COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Army Comes Up Short in Loss to Washington

Washington didn’t think it could lose to Army. The Cadets almost proved the No. 22 Huskies wrong before a record crowd of 76,125 in Husky Stadium.

“We took this game way too lightly,” Damon Huard said after throwing a touchdown pass and scoring on a keeper in the fourth quarter in a 21-13 victory Saturday. “We were 26-point favorites and we barely squeaked by. It’s pretty obvious we need to improve a lot.”

Thanks to Huard’s fourth-quarter performance, the Huskies (2-1) were able to overcome the Cadets’ ball-controlling wishbone.

The game ended with the Cadets (1-2) out of timeouts, with fourth down on the Washington one-yard line as the clock ran out. Army had a 13-minute advantage in possession time.

“It’s a great feeling of achievement to come from behind and then have a big goal-line stand like that,” Huard said.

The 49-yard Huard-to-Andre DeSaussure scoring pass two minutes into the final quarter and Huard’s two-yard touchdown run allowed the Huskies to win despite a career day by Army fullback John Conroy, who rushed 24 times for 166 yards.

Huard lost two fumbles and threw an interception in the first three quarters, but he was a different quarterback in the fourth quarter. He was six for seven for 119 yards and finished 12 for 19 for 197 yards.

Trailing by eight points, the Cadets went from their 27 to the Washington one in a dozen plays--despite being called for delay of game when they tried to call a timeout when they didn’t have any left.

Washington kept the march alive when Mike Ewaliko was called for roughing quarterback Ronnie McAda after an incomplete pass on fourth and goal at the Husky six.

That gave the Cadets three more cracks at the goal line.