There were too many mistakes, too many penalties, and there was one bad coaching decision that probably cost the Huskies the game on Saturday.

A 24-17 defeat was not what the UW football team had in mind against ASU, when head coach Steve Sarkisian decided to run a pass play on third-and-one with a few seconds remaining in regulation — a pass play that ended incomplete and gave the Sun Devils the crucial seconds they needed to stun the Huskies.

“We try and get ourselves prepared for what might occur,” Sarkisian said. “And then when the game ended the way it did, I think that’s why it’s so heartbreaking. That’s why it’s so hard to take, because we didn’t get ourselves prepared for that moment mentally.”

But Sarkisian admitted he made a mistake.

He did what the former UW coach would never have done in his last year at the helm of an 0-12 team: admit that the pass was the wrong call and that calling a run would have been his decision looking back on the series of events that unfolded.

But that wasn’t the only problem on that night for the Huskies — which was full of problems the Huskies really need to learn from.

The Sun Devils looked like an overly aggressive band of teenagers with their multiple penalties in the first half, and they gave the Huskies numerous opportunities to take the lead at various points throughout the game.

But it was UW that didn’t have its head in the game — enough so that they couldn’t take advantage.

First it was penalties.

Washington’s own penalties — all 124 yards-worth on 12 flags — were a major reason for the inability to secure a road win.

It negated opportunities created on offense and defense thanks to the Sun Devils’ own nine penalties.

“There were a lot of things going on, jawing back and forth,” Sarkisian said. “For our football team, that’s not who we are. I felt like we bought into that style of play that night, and in turn, we started to get those penalties. And we’re not that football team; that’s not the way we play.”

Then, there were mistakes.

Erik Folk, who had just made an unofficial field goal from 48 yards right before the end of the first half that was negated due to an ASU timeout, completely missed his second attempt.

Johri Fogerson fumbled a punt return.

And of course, the UW secondary, once again, failed to do anything right when it mattered, allowing Chris McGaha wide-open pastures of Arizona turf to score the final touchdown of the game.

“I know the game was really choppy, especially in the first half,” Sarkisian said. “It was hard to get a feel for what was going on. Both teams were one step forward, two steps back, two steps forward, one step back. There were penalties, there were stoppages, the clock resetting. There was not any rhythm to the football game.”

No rhythm, no sustained success.

Too many mistakes, and too many penalties. Let’s just hope they learn from them.

Reach Opinion Editor Allen Wagner at sports@dailyuw.com.