Wayne Taulapapa, mourning three of his former University of Virginia teammates who were shot and killed last weekend, rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns as No. 17 Washington defeated Colorado 54-7 Saturday night in a Pac-12 Conference game in Seattle.
Cameron Davis also rushed for a pair of touchdowns for the Huskies (9-2 overall, 6-2 Pac-12), who won their fifth game in a row heading into next week’s Apple Cup game against rival Washington State.
Michael Penix Jr. completed 19 of 31 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown — a 27-yarder to Jalen McMillan on a flea flicker in the second quarter. Penix left after the Huskies built a 47-0 lead late in the third quarter.
The Buffaloes (1-10, 1-7), who suffered their fifth consecutive defeat, didn’t put up much of a fight, falling behind 33-0 by halftime. Washington finished with a 575-202 edge in total yardage.
Taulapapa scored on runs of 8 and 2 yards, helping the Huskies to a 21-0 lead.
A pair of Colorado special-teams miscues led to 12 points for Washington in the final 1:32 of the half.
The Buffaloes faced a fourth-and-10 at their own 31-yard line and lined up to punt, but the snap sailed over Trent Carrizosa’s head and rolled through the back of the end zone for a safety.
The Huskies’ Giles Jackson returned the ensuing free kick 28 yards to the Colorado 45, and Davis scored seven plays later on a 4-yard run to make it 30-0 with 15 seconds left in the half.
Colorado’s Nikko Reed fumbled the kickoff, giving the ball to the Huskies at the Buffaloes’ 16. Peyton Henry’s 33-yard field goal came on the final play of the half and made it 33-0.
Davis scored on a 6-yard run and Richard Newton plunged over from 2 yards out in the third quarter.
The Buffaloes finally got on the board on a 69-yard pass from J.T. Shrout to Montana Lemonious-Craig with 1:45 left in the third.
The Huskies capped the scoring on a 15-yard pass from Dylan Morris to Sam Adams II with 8:10 remaining.
–Field Level Media
