Huskies Get Into Shootout with Arizona, Claim 49-39 Victory
With an ALDS game being played simultaneously downtown, left-hander Michael Penix Jr. took the mound for the University of Washington football team at Husky Stadium.
On Saturday, the Huskies relied on the strong arm of the nation's second-leading passer coming in and survived a couple of deep ones over the top of their embattled secondary to pull out a 49-39 victory, breaking a two-game losing streak.
There was virtually no offense at the baseball ballpark near Puget Sound, but an overabundance of it on the football field by Lake Washington.
Penix broke the school record for passing yards in a game with 516, completing 36 of 44 passes for 4 touchdowns. He helped the UW generate 595 yards of total offense, while his defense gave up 526 yards.
"On account of this offense we have and the guys we have around me, we could put up those numbers every week," Penix said.
The Husky leader threw scoring strikes to Jalen McMillan covering 23 yards, to Sam Adams on a 4-yarder and a couple to Rome Odunze on 45- and 48-yard on high and hard ones to offset the elusive Jayden de Laura, a former Washington State Cougar signal-caller who showed up in Montlake for the second time in 11 months, only with a different team.
No slouch, de Laura threw for 4 touchdowns and 400 yards, hitting on 25 of 34 attempts, not throwing an interception similar to Penix.
This one was nonstop points and terrible defense until the final five minutes of play, when someone shut off the scoring spigot.
"We knew we had our hands full," UW coach Kalen DeBoer said. "We knew we want to be better, but the guys kept fighting to find a way to get off the field when it really mattered."
Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze had three TD catches between them against Arizona.
Skylar Lin Visuals
For the seventh consecutive game, the UW (5-2 overall, 2-2 Pac-12) scored on its opening offensive drive.
Getting the ball on the Arizona 46 following a punt and a Wildcats penalty, Penix alternated handing the ball to running back Wayne Taulapapa and finding his receiving corps for an instant touchdown.
McMillan got behind Wildcats freshman cornerback Jai-Ayviun Celestine to catch a 23-yard bullet in the back of the end zone and scoring theatrics were under way.
It took just five plays and 2:45 to make the lights flicker on the scoreboard.
For the seventh game in a row, the Huskies sent a different secondary onto the field, an embattled and vulnerable one at that, this time missing hybrid Husky Dominique Hampton to injury — the fourth of the original five starters to be sidelined this season.
After the teams traded possessions, with the UW giving up the ball on downs at the Arizona 21, the Wildcats (3-4, 1-3) matched their hosts for a lightning-strike touchdown pass.
They went those 79 yards in four plays in just 2:01 when de Laura found Tetairoa McMillan streaking up the left sideline for a 46-yard score, badly beating redshirt freshman cornerback Davon Banks to tie the game at 7-7.
Into the second quarter, the Huskies responded with a more methodical scoring drive, going 75 yards in 7 plays for backup running back Cam Davis' 1-yard run into the end zone — his team-leading eighth touchdown.
The teams next traded the ball twice, each giving up on drive on downs, before Arizona scorched the Husky secondary once more.
This time, Wildcats wide receiver Dorian Singer got behind veteran cornerback Jordan Perryman for an easy 39-yard scoring pass, with the UW player beginning to limp at his 10 and trailing his opponent into the end zone.
Just like that, in four plays covering 45 yards, the game was tied at 14 with 2:23 left in the half.
Of course, that was plenty of time for the Huskies to respond. Penix worked the clock and the Arizona defense for a 12-play, 75-yard march that was completed right before time ran out for intermission.
With eight seconds left, Penix found Adams, who's had to play out of necessity in the past two weeks, wide open in the right flat and he loped over the goal line untouched. The teams rested with the UW ahead 21-14.
After the break, Arizona unsuccessfully tried an onside kick and the Huskies made the visiting team pay for it.
After Devin Culp recovered on the Wildcats 48, Penix threw a short gainer to Odunze and then found him behind safety DJ Warnell Jr. for a 45-yard touchdown strike and a 28-14 lead.
Odunze had to juggle the ball first and make a difficult grab before putting up six points.
"I had my hand placement a little bit off, the sun was in my eyes a little bit, so I was trying to adjust to that," he said. "But I couldn't let that ball hit the ground."
Rome Odunze juggles the ball before hauling it in for a 45-yard touchdown.
Skylar Lin Visuals
Back Arizona came, mixing runs and passes, to go 75 yards in five plays for a 3-yard TD run by Jonah Coleman to pull the Wildcats within 28-21.
At that point, just two minutes and 44 seconds was run off the clock in the second half.
It was the Huskies' serve. They stretched things back to two scores with a nine-play, 77-yard drive capped off by Penix running around the right end for an 8-yard touchdown run with tight end Jack Westover trailing him for a pitch if needed.
A 26-yard pass from Penix to Westover had pulled the Huskies close before Penix finished things off himself to put his team up 35-21.
Finally, the pace slowed some. Arizona had to settle for a field goal the next time it got its hands on the ball. Tyler Loop made it from 48 yards to pull the Wildcats within 35-24.
To close out the third quarter, the Huskies upped the tempo again and zipped 75 yards again on six plays. This one was a little complicated. Giles Jackson caught a 38-yard TD pass only to have it negated by a holding penalty. No problem, the UW scored on the next play, just from 10 yards farther back.
Penix looked right and then turned to his left and looped a ball to Odunze standing all alone at the goal line. No juggle this time, just a good firm grab, and the Huskies went up 42-24.
Odunze finished with 9 catches for 169 yards and 2 scores, with his yardage total giving him a school-record fourth consecutive 100-yard outing.
Cam Davis scored twice, this 19-yard TD run completing the point production at Husky Stadium.
Skylar Lin Visuals
The quarter changed over, but not the offensive fireworks and the fact there was no defense by either team whatsoever.
The Wildcats picked apart the UW defense for 75 yards in 10 plays, with de Laura lobbing a 20-yard TD pass over the middle to tight end Tanner McLachlan, who didn't have a UW defender anywhere near him. That made it 42-31.
The Huskies came up dry on their next possession. Peyton Henry missed a 47-yard field goal, with the ball sailing to the right.
The Wildcats, smelling opportunity, zipped 71 yards in just four plays for de Laura's second TD pass to Singer. This one covered 26 yards and went over Kamren Fabiculanan, Hampton's hybrid Husky replacement. The play initially was called incomplete, but a replay showed Singer had possession long enough to make the touchdown count.
A two-point conversion pass from de Laura to Coleman brought Arizona within 42-39 with 9:51 left to play.
The Huskies were up to the challenge to stay on top. They moved 75 yards in 8 plays to add a scoreboard buffer. With 5:30 remaining, Cam Davis wrapped this one up with a 19-yard touchdown run, breaking two tackles over the right side. It was his ninth touchdown of the season, and fifth in two games.
The game basically ended unceremoniously with Loop missing a 41-yard field goal. The point fest was over. Every defensive back for both teams was scarred for who knows how long.
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