True freshman quarterback bites Aggies
Utah State entered its game against Washington ranked second in the conference and 13th in the nation in passing defense, having allowed an average of 121.5 yards per game the first two weeks of the season.
With a true freshman quarterback making only his third start, the University of Washington more than tripled that.
Jake Browning threw for 368 yards, three touchdowns and one interception as the Huskies defeated Utah State 31-17.
“He had open receivers and they threw and caught the ball well,” said Utah State head coach Matt Wells.
Browning’s most impressive work came in the second half, where he completed 12 of 15 passes for 177 yards and two of his three touchdowns.
The second half performance included a run of 12 consecutive completions, stretching a 17-10 halftime lead for Washington to 31-10 by the end of the third quarter.
“I thought they did a nice job of putting him in situations to be very successful,” Wells said.
The Huskies’ first touchdown of the third quarter was a 33 yard pass from Browning to running back Dwayne Washington. Washington ran a vertical route out of the backfield and Utah State linebacker LT Filiaga was unable to keep up with the junior tail back. Browning hit him in stride for the score.
Browning completed five passes for 53 yards on the next Husky drive, culminating in a three yard touchdown pass to tight end Drew Sample. On the play, the freshman took the snap under center, evaded three Aggie pass rushers as he rolled out of the pocket and found Sample open in the back of the end zone.
“He’s good. He does a nice job with his feet and he’s got nice touch out on the perimeter. He’s a very, very accurate kid,” Wells said.
The first touchdown of the day came early in the second quarter with the Huskies facing a third and 11 on their own 19 yard line. Browning took the snap out of shotgun, rolled to his left to evade pressure and passed it to Washington in the flat. The running back beat the linebackers to the corner and out ran the rest of the defense for an 81 yard touchdown.
“Big plays are going to happen here and there,” said junior free safety Devin Centers. “They’re a really great offense so they’re going to have big plays. We knew that coming into the game.”
The Aggie defense got a big play of its own on the first play of the second half when Centers intercepted an overthrown pass by Browning. Utah State was unable to capitalize on the turnover and Washington scored on his long reception up the middle to give the Huskies a two touchdown lead.
“There were times that we were too soft in coverage,” Wells said. “We’ve got to be tighter, whether it’s safeties or corners, and we’ve got to be able to get pressure on the quarterback.”
The 368 yards passing is the most against Utah State since Derek Carr threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns in the 2013 Mountain West Conference championship game.