SEATTLE - Fiery Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt looked ready to burst with anger and frustration after Arizona State's crushing last-second touchdown to stun the Huskies last Saturday.
Holt even snapped at a cameraman as he talked to linebacker E.J. Savannah just moments after the winning score.
But when Holt talked to his players in the locker room after the Huskies 24-17 loss to the Sun Devils, his message was simply, "blame me."
"Honestly, he said 'blame me,"' Washington linebacker Donald Butler said Wednesday. "But in the end guys have got to do their responsibility regardless of the call. It was just a bust and we'll learn from it. I wouldn't blame him. Realistically he calls the plays but on the field guys have to take care of their business."
The 50-yard touchdown pass from ASU's Danny Sullivan to Chris McGaha with 5 seconds left provided a stunning conclusion to a game that seemed destined for overtime. It also left the lingering question of just what went wrong defensively for Washington.
Players and coaches are avoiding pointing fingers so answers are still a bit blurry. But Holt said there were assignment errors in a defense the Huskies had executed well so far this season.
Holt called for a Cover 3 defense with three linemen rushing the quarterback and eight dropping back into coverage. The Huskies were concerned about ASU hitting a 15- to 20-yard pass and then trying for a game-winning field goal.
While those routes were mostly covered, McGaha was left running wide open down the middle.
"A couple of guys weren't in the right zones, there were a couple of guys that were trying to do too much and that's what happens when you are in this type of scheme and try to do more than your one job," said safety Nate Williams, who has taken a lot of heat from fans as being the one at fault.
Replays showed Williams coming up from his safety spot to defend T.J. Simpson running a crossing route, which opened the middle of the field for McGaha. But it appeared Williams had to make a decision between defending one receiver or the other.
"Yeah, kind of," Williams said. "But like I said, too many guys were trying to do too much and we just got caught out of position."
Holt said hindsight obviously makes him wish he had the play over again. The loss put a serious dent in the Huskies hopes of getting to six wins and becoming bowl eligible a year after going 0-12.
But he said that defense has been successful this season and more effective probably would have been emphasizing to each individual player what their assignment was in that situation.
"Unfortunately you don't get that second chance," Holt said. "So you just have to live with it and learn from it, which we do, and learn from it as a coach and say 'next time let's do this."'
