A Performance To Remember: Michael Penix Jr. Dazzles In CFP Win Over Texas Longhorns
Quinn Ewers could have thrown for 400 yards and four touchdowns and it still wouldn't have mattered.
He could have completed a record-setting 100 percent of his throws while rushing for another 200 yards and a score.
It wouldn't have changed the outcome of the Texas Longhorns' night in New Orleans. Sure, a few more points would've come on the board, but the opposing score would've remained the same.
Standing on the opposing sidelines watching the Longhorns maneuver up and down the field was Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. That's his name for now, but soon, countless fans clad in purple will probably call him the "Longhorn Slayer."
Texas Terminator?
Maybe King of College Football would suffice.
The No. 3 Longhorns knew if they were to win the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Sugar Bowl, it wouldn't be because of their offense, but rather their defense preventing Penix from connecting with a trio of receivers who will soon play on Sundays.
Challenge accepted. Challenge failed.
Penix, who led all FBS players in passing yards to go along with his 36 total scores, torched the Longhorns for four quarters as the Huskies punched their ticket to Houston for a date with No. 1 Michigan in the national championship for the first time since 1991 with the 37-31 victory. It was clockwork from the first attempt to the final one.
Name a pass and Penix probably threw it against the Horns down off Sugar Bowl Drive. Short, long, fast, slow, off-balance and on the money were just a few ways to describe what was on display for nearly four hours Monday night as the start of the new year.
Ewers could only sit by and try to match the production on display moving up and down the field.
Again, challenge accepted. Challenge failed.
Take nothing away from Ewers' 318-yard outing. A second sooner to Adonai Mitchell as the clock struck zero, and perhaps it's the Longhorns hopping on a bus to head down Interstate 10 to reach NRG Stadium.
Some nights are meant to be remembered in victory, and others in defeat. The Longhorns took the latter route as Penix posted the fourth-most passing yards (430) in a College Football Playoff game to match his two touchdown passes.
Even with a month to prepare, plus film from last season's 27-20 loss in the Alamo Bowl, the Longhorns never dialed up a play to rattle Penix's rhythm. He was 11-of-14 for 255 yards and one touchdown to start the game. Throws varied from dump passes to Dillon Johnson in the flats to 77-yard missiles to Ja'Lynn Polk in single coverage near the red zone.
Penix didn't miss coming out of halftime, going a perfect 6-of-6 for 58 yards and a 19-yard touchdown to Jalen McMillian to break a 21-21 tie. Texas running back C.J. Baxter fumbled on the ensuing drive, giving Washington exceptional field position that led to a field goal.
Even as the Longhorns gained momentum following Ewers' touchdown pass to Mitchell with 7:23 remaining, everything was about stopping Penix. The only entity that came close was the official telling him to head to the sidelines after a scoring drive.
Washington's offense took the field on 12 drives. It scored on seven, with four ending in touchdowns over field goals.
Penix, who reunited with Kalen DeBoer after four seasons at Indiana, knew it needed a near-perfect performance for Washington to advance. His 76.3 completion percentage wasn't 100, but offenses can't ask for much more than that.
Rome Odunze finished with over 100 yards. Polk totaled 122 yards and averaged 24.5 yards per play. McMillan, who played hero against the Longhorns in San Antonio last season, crossed the end zone again.
As the Longhorns entered the locker room for one final pep talk, Penix took the podium to celebrate. When asked by ESPN if his performance was the best of his career, the charismatic rocket-powered gunslinger gave Husky Nation another reason to take over Bourbon in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
"Nah, we got one more to go," said Penix.
If the Heisman runner-up has more left in the tank, the Wolverines should simply be thankful for ending their two-game skid in the playoffs out west.
And Texas? It can be content knowing Penix won't be back in Seattle for a potential Round 3 next winter in the 12-team playoff.
