SEATTLE — In a hard-fought test, Utah football escaped the Washington Huskies on the road with a 34-23 win on a rainy Saturday night.

Utah improves to 8-1 on the season and is one step closer to winning the division. The following are a few takeaways from Utah's win.

Defensive heroes live up to billing

The offense did just enough to get a win, but it was the defense that was the star of the game Saturday. Utah was led by redshirt freshman Chase Hansen, who got his first start of the season at the safety position.