TEMPE, Ariz. — As unbelievable as the finish to UW’s 24-17 loss to Arizona State was, that might not have been the craziest part about it.

That honor could likely go to the play and behavior of ASU freshman linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who was flagged three times — all of them before halftime — for personal fouls, and seemed intent on making things chippy the whole game.

He also threw a forearm at UW receiver James Johnson that went unnoticed by the officials, head coach Steve Sarkisian saying afterward that he didn’t know why there wasn’t a penalty called.

UW tailback Chris Polk said Burfict was “yapping at the mouth” because Polk and Burfict are from the same area in California. Polk got the better of him on one play in the third quarter — a 23-yard touchdown run that materialized after Polk spun off Burfict’s tackle attempt.

“[Burfict] showed it on film that he’s a real hot-head and would do stupid things at the wrong time,” Polk said. “We were prepared for it going into it.”

But Burfict and the rest of ASU’s speedy front seven caused problems for the Huskies all game. UW ran the ball 27 times for just 99 yards, though that total was padded by the 45 yards Burfict handed the Huskies on three personal foul penalties — the first of which was a late hit on UW quarterback Jake Locker on a failed third down that extended the drive and allowed the Huskies to score on the next play.

“They talk a lot,” wide receiver Devin Aguilar said. “That’s part of the game. They were talking a lot at the mouth, but we just continued to play. [Burfict] was doing that all game, but we knew from the get-go that he was a hothead.”

ASU was flagged eight times for 84 yards in the first half, finishing the game with nine penalties. Washington racked up 124 penalty yards on 12 flags.

Reach Sports Editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.