Washington defense struggles when it counts in 47-43 Holiday Bowl loss

Texas' Ahmad Brooks (5) and D.D. Lewis hoist the Holiday Bowl trophy after a wild 47-43 win. AP

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Washington was fairly certain it would win with a 19-point lead and just more than a quarter left in the Holiday Bowl.

But Texas was the master of the fourth-quarter comeback this time, winning 47-43 in the final minute Friday night.

The Huskies' defense was looking to regain respect after a demoralizing 58-point loss to Miami in its regular-season finale Nov. 24. Instead, it allowed the No. 9 Longhorns (11-2) to score on six second-half possessions, including 27 points in the fourth quarter.

Yes, the tables turned for the team known for its amazing late-game rallies. Washington won five times this fall in the fourth quarter, and five times in 2000.

"It's disappointing because we felt like we should have won the game with a lead like that in the fourth quarter," Washington quarterback Cody Pickett said. "This hurts more than Miami."

And that's saying a lot. The 65-7 loss at the Orange Bowl matched the Huskies' worst defeat in 80 years.

Not every Washington player was convinced Friday's game had been decided before the final 15 minutes. The Huskies dominated for three quarters before things turned sour.

"Did I think it was over? Nah, I didn't think anything was over," Washington linebacker Ben Mahdavi said. "I don't think anybody thought it was over."

This day was supposed to be all about saving face for the beleaguered defense, desperate for a turnaround after the debacle in Miami. The way the Huskies started, it seemed they would indeed make up for the embarrassing outing.

"We weren't quite good enough to stop them from going right down the field," said Huskies coach Rick Neuheisel, who has lost twice in this bowl game in his three seasons at Washington.

The No. 21 Huskies had a 19-point lead with 3:51 left in the third quarter, and were up 36-20 heading into the fourth quarter.

"Our team really didn't wake up until we were 19 points down," said Texas receiver Roy Williams, who burned Washington for 134 yards on 11 catches.

Two Huskies of the future were almost unexpected Holiday Bowl heroes.

Marquis Cooper and Terry Johnson had combined for just 38 tackles this season. Neither sophomore had a career interception, Johnson's name had barely been called by game announcers, and Cooper had played behind Mahdavi all year. They have never started a game.

Johnson, a defensive tackle who didn't play last year as a freshman, intercepted a pass by Major Applewhite and ran it back 38 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. At 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, he was considered a tight end prospect when he got to Washington.

Cooper picked off a pass by Applewhite about six minutes later, giving Washington the ball at the Texas 41 with 33 seconds left in the half. John Anderson kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give the Huskies (8-4) a 23-14 halftime lead.

Cooper and Johnson weren't the only ones to shine for Washington's defense. Mahdavi also had a second-quarter interception. Mahdavi, Larry Tripplett, Omare Lowe and others kept pressure on Texas much of the game. Applewhite completed a career-high 37 of 55 passes for 473 yards and four touchdowns, but he often had little time to set up in the pocket and threw with defenders charging at him.

Cooper didn't have much explanation for the game's momentum turn.

"We couldn't get anything done for ourselves," he said. "Everything for us collapsed and everything for them came together."