SEATTLE — Chris Petersen was in the process of reliving the wild final minutes of No. 17 (College Football Playoff ranking) Washington's comeback when he was asked if the victory over Utah ranked among the most exciting finishes in his career.
Petersen paused for a moment.
"No. We've had some pretty good ones," he said.
What Petersen is hoping for is that the 33-30 victory over the Utes late Saturday night gives the Huskies a boost heading into the Apple Cup against No. 13 Washington State. Washington was on the verge of entering its rivalry game next Saturday on a two-game losing streak until Jake Browning rallied the Huskies for 10 points in the final 58 seconds to stun Utah.
In the immediate aftermath of the victory, Petersen talked about the Huskies regaining a bit of the swagger that took a hit when they lost to Stanford, which knocked Washington out of contention for the College Football Playoff. The Huskies also can't win the Pac-12 North because of the loss to the Cardinal.
But the Huskies (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12) do know what their role is for this week: Spoiling Washington State's chances at a division title and finishing off consecutive 10-win seasons for just the fourth time in school history.
"Rivalry games are huge and we always want to beat Wazzu," Browning said after Saturday's game. "... Having a 10-win season would be pretty cool. I don't care what game we're playing for or whatever. I want to win regardless."
KING 5's Travis Pittman contributed to this report.
