TEMPE, Ariz. — Wacky things happen for Washington in the Arizona desert.
And Saturday’s 45-38 loss to the Sun Devils was no different.
The 21st-ranked Huskies entered a rare afternoon game at Sun Devil Stadium seething from an upset road loss the previous week and looking to resurrect their Pac-12 title hopes against a beleaguered Arizona State riding a four-game losing streak.
Easy win for UW, right?
Not so fast.
Playing against a backup quarterback who was listed third on the depth chart, a patchwork Huskies defense had difficulties slowing down an ASU offense that tallied a season high in points.
Washington needed a second-half rally late to overcome a 14-point deficit in the third quarter and tie the game at 38-38 with 12:09 left in the fourth.
The Huskies overcame a slew of mistakes, including a failed conversion on fourth-and-1 and pick-six by quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who struggled at times against an opportunistic ASU defense.
When it mattered most, UW put the ball in Penix’s hands on fourth and 10 at the ASU 45 with 3:55 left while trailing by seven.
However, his rushed pass to beat a blitz misfired and fell short of Rome Odunze.
Penix completed 33 of 53 passes for 311 yards. The Indiana transfer has thrown for at least 300 yards in every game this season.
Cameron Davis tallied 77 rushing yards and three scores to pace a UW rushing attack that rolled up 174 yards.
And Washington churned out 458 yards, but the offense wasn’t an issue.
Simply put, the Huskies couldn’t stop the Sun Devils even after backup quarterback Trenton Bourguet who replaced starter Emory Jones after he was knocked out of the game in the second quarter on a play in which junior safety Asa Turner was ejected for targeting.
Bourguet played with moxie and a steely cool disposition while throwing for 182 yards on 15-for-21 passing, including three touchdowns.
The Huskies rotated several players in the secondary including redshirt freshman Elijah Jackson, who made his first start at cornerback opposite Jordan Perryman.
Backup safeties Tristan Dunn and Makell Esteen also played extensively for UW.
A play that will be debated for days — if not months depending on how soon UW reverses its tailspin — is coach Kalen DeBoer’s decision to go for it in fourth-and-1 on the UW 32 with 11:37 left in the third quarter.
Receiver Rome Odunze motioned from left to right for a handoff, but he was stopped three yards short in the backfield.
Five plays later, Bourguet beat a UW blitz and fired into the end zone to Elijah Badger, who beat double coverage for a 10-yard TD pass that put ASU up 31-17.
After the Huskies tied it, Arizona State took the lead for good with a 10 play drive that covered 82 yards and was capped by Bourguet’s 2-yard pass to Elijah Badger with 7:27 left.
The game ended with Penix’s Hail Mary pass falling short of the goal line that led to fireworks exploding over the stadium and ASU fans storming the field.
Washington, which lost for the eighth straight time against ASU, fell to 4-2 and 1-2 in the Pac-12.
