utah has a bye week before traveling to Washington State on Sept. 29.
