What a difference a week makes.
Seven days ago, the Washington Huskies and their adoring fans celebrated on the field at Husky Stadium after pulling off a thrilling 36-33 victory over rival Oregon Ducks in the game for the ages.
However, all of that good vibes were long forgotten Saturday night when UW and Heisman quarterback hopeful Michael Penix Jr. looked nothing like the high-scoring team that had won 13 straight games and had a high fifth-place finish in the top 25 The Associated Press poll confirmed.
For more than three quarters, an injury-ravaged Arizona State team riding a five-game losing streak outplayed the Huskies, who were missing receivers Jalen McMillan and Germie Bernard and were 28-point favorites.
Then Husky nickelback Mishael Powell delivered a highlight-reel pick-six in a surprising, hard-fought 15-7 victory that saved the day — and perhaps UW’s College Football Playoff hopes.
On fourth-and-3 at the UW 12, Powell stepped in front of quarterback Trenton Bourguet’s pass and returned it 89 yards for a touchdown, giving Washington its first lead with 8:11 left.
Here are three takeaways from a win that moved Washington to 7-0 and 4-0 in the Pac-12.
What was that?
Washington had five drives in the first half that ended as follows: interception, punt, interception, fumble and field goal.
The Huskies amassed just 167 yards offensively, while the Sun Devils totaled 160 yards and led 7-3 at halftime.
The outcome would have been worse for UW if ASU kicker Dario Longhetto hadn’t missed a 31-yard field goal that hit the upright and the Sun Devils hadn’t managed a four-and-4 at the Husky 40 transform.
The last time UW didn’t score a touchdown in a half was last season’s 28-21 win at California.
Penix was off target most of the night, completing 27 of 42 passes for 275 yards.
Washington’s inability to run – just 15 yards on 12 carries – and heavy reliance on the passing game were a hindrance on a cold and rainy night when Penix wasn’t at his best.
I just gave it away
Arizona State entered Saturday night ranked last among 130 FBS teams with just one takeaway. And yet, inexplicably, the Sun Devils got four turnovers – two interceptions and two fumbles – from the Huskies.
Penix gave ASU its first win when he dropped on his back foot and missed a pass that was intercepted by cornerback Ro Torrence early in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Sun Devils linebacker Caleb McCullough deflected Penix’s pass at the line of scrimmage, allowing safety Shamari Simmons to secure the interception at the ASU 3.
It is the second multi-interception game for Penix, who also missed a handoff on the next drive.
And Ja’Lynn Polk recovered a fumble at the UW 33 early in the third quarter.
Powell saves the day
Without Powell’s big effort, Washington’s inability to get defensive stops would have been one of the stories of the night.
It’s hard to criticize a Husky defense that gave up just seven points, but UW missed a lot of tackles, allowing Arizona State to control the ball and dominate time of possession.
The Sun Devils held the ball for more than 37 minutes while the Huskies held it for less than 23 minutes. ASU had 79 games and UW 55.