TUCSON, AZ – Despite building a 13-0 lead, Arizona Football (0-7, 0-4) makes costly mistakes and collapses against the Washington Huskies (3-4, 2-2).
Arizona Football held a 13-0 lead at the half, and a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter, but ultimately it did not matter as the Wildcats made costly errors that cost them the game as they fell 21-16.
Will Plummer got the start against the Huskies, but the sophomore signal-caller finished his day with just 13-20 passing with 62 yards and two interceptions. However, most of the Wildcats’ offense came from the backfield as they combined for 218 yards on 40 carries.
Arizona got things rolling early as they took a 3-0 lead after a blocked punt in the first quarter. A few series later, the Wildcats would extend their lead when they drove the ball 64 yards on 10 plays that was capped off by a Jamarye Joiner touchdown run from one-yard out to make it 10-0.
Things would look incredibly promising just minutes later when Arizona would take a 13-0 lead just before halftime as Lucas Havrisik drilled a 50-yarder.
However, as we all know with Arizona Football, no lead is ever safe as Washington would outscore 21-3 in the second half.
Despite leading 13-0 at halftime, Arizona would collapse in the second half, making questionable decisions on offense, allowing Washington to climb back in.
The Huskies would get their first score of the game with over nine minutes to go in the third when Washington quarterback Dylan Morris found Terrell Bynum on a 16-yard pass to make it 13-7.
Arizona would extend their lead a few series later, making it 16-7 as Tyler Loop hit a 35-yard field goal just before the end of the third quarter.
But no lead is ever safe for Arizona Football as the Wildcats gave up 14 unanswered points to fall at home to Washington.
The Game Was Over When:
Trailing 21-16, the Wildcats would stop the Huskies on 3rd down with 2:31 to play in the fourth, but a costly “12-men on the field” penalty gave Washington a fresh set of downs, and Arizona would not get the ball back until there were roughly 20 seconds left in the game.
Stat of the Game:
10, as in 10 penalties committed by the Wildcats for 73 yards, with perhaps none bigger than the last penalty that allowed the Huskies to burn more clock. Arizona ranks 123 out of 130 teams, averaging 8.5 penalties per game.
Where does Arizona go from here?
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 0-7 (0-4) and are staring at a real possibility of going 0-12. The chances of wins are becoming less likely and the Wildcats are finding more creative ways to lose games that they shouldn’t.