SI

Michael Penix Jr. Led Washington to a Brilliant Comeback Win While Making His Heisman Case

Michael Penix Jr. has got the goods.

Tyler Lauletta

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No. 7 Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. entered Saturday’s game against No. 8 Oregon as the favorite to win the Heisman.

With his performance against the Ducks, he might have just put one hand on the trophy.

The teams had traded blows for the better part of four quarters when the Huskies defense made a stop on fourth down with just two minutes left to get the ball back to their offense trailing 33–29.

With the game on the line, Penix was brilliant, needing just two plays to put Washington back on top.

First, Penix connected with receiver Ja'Lynn Polk for a 35-yard gain, putting the Huskies in the red zone.

On the very next snap, Penix found Rome Odunze in the end zone to take a 36–33 lead. It was Odunze’s second touchdown of the day.

When Oregon got the ball back, the Washington defense was able to bend but not break. The Ducks set up for a potential game-tying field goal from 43 yards out on the final play of the game.

It sailed wide.

As fans stormed the field, Penix shared a hug with his family.

Penix completed 22-of-37 passes on the night, throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns against just one interception. Most importantly, when the lights were brightest, he shined for the Huskies.

If Penix goes on to win the Heisman this year, we might look back on this game as the moment he won it.

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Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.

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