Pac-12 roundup: A high-yield return wins it for Huskies

Mitch Wishnowsky had kept No. 4 Washington on its heels and on the wrong side of the field so consistently that Huskies Coach Chris Petersen had to laugh when the Utah punter pinned his team at its own seven-yard line in the third quarter.

But then Wishnowsky outkicked his coverage late in the fourth quarter, and it gave Washington the opening it needed.

Dante Pettis returned that punt 58 yards for a touchdown with 3:25 left at Salt Lake City, and the Huskies held off the 17th-ranked Utes, 31-24, on Saturday to remain undefeated.

“Honestly, I thought I was going to get tackled to begin with,” Pettis said. “I somehow slipped out of that. I was a little afraid because I lost about five yards to begin with. Once I got around that, my blockers did a good job setting up open space.

“That guy was a good punter. The best I’ve seen. The ball would just hang in the air forever and it was hard to judge where the ball was really going, but his leg paid off for us in the end.”

After Utah tied it at 24-24 with 9:07 left, Washington (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) pinned the Utes at their own one on quarterback Jake Browning’s pooch punt. The Utes (7-2, 4-2) went three-and-out and punted to Pettis, who ran laterally toward the sideline to his right, broke a tackle and outran everyone else. It was Pettis’ second-punt return touchdown of the year and the first Utah has allowed since 2009.

Browning threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and Myles Gaskin ran for 151 and a touchdown.

Fans may have gotten a preview of the Pac-12 championship game as the Huskies continue to hold the top spot in the North Division. The Utes fell a game behind Colorado in the South, but remain in the hunt.

Utah quarterback Troy Williams threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns, and Joe Williams continued his remarkable post-retirement comeback with 172 yards rushing and a touchdown.

at Oregon 54, Arizona State 35: Justin Herbert threw for 489 yards and four touchdowns to help the Ducks end a five-game losing streak.

Pharaoh Brown caught seven passes for a career- best 129 yards and two touchdowns as Oregon (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12) finally got a conference win and appeared to snap out of a prolonged funk.

Herbert, a true freshman making his third career start after taking over from graduate transfer Dakota Pru-kop, has scored 12 touchdowns in those three games. His passing yardage against the Sun Devils (5-4, 2-4) matched Bill Musgrave’s record of 489 set against Brigham Young in 1989.