Huntley gets hot late to lead Utah over Washington
Tyler Huntley threw for one touchdown and ran for another, Jaylon Johnson returned an interception 39 yards for a score, and No. 9 Utah overcame an 11-point first-half deficit to beat Washington 33-28 on Saturday.
The Utes (8-1, 5-1 Pac12) kept alive their College Football Playoff hopes thanks to a defense that forced Washington quarterback Jacob Eason into three turnovers and got just enough offense from Huntley to rally from an early 14-3 hole in Seattle.
Huntley finished 19 of 24 for 284 yards. He was sacked four times — Utah had allowed just seven all season — but all came in the first half.
Washington (5-4, 2-4) dropped its second straight after losing to Oregon two weeks ago and lost for the third time at home this season. Eason was 29 of 52 for 316 yards and four touchdowns but made critical mistakes in the third quarter to help Utah rally.
HERBERT LEADS NO. 7 DUCKS PAST USC >> Justin Herbert passed for 225 yards and threw three touchdown passes to Juwan Johnson in the second half, and No. 7 Oregon recovered from a slow start to cruise to its eighth consecutive victory, 56-24 over USC in Los Angeles. The Ducks (8-1, 6-0 Pac-12) erased an early 10-0 deficit by scoring a touchdown after each of four turnovers by USC (5-4, 4-2) freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis during a 19-minute stretch spanning halftime.
COORDINATOR CHANGE DOESN’T HELP ARIZONA >> Jake Luton threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns, Jermar Jefferson ran for three more scores, and Oregon State sliced through Arizona’s listless defense for a 56-38 road victory.
Arizona (4-5, 2-3 Pac-12) fired defensive coordinator Marcel Yates this week, replacing him with former NFL assistant coach Chuck Cecil. The coordinator change changed little on the field. Oregon State (4-4, 3-2) scored 35 points by halftime and racking up 572 total yards.
The Wildcats were 118th in scoring defense and 119th defense heading into Saturday’s game.
AIR FORCE MAKES LATE DEFENSIVE STAND IN WIN OVER ARMY >> The Air Force defense turned in a defensive stand with 33 seconds remaining to help the Falcons beat service academy rival Army 17-13 at home. The Black Knights had the ball first-and-goal at the 7 but starting QB Jabari Laws left the game after taking a big hit following a huge completion. Kelvin Hopkins Jr. entered and overthrew his intended target on fourth down to help the Falcons (7-2) snap a two-game skid against Army (3-6).
ILLINOIS STARTS FUNDRAISER FOR INJURED EX-DE ROUNDTREE >> As former Illinois defensive end Bobby Roundtree continues to receive care for a severe spinal cord injury, the university athletic department is raising money to help with the costs. The department launched the Gofundme campaign late last month and has raised nearly $70,000 thus far. Roundtree suffered the injury in a swimming accident when he went home to Florida for a visit in May.