EUGENE — Washington receiver Dante Pettis was succinct in his assessment of quarterback Jake Browning.
“Ridiculously good,” Pettis said after Browning threw for 304 yards and a school-record six touchdowns in a 70-21 rout of Oregon on Saturday night.
The victory snapped the No. 5 Huskies’ 12-game losing streak to the Ducks and left Browning — who also ran for a pair of scores — wanting more.
“We’ll take a win no matter what but yeah, it’s kind of cool. Seventy-seven would’ve been cool, too. The more points you can score the better,” Browning said.
Myles Gaskin ran for 197 yards and a touchdown for the undefeated Huskies, who have won nine straight games going back to last season. Pettis caught eight passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, while John Ross had nine catches for 94 yards and three scores.
Browning’s eight touchdowns matched the Pac-12 single-game record. The Huskies’ 70 points were the most the team had scored since the 1944 season.
“Everybody is going to talk about the yards and touchdowns, but I was just doing my job, going through my reads,” Browning said. “I don’t think there was anything outside of what I was supposed to do.”
Freshman Justin Herbert made his first college start and threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns for the Ducks, who continued their dramatic slide with a fourth straight loss. Oregon (2-4, 0-3 Pac-12) hadn’t lost four straight since the 2006 season.
The 70 points that Oregon allowed were the second-most in school history, one shy of a 71-7 loss at Texas in 1941.
Herbert was intercepted on his first pass of the game, and Washington went on to score on the ensuing series on Browning’s 1-yard touchdown run.
Washington (6-0, 3-0) upped the lead on Browning’s 3-yard TD pass to Ross. Rose also scored on a 15-yard pass from Browning as the Huskies built a 28-0 lead. Browning scored on a 7-yard keeper to put Washington ahead 35-7 at the end of the first half.
Pettis caught touchdown passes of 10 and 28 yards as the Huskies built a 63-21 lead in the opening minutes of the final quarter.
“We don’t really focus on the past, we try to focus on the present, but there’s a lot of people back home who really, really wanted this so it feels good,” Pettis said.
A local prospect out of Eugene’s Sheldon High School, Herbert is the first true freshman to start for the Ducks since Chris Miller in 1983. Graduate transfer Dakota Prukop started at quarterback in the Ducks’ first five games.
“It’s like a broken record but we just have to keep getting after it,” said Oregon defensive coordinator Brady Hoke. “That’s the only way to fix it.”
Takeaways
Oregon: Despite his obvious inexperience and that initial interception, Herbert showed potential. At one point in the first half he followed up a pump fake with a flip pass to tight end Pharaoh Brown. The issue for the Ducks continues to be the defense, which allowed the Huskies 682 yards in total offense.
Washington: The Huskies with Browning continue to be an offensive force, completely dominating Oregon’s re-tooled D under Hoke.
KEY INJURY: Oregon was without senior receiver Dwayne Stanford with an undisclosed injury. He was third on the team with 13 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. In his honor, Brown wore his No. 88 jersey against the Huskies. When Brown was injured in 2014, Stanford wore his No. 85 jersey.
Oregon running back Royce Freeman may have been injured during the game. Freeman ran for 50 yards but didn’t play in the second half.
QUOTABLE: “I’m just glad I don’t have to talk about the streak, or have to answer that. That’s probably the No. 1 thing I’ve been asked since the day I got to Seattle. That’s why I’m really happy, so I don’t have to answer that question,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said.
Up next
Washington: The Huskies return home for a bye next week before hosting Oregon State on Oct. 22
Oregon: The Ducks also get a bye next weekend before a Friday night game on Oct. 21 in Berkeley.
