Inside The Huskies

Michael Penix Jr.'s Name Came Up a Lot on Saturday

The transfer, Heisman and a starting job for the lefty all were revisited.

Dan Raley

Ex-Husky quarterback Michael Penix Jr. surveys the Denver Broncos defense in one of his two NFL outings.
Ex-Husky quarterback Michael Penix Jr. surveys the Denver Broncos defense in one of his two NFL outings. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Michael Penix Jr.'s name came up a lot on Saturday, from start to finish, from coast to coast, with the specific topic involving the left-handed quarterback simply depending on where you were at the moment.

In Seattle, some people celebrated the third-year anniversary of Penix announcing he would transfer from Indiana to Washington, setting in motion one of the greatest stretches of Husky football by a guy calling signals and taking snaps.

If you were in New York, you might have noted how Boise State's always entertaining running back Ashton Jeanty was deserving of winning the Heisman Trophy but didn't get it, same as Penix the year before.

And if you happened to be in Atlanta on this day, there's a good chance you were telling anyone who would listen that Penix should be the Falcons' starting quarterback on Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders in Sin City.

It's the latter message that seems to be growing in volume and gaining a lot of mileage.

With starting quarterback Kirk Cousins slumping badly for the Falcons, after throwing zero touchdowns and 8 interceptions during Atlanta's four-game losing streak, people inside the largest city in the South are calling for Penix to take over in increasing numbers, apparently among those wearing Falcons uniforms, too.

It's time for a youth movement -- to replace the 36-year-old veteran with the 24-year old kid.

Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz created a bit of a firestorm surrounding the team with his take on the situation.

“I truly believe the only reason the Falcons haven't gone to Michael Penix Jr. yet is because of optics,” Schultz said on the FS1 show Speak. “I've had players inside that locker room tell me point blank, Michael Penix Jr. is the best quarterback in this building.”

Meantime, Penix just does what he's always done regarding his football career -- he just goes with the flow, waiting for his opportunity, waits for the dust to settle, knowing things usually work out for him in the end.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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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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