Utah Football: 3 takeaways from crucial Pac-12 win at Washington

1. Washington had another letdown performance in a trying season

Washington now sits at 5-4 overall and at 2-4 in conference play, completely eliminated from any chance at contending for the Pac-12 title this year. The Huskies suffered their biggest loss in their only road loss in league play, a 10-point defeat at Stanford that was Washington’s second defeat of the 2019 campaign. Beyond that, the Huskies have suffered through a trio of one-score heartbreakers at home.

There was the first loss of the year, the 20-19 shocker against Cal in late-night chaos back in September. Then the Huskies fell at home 35-31 against Oregon in a game they had a legitimate shot of winning down until the final possession. And now there is the humiliation at the hands of the Utes, where a comeback bid in the fourth quarter ran out of time.

Chris Petersen’s squad has suffered through a trying season, as one close call after another has gone against them. The Huskies’ five wins have come by an average margin of victory of nearly 26 points; their four losses have been suffered by an average margin of defeat of only five points per game.

If Washington can’t build up a big lead and pull away for a blowout, they seem incapable this season of going toe-to-toe and punch-for-punch with a well-matched opponent. Or, while they seem capable of going punch-for-punch, it always seems to be the Huskies that take the knockout blow to the chin in the end. Either way, it spells a season of mediocrity up in the Pacific Northwest.