SEATTLE – The Sun Devil football team fought hard but in the end, No. 10 Washington's offensive attack and stifling defense proved to be too much as the Sun Devils dropped their Pac-12 opener to the Huskies, 27-20, on Saturday night.
 
The Sun Devils (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) rushed for 164 yards with sophomore RB Eno Benjamin leading the way with 104 of those.
 
The two teams combined for 24 points in the first quarter, four more points than the aggregate total of 20 points (ASU 13, UW 7) in last year's game. It was a defensive standoff from there as both teams accounted for just a combined 23 points over the remainder of the game.
 
Trailing 27-13, the Sun Devils cut a two-touchdown UW lead to one score with just under three minutes remaining in the contest. N'Keal Harry set the team up with a 42-yard punt return before Manny Wilkins drove the squad the remaining 55 yards and scored on a keeper with 2:54 remaining in regulation.
 
The rushing touchdown was the 14^th of Wilkins' career, moving him into a tie with Danny White for second all-time among Sun Devil quarterbacks.
 
ASU would not get a chance for some late-game theatrics. After originally looking to get a three-and-out on UW's final drive, a third-down incompletion from Jake Browning to Andre Baccellia was ruled a complete pass on review and allowed UW to effectively run out the clock to solidify its 27-20 victory.
 
After a raucous first quarter that saw UW post 14 points and 150 total yards, the Sun Devil defense was able to settle in and held the Huskies to just 13 points and 223 yards over the remainder of the game.
 
Merlin Robertson led the way with a career-high 11 tackles, including a sack. ASU also saw impressive, hard-fought efforts from Khaylan Thomas (6 tackles, one for loss) and Terin Adams (two tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup).  
 
Chase Lucas helped get the Sun Devils off to an outstanding start as the redshirt sophomore DB came up with an interception on the game's first play. Lucas thwarted Washington's attempt to catch the Sun Devils off guard with a trick play and returned the pick back to the Washington 14.
 
The Sun Devils would cash in the turnover with Benjamin's one-yard TD run on 4th-and-goal to go up 7-0.
 
The Huskies (3-1, 2-0) answered ASU's early touchdown with an efficient nine-play, 80-yard drive to tie the score at 7-7 on Jake Browning's 11-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Fuller midway through the opening stanza.
 
Benjamin personally accounted for 31 yards (24 rushing, seven receiving) on ASU's ensuing drive, a 47-yard march that resulted in a 48-yard field goal by Brandon Ruiz to put ASU back on top 10-7.
 
Browning's second touchdown throw of the quarter, this one 19 yards to Ty Jones, gave the lead back to Washington, 14-10 with 57 seconds left in the quarter.
 
The track meet that transpired in the first quarter was anything but in the second. Husky PK Peyton Henry's 26-yard field goal represented the only points of the frame, giving Washington a 17-10 lead at the half. Although the Huskies got points on the drive, the result was a positive for the Sun Devil defense as it did not allow UW to cross the goal line after it had a 1st-and-goal at the four. Terin Adams' seven-yard TFL on third and goal pushed Washington back to the nine-yard line which resulted in the subsequent field goal attempt.
 
The Sun Devils got into Washington territory on two of their three drives in the quarter (ran out the clock on the final drive), going as far as the Washington 42 on their first possession and the Washington 41 on their second. Benjamin rushed for 29 yards in the quarter, giving the sophomore tailback 78 yards at the break.
 
ASU opened the second half with a methodical 10-play, 44-yard drive that resulted in Ruiz's second field goal of the game, this one covering 41 yards and bringing the Sun Devils within four points, 17-13.
 
Washington matched ASU's score with Henry's 26-yard field to reclaim a seven-point advantage, 20-13.
 
Browning's third touchdown pass of the night (five yards to Cade Otton) four minutes into the final quarter put the Sun Devils into two-touchdown hole, 27-13.
 
The Sun Devils return to action next Saturday (7 p.m. MST) when they host Oregon State. The 2018 Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame class – Derrick Rodgers (football), Katie Burkhart (softball), Ashley Kelly (gymnastics), Jackie Johnson (track), Desiree Davila-Linden (track & field/cross country), Cain Velasquez (wrestling) and Francisco Sanchez (swimming) – will be celebrated at halftime of the annual Family Weekend game, which will also serve as Hispanic Heritage Night. To purchase tickets, call the Sun Devil Ticket office at 480-727-0000 or go online to TicketMaster.com.