Arizona State 44, Washington 20

Same old story last night, as the Huskies stayed in the game against a good opponent and then allowed a spurt of scoring in the second half.

In the Times, they've been focusing on the fact that the Dawgs are getting outscored in the third quarter, with the barely hidden subtext that it's the fault of the coaching staff for not making better halftime adjustments.

It ain't halftime adjustments, it's offense. The offense can't keep possession, so the defense is on the field too long, gets beat up, gets tired, and starts making physical mistakes.

In the 1st half, Arizona State had the ball for 18 minutes and 58 seconds.

Predictably, the defense started missing tackles and giving up big plays in the third quarter.

What's also worth pointing out is the quality of the Huskies' competition so far. Every game they've played this year--other than the USC UCLA game (thanks, Travis)--has been against an opponent that hadn't lost a game yet. Ohio State, USC and Arizona State are all top 15 teams.

And it ain't gonna get easier--next week, it's Oregon.