Utes rally to keep playoff hopes alive
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..
The Utes (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) 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.
Huntley hit Zack Moss on a 9-yard TD late in the first half and added a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to give Utah its first lead, 26-21.
Huntley's TD run capped a drive that featured a key thirdand-12 conversion where Huntley was able to hit Jaylen Dixon for a 41-yard completion.
Huntley finished 19 of 24 for 284 yards. He also had a pair of key third-down conversions on Utah's final scoring drive, hitting Solomon Enis for 14 yards and Samson Nacua for 28 yards.
Moss capped the 84-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run with 4:52 left. He finished with 100 yards on 27 carries. 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.
Quick start spurs Michigan: Giles Jackson returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to get things started for No. 14 Michigan, which used two first-half scoring runs by freshman Zach Charbonnet to pull away in a 38-7 rout of Maryland.
Seeking to build on a 45-14 rout of Notre Dame one week earlier, the Wolverines (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) went up 21-0 at halftime over the fading Terrapins (3-6, 1-5).
After Maryland won the coin toss and deferred the decision to the second half, Jackson picked his way through the Terrapins to give Michigan the lead for good with exactly 11 seconds elapsed.