SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies needed a second half surge to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit to earn a 45-14 victory over Georgia State on Saturday afternoon.
Washington (4-0) was outgained by Georgia State (1-3) by a 231-73 margin and held possession for over 21 minutes in the first half as the Panthers built a 14-0 lead.
The Huskies finally woke up after the break and settled in on both sides of the ball.
Cyler Miles completed 19 of 27 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Washington rally.
The Huskies forced a Georgia State three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half. A 35-yard punt return from Dante Pettis put Washington’s offense in business. Jeff Lindquist subbed in for Miles and scored on a 9-yard touchdown run to put the Huskies on the board.
Washington finally managed a sustained drive to pull back even with the Panthers.
Miles capped a nine-play drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kendyl Taylor to tie the game at 14.
The wheels began to fall off for Georgia State. Avery Sweeting fumbled on the first play of the Panthers ensuing possession and Sidney Jones recovered for the Huskies. Four plays later, Myles connected with Kasen Williams for a 3-yard touchdown to give Washington its first lead of the game.
Miles threw a 9-yard touchdown to Jaydon Mickens and Lindquist added a 14-yard touchdown run as the Huskies closed the door on Georgia State. The Huskies held Georgia State to just 42 yards of offense in the second half.
Chris Petersen is the first Washington coach since Gil Dobie in 1908 to begin his career at the school with a 4-0 record.
Despite the return of cornerback Marcus Peters from suspension, the Washington defense was unable to slow Nick Arbuckle and the Panthers offensive attack in the first half.
After a Washington three-and-out that gave Georgia State the ball near midfield, Arbuckle found Donovan Harden for 21 yards and Avery Sweeting for 24 to move to the UW 5-yard line. Three plays later, Arbuckle connected with Keith Rucker for a 2-yard touchdown to give Georgia State a 7-0 lead.
The Panthers extended their lead before halftime. Pinned at their own 9-yard line, Arbuckle led Georgia State on a methodical scoring drive against a disjointed Washington defense. Arbuckle hooked up with Robert Davis for a 9-yard touchdown to cap a 13-play, 91-yard drive to give the Panthers a 14-0 lead at the break.
Arbuckle completed 21 of 33 passes for 194 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Peters intercepted Arbuckle twice and linebacker John Timu returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown for Washington.
