The Washington Huskies and their fans have long prided themselves on dominant, take-no-quarter defenses that make opponents pay dearly for every mistake they commit. In that regard, Friday’s 10-3 victory over the Utah Utes in the Pac-12 championship game was a resounding success, delivering the Dawgs their first berth in the Rose Bowl since the 2000 season and securing Chris Petersen’s second conference championship in three years. And while the offense’s performance clearly left much to be desired — what game lacking an offensive touchdown wouldn’t? — UW’s superb time-of-possession advantage (38:32 for the Huskies, compared to 21:28 for the Utes) allowed the Dawgs to bleed to clock dry while compelling Utah to force plays that simply weren’t there, resulting in turnovers and poor field position that severely limited their scoring opportunities.
Grading the Game: Pac-12 Championship
