SEATTLE — Needing a win to become bowl eligible, the University of Washington football team did enough things well Saturday to power past Oregon State 37-13 on a cool but thankfully dry evening at Husky Stadium.
The Huskies got touchdowns on their first two offensive possessions, added a field goal on their third, and then broke the game open with a pair of fourth-quarter TDs.
The victory improves Washington’s season record to 7-5 with one game to play, meaning the Huskies will finish with a winning mark and be eligible for the postseason for the fifth straight season.
It was also Washington’s first win in four Pacific-12 Conference home games this season, giving the Huskies a bit of momentum heading into next week’s regular-season finale, an Apple Cup showdown with Washington State in Pullman.
The game started well for the Huskies, both defensively and offensively. A sack by Washington’s Hau’oli Kikaha on OSU’s first play from scrimmage set the Beavers back and led to a punt, and the Huskies cashed in on their third play with a 54-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cyler Miles to wide receiver Jaydon Mickens up the right sideline.
Washington’s next scoring drive was almost as prompt and equally explosive. Two plays after a first down, running back Dwayne Washington shot through a huge hole on the left side of the line and outsprinted the OSU secondary to the end zone for a 68-yard touchdown.
After a Cameron Van Winkle field goal made it 17-0, the Huskies had a chance to break the game open late in the first half. But they committed two major penalties to stop a promising drive and eventually had to punt.
The UW defense then gave up an 80-yard TD drive, though it was actually a 95-yard drive because the Beavers were backed up to their 5-yard line after a pair of penalties. But on a third-and-25 play, OSU quarterback Sean Mannion found receiver Victor Bolden open behind the UW secondary, a head-scratching defensive lapse by the Huskies, and the 72-yard completion to the Washington 23 set up a Beaver touchdown, making the score 17-7 at halftime.
After the Huskies got two third-quarter field goals, an OSU touchdown closed the margin to 23-13 (a two-point PAT try failed). Washington finally got some separation with a 36-yard end-around touchdown by the speedy Mickens. Though he appeared to step out of bounds several yards short of the end zone, the TD call stood after a video review.
Washington then turned the game into a rout with a 68-yard TD pass from Miles to tight end Darrell Daniels midway through the fourth quarter.
Oregon State started two Snohomish County products on offense. Senior tight end Connor Hamlett played at Lynnwood’s Meadowdale High School and sophomore tackle Dustin Stanton played at Lakewood High School.
Before the game, the Huskies honored 19 seniors who were playing their final game at Husky Stadium, including 10 who started against the Beavers.
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