Washington quarterback Jake Locker raced into the end zone from 3-yards out with just 2 seconds remaining on the clock, to bring the Huskies within one point of BYU, 28-27.

So what could go wrong?

Answer: An excessive celebration call against Locker.

After scoring, he tossed the ball over his shoulder to free his hands to greet his teammates, which resulted  in a 15-yard excessive celebration penalty. That took the option away from head coach Tyrone Willingham of going for a two-point conversion and an almost certain win. Instead, BYU's Jan Jorgenson blocked Ryan Perkins’ extra point attempt from 35 yards out to win the game.

Overtime or a two point conversion, that is the question.

It wouldn’t have made any sense to take a high-scoring machine like BYU into overtime, assuming the penalty hadn’t been called, especially considering UW's flaky defense.  Instead, down by one, Willingham could have gone for two-point conversion with Locker, calling for a sprint-out pass/run option, with a run into the end zone or a dump off to tight end Kavario Middleton at the back of the end zone. Like Locker, Middleton has great athleticism. One of them would have certainly put two points on the board to secure a 29-28 win.

Call me a disgruntled fan.

Instead, what would have been a chip shot for a try for point was turned into what amounted to a 35-yard field-goal attempt--which resulted in a blocked kick. BYU is good at that, having beaten UCLA in the Las Vegas bowl last year, 17-16, with a blocked field-goal attempt. The launch angle on the ball changes from 35-yards out as opposed to a 20-yard boot for a normal try for point. It also requires more leg and a cleaner hit on the ball.

The excessive-celebration call, in my opinion, was iffy at best and down-right tragic at its worst. It robbed the 64,611 fans in attendance at Husky Stadium of an exciting overtime finish or, put another way, robbed the Huskies of a two-point conversion attempt, which almost certainly would have won the game on Locker’s feet or Middleton’s hands.

The result of that critical, "judgment" call was another nail in Willingham's coffin. He needs six wins to stay alive and faces Oklahoma next week. If he loses to Oklahoma that means he'll need to win six of his remaining nine games, which feature treacherous games on the road against USC and Cal.

No one will remember how the Huskies lost to BYU, for they don’t put an asterisk behind a loss or put one inside a coach's file to indicate a moral victory.

Most certainly, the NCAA will change the excessive celebration rule before next season begins, to prevent the high-jacking of any more games, especially from such a deserving team as the down-trodden Washington Huskies. Call the new rule to be: the "Locker rule."

It's hard to blame the referee throwing the flag; caught up in the excitement of the game, he reacted immediately, as he's been instructed to react. In all reality, it's a bad rule, and has been since its inception. 

Did the bad rule make Locker the goat of the game?

Jake wasn't showing off; he didn't need to give himself a high five; he sells tickets to the games, sells recruits on UW and pitches peanuts and popcorn in the stands. On the field, he's Hugh McElhenny, Don Heinrich and Arnie Weinmeister morphed into one.

It seemed to me he was just freeing his arms to greet his teammates, but he couldn't with the ball in his hands -- it was in his way. It had to go somewhere, and, in close quarters, his teammates were beginning to mob him. Locker meant no disrespect to BYU.

How high is high?

Note: Rule 9, Section 2, Article 1 of the NCAA rule book says throwing the ball high in the air constitutes an unsportsmanlike penalty.

In my opinion, the ball wasn't thrown high enough in the air; that's why I think it was a judgment call. However, the referee involved in the play said it was not a judgment call and had to be called. Most experts will probably agree with him.

After the game, Tyrone said it could have been a no-call.

On Spirit's shoulder injury: With the Dawgs' Spirit broken, it is just another burden to shoulder.

Now for the rest of the story.

Washington's defense was hapless again, for a second week in a row, this time giving up 457 total net yards to BYU. In its first two games, the defense has surrendered 953 yards; last season at this time, the Huskies had given up 595 yards, in games against Syracuse and Boise State, and were 2-0 on the season.

The Dawgs failed to put a rush on Cougar quarterback Max Hall, who, seemingly had all day to throw. Hall completed 31 of 40 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns against one interception.

Harvey Unga, who seemed unstoppable, ran 23 times for 136 yards, averaging almost 6 yards per carry. The Cougars' Unga also caught five passes for 39 yards.

The Dawgs posted a tepid 337 yards of total offense, and, in their first two games have racked up an anemic total of 579 yards. Last year, after two games, they had posted 832 total yards.

Locker was mostly sensational, however. He completed 17 passes out of 32 attempts for 204 yards and 1 touchdown, a 48-yard pass to Jermaine Kearse. He also ran for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 attempts. His passing efficiency, though, was an anemic 116.99. That stat needs to improve. For example, Hall's PE was 161.69.

The rest of the team ran for 65 yards on 17 attempts, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. David Freeman ran 6 times for 30 yards and looked good doing so, demonstrating excellent vision and an ability to change direction.

Give the offensive line a C+ and the defensive line an F+.