Stanford Cardinal quarterback Davis Mills (15) throws against the Washington Husky defense at Husky Stadium in Seattle in the first half on Sat Dec 5, 2020 (AP News photo)
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Stanford held off a late Washington surge Saturday and defeated the Huskies 31-26 in Pac-12 football at Husky Stadium in Seattle, using a dominant ground game to do it.
Austin Jones led the Cardinal charge with 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Nathaniel Peat added 44 yards and a TD on seven attempts.
Quarterback David Mills threw for 252 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, completing 20 of 30 passes.
The Cardinal spent most of the week in Seattle after a Santa Clara County health order prohibited games and practices for contact sports on Monday. Stanford practiced at Washington’s indoor facility and at local high schools through the week, and held its Friday walkthrough at a public park.
Stanford (2-2) got off to a fast start, finding the end zone on its first three possessions. Jeff Toner’s 42-yard field goal put the Cardinal up 24-3 at halftime.
Washington (3-1) nearly duplicated its second-half comeback of last week against Utah. Sean McGrew scored from 6 yards out and quarterback Dylan Morris snuck over from the 1 pulling the Huskies to within 31-16. In between, Mills connected with Scooter Harrington on a 3-yard TD pass.
McGrew scored on a 2-yard run at 11:49 of the fourth quarter. The Huskies nearly had a fourth TD after recovering a Jones fumble at the Stanford 10-yard line. But two holding penalties moved UW back enough for the Huskies to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Peyton Henry.
The Cardinal was able to preserve a 31-26 lead by running out the clock with a drive that started at their own 12 with 7:47 remaining. A key catch on 4th-and-11 by Simi Fehoko and three first-down runs by Jones helped Stanford maintain possession.
Morris completed 15 of 23 passes for 254 yards, with no touchowns or interceptions. McGrew was the Huskies’ top ground gainer with 65 yards on 16 carries.
Next week, the Cardinal travel to Corvallis, Ore., to face Oregon State, a game originally slated to be played at The Farm.
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