Inside The Huskies

Penix Husky Remix Has College Football Transfixed

The quarterback's fast start has everyone talking about his capabilities.

Dan Raley

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Throughout spring ball and fall camp, those who caught glimpses of it tried to spread the word that the University of Washington's three-player quarterback competition was no competition at all. You just had to see the new guy to understand it.

Persistent fans wanted to believe the Huskies were in much better hands with a locally produced quarterback running the show rather than some outsider.

On top of that, Kalen DeBoer's new UW coaching staff insisted on dragging things out and being as fair as possible to Dylan Morris, a two-year Husky starter, and Sam Huard, the Apple Cup starter, rather than just cut to the chase.

However, Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. is everything Morris and Huard should strive to be — confident, cool and careful whenever he has a football in his hands and surveys the situation at hand.

Against Kent State, Portland State and Michigan State, Penix shredded each secondary in a meticulous manner. He threw four touchdown passes against the 11th-ranked Spartans this past weekend and four more against the Golden Flashes in the opener. He stung Portland State with an 84-yard scoring strike, the Big Ten team with a 53-yarder.

"You've got a guy you can win football games with, not just try to manage a game," DeBoer said. "He's got so much belief by his teammates in him. He's so calm and collected. He's been in all these positions. He's been in so many close games over the years and big-time games. He just goes about his business and believes in himself."

Michael Penix Jr. draws a crowd after the Michigan State win.
After beating Michigan State, Michael Penix Jr. draws a crowd.  :: Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports

Following the 39-28 victory over Michigan State, ESPN analysts couldn't stop talking about the new UW signal-caller and his uncanny accuracy, running his highlights over and over and giving him a shoutout for having one of the top performances nationwide last weekend.

After three prolific Husky outings and subsequent decisive victories, Penix stands at 70 completions in 106 pass attempts for 1,079 yards and 10 touchdowns with a lone interception. He carries a 180.8 efficiency rating and averages 359.1 passing yards per game.

Nationally, Penix ranks second in passing yards, with his 1,079 total second only to Tulsa's Davis Brin with 1,206. Just four FBS throwers have broken the 1,000-yard barrier so far this season. Penix is tied for fourth nationally with his 10 passing TDs, trailing Brin and two others, who have 11.

Penix goes in mesmerizing spurts. A quarter and a half into the Michigan State game, he was good on 14 of 17 passes for 218 yards and 2 scores, which helped build a 22-0 lead on the scoreboard and enable the UW to get out in front and stay there. This was three years after he completed 22 consecutive passes for Indiana against the Spartans.

"He's one of the best players in the country we think," Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. "But we weren't able to do anything to get him out of rhythm and we let them off the hook on some big plays."

Fans hold up their own customized Penix sign.
Michael Penix Jr. has fans in the stands with their own customized sign / Skylar Lin Visuals

Penix is as savvy and elusive a quarterback as the UW has had in some time. He's continually moving his receivers around and making sure they're in the right places. He's Marques Tuiasosopo, Sonny Sixkiller, Cody Pickett and Jake Browning all wrapped into one. Greater leader, excellent thrower.

He can run when he has to, but four season-ending injuries in each of the four previous years at Indiana changed his thinking somewhat on being an occasional ball carrier. It's just not worth it to chance getting hurt again. He knows how to slide now.

Besides, who needs to run at all when Penix can deliver the ball through tight spaces and on deep routes as well as anyone who has worn purple? The coaching staff has enormous trust in his football choices under fire.

"He's just putting the ball where it needs to go," DeBoer said. "He's seeing the field and the line is giving him time. He isn't taking sacks. When it does break down a little, and he got flushed, he's got confidence in taking care of the football."

And taking care of anyone who tries to stop him and his teammates, beginning with Kent State, Portland State and Michigan State. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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