Penix Takes Heisman Candidacy Up Against Husky Nemesis in ASU

The Sun Devils are one of the few who got the best of the superlative quarterback on the scoreboard.

Michael Penix Jr. will take the field on Saturday night against Arizona State, a team that beat and hurt him a year ago, with a whole new look. No, he hasn't dyed his hair like Rome Odunze. Doesn't throw right-handed like Dylan Morris now. Won't be free-styling as the halftime entertainment.

Last week, Penix was a serious candidate for the Heisman Trophy — this week, the University of Washington quarterback is the consensus leader for the college game's biggest individual prize.

Everyone knows who Penix is, what he does and that nothing, outside of a few untimely interceptions, such as the one that put a dent in teammate Jaxson Kirkland's helmet a year ago in Tempe, has been able to stop him for long over 19 games.

Seven media outlets released midseason All-America teams this week and Penix was the first-team quarterback on each one.

The 6-foot-3, 213-pound senior from Tampa, Florida, has become one of college football's marquee names, a must-see player for his arm strength, uncanny accuracy and incredible passing numbers.

Michael Penix Jr. was an underrated 3-star recruit — both as a freshman & a transfer.

Now in 2023, he is a Heisman frontrunner and has led Washington to a top 5 ranking.

But the road for him was not easy.

He was injured every year at Indiana — including 2 ACL tears.

So how… pic.twitter.com/rAJFeSmf33

— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) October 20, 2023

Arizona State has a new coach in Kenny Dillingham, who wasn't around when the Sun Devils beat Penix and his teammates 45-38 but as an offensive coordinator got a first-hand look at the lefty a month later when the UW beat his Oregon team 37-34 in Eugene.

He views Penix in almost mystic terms, as somewhat of a magician with the football in his hands. Now you see him, now you don't.

"His release is incredible." Dillingham said. "He has the ability to get the ball out to somewhere where he’s not looking. He had a throw this Saturday, throwing the ball to his left on third down, where he was looking to his right and there was a free hitter on his left. ... He got the ball into the receiver's hands, who was 12 yards away for a first down, and I could’ve sworn it was two seconds."

Penix enters the Arizona State game as the national leader in passing yards per game (383.50), second in overall passing yards (2,301), third in passing efficiency (189.90), fourth in passing touchdowns (20), eighth in completions per game (25.83) and 11th in completion percentage (.721).

Husky fans cast their vote for the Heisman Trophy :: Steven Bisig/USA TODAY Sports

A year ago, his biggest challenge was getting up off the ground after Sun Devils edge rushers BJ Green and Travez Moore hit him simultaneously in the fourth quarter and left him gasping to breathe. Green was penalized for targeting and ejected, nd still comes off the bench for ASU, while Moore has moved on.

Penix had to leave the game for one play to regain his bearings, but later admitted he was shaken by the episode, especially considering he had had injuries end his four previous seasons at Indiana. 

Michael Penix Jr. looks for a receiver against Oregon :: Steven Bisig/USA TODAY Sports

Last week, Penix nearly missed getting back on the field after he battled cramps throughout the fourth quarter and had to be hooked up to intravenous fluids in a medical tent to get immediate relief. Yet he was in the huddle when it was time to play. 

"This is Michael," DeBoer said. "He's been through it for so many years there's no way you're pulling him off the field in that moment. He's out there in the fourth quarter and we circle around him. ... The heart he's got, the guts he's got and the willingness to just grind through it." 

A year ago, an underdog Arizona State team with a 1-4 record got the best of Penix by pulling the upset. Now it's a 1-5 Sun Devils outfit trying to duplicate those uplifting efforts on the road, with a new coach, mostly a different lineup and hoping against hope for another miracle.

Amazingly, Penix didn't throw a touchdown pass in Tempe against the Sun Devils, which has happened only twice in 19 Husky outings. He didn't have one against Arizona in Tucson last month either. It must be the desert air or something. 

Yet Penix was prolific a year ago throughout the season while breaking countless school records, leading the Huskies to an 11-2 season and finishing eighth in the Heisman voting. He's even better now. The people who analyze the current Heisman race certainly think so. Even Dillingham. Arizona State acknowledges this, too.

"He's a guy so comfortable in their system and he’s a vet and he’s a freakish talent," Dillingham said. "He’s really good.”

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