Washington blows chance to upset Brigham Young

SEATTLE -- Jake Locker was crestfallen. The sophomore quarterback did everything he could to give Washington a chance for an upset of No. 15-ranked Brigham Young and wound up apologizing for the Huskies’ loss.

Locker was penalized for celebrating a touchdown run with two seconds left and, after the 15-yard assessment, Brigham Young defensive end Jan Jorgensen blocked the 35-yard extra-point try to help the Cougars hold on to a 28-27 victory Saturday.

“I just was excited,” Locker said somberly, looking at the ground while facing a throng of questioners about the decisive play. “I like to play the game with emotion and it got the best of me.”

Locker completed 17 of 32 passes for 204 yards and had 62 yards in 18 carries.

He drove the Huskies 76 yards in 17 plays, capped by his three-yard run to pull Washington to within one point. Locker jumped up and threw the ball high into the air before celebrating with his teammates. The toss brought a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct call, a point of emphasis for officials this season after touchdowns.

Jorgensen busted through the line and got a hand on Ryan Perkins’ kick.

“I was surprised they threw it,” Jorgensen said of Locker’s penalty. “It just turned out well for us. It was one of those things when they threw the flag it was destiny. You felt like we were supposed to win this game.”

Brigham Young, dominant within the Mountain West Conference over the last two years, beat a nonconference opponent on the road for the first time since defeating Utah State in the middle of the 2002 season. The Cougars (2-0) hadn’t knocked off a team from a Bowl Championship Series conference in a road game since beating Mississippi State at the end of the 2001 season.

Washington (0-2) provided a stern test for the Cougars, looking nothing like the team that was routed, 44-10, the previous week at Oregon.

Max Hall led the Cougars, throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Dennis Pitta had 10 catches for 148 yards.