Washington Falls at Colorado, 20-17
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- Jack Lamb returned a fumble 88 yards for a touchdown, one of four turnovers created by Colorado, and the defense sealed the game with a fourth-down stop as the Buffaloes held on for a 20-17 win over Washington on Saturday.
The Buffaloes (4-7, 3-5 Pac-12) relied on their bend-don't-break defense with the offense struggling most of the afternoon. The Buffaloes intercepted two passes by Dylan Morris and forced two fumbles. Linebacker Carson Wells wrapped it up when he hurried Morris into an incompletion on fourth down. It gave the Buffs the ball back on downs to run out the clock.
Colorado was outgained by a 426-183 margin, converted 2 of 14 third-down opportunities and saw Washington dominate time of possession. But the defense came up with repeated big plays.
The Buffaloes had the ball at the Washington 7 yard line after recovering a fumble late in the third quarter. They had to settle for Cole Becker's 22-yard field goal that made it 13-10.
Soon after, Nikko Reed picked off a Morris pass in the end zone to thwart a Huskies drive. Brendon Lewis's 2-yard dive into the end zone extended the lead to 20-10.
The Huskies responded with Ja'Lynn Polk catching a pass, breaking a tackle and racing 55 yards for a score with 2:30 remaining.
The big play of the day was turned in by Lamb, who scooped up a fumble after a mishandled snap by Morris and raced 88 yards for the score. It was the third-longest fumble return for a TD in Buffaloes history.
Before the fumble, Washington was 31 for 31 this season in trips inside the red zone. They had 21 TDs and 10 field goals.
Morris briefly gave way to backup Patrick O'Brien, who went in for two series in the first half. O'Brien, a transfer from Colorado State, went three-and-out on both possessions.
Lewis was 14 of 25 for 112 yards as the Buffaloes moved to 2-7 against the Huskies since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. That mark includes a loss to Washington in the league's championship game in 2016.
UP NEXT
Washington: Finish the season by hosting Washington State on Friday at 5 p.m. PT at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.