No. 5 Washington whiffed on what would have been an easy interception return for a touchdown against No. 18 Utah late in the third quarter. Linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala, after snatching a tipped pass from Utes quarterback Bryson Barnes, dropped the football before crossing the goal line as he ran it back. The blunder prevented the Huskies, who had a 33-28 lead at the time of the miscue, from taking a two-score lead in the ranked matchup between Pac-12 foes.
Video replay clearly showed Tuputala releasing the football well before crossing the goal line, denying the Huskies what would have been a massive pick six to pad their lead. Nonetheless, points still came for Washington shortly after when it forced a safety on the ensuing drive to extend its lead to 35-28, which ended up being the final score.
HE DROPPED IT BEFORE CROSSING THE GOAL LINE?! 😱
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 11, 2023
UTAH GETS THE BALL BACK pic.twitter.com/AzhjizWAn4
Tuputala will have to live with that mistake -- one which a number of players have made over the years -- for a while.
Although Washington is currently outside the current CFP field, it will surely crack the field should it run the table. Two teams in the top four, No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan, still must face each other in the final week of the regular season, guaranteeing that one of the current top four will lose.
