5 Key Plays From Washington's Big Win Over Michigan State

Even though the injury bug bit hard, with the Washington football team missing three key members in the secondary as well as starting center Matteo Mele, Kalen DeBoer's team didn't blink.

Washington jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead, aided by 375 passing yards and four touchdowns from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and three receiving touchdowns from tight end Jack Westover, but they also found success on defense.

The eighth-ranked team in the country cruised to a 41-7 victory over Michigan State and edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui, after sitting out a game, had 2 sacks and Husky nickelback Mishael Powell supplied his first career interception.

2nd quarter, 1st and 10 from MSU 30 — After his team got pinned at the own 5-yard line following a defensive stop, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. engineered his best drive of the day by leading the Huskies 95 yards to the end zone in just three plays.

The drive was capped off by a heads-up play to Ja'Lynn Polk, who caught Penix's pass after it was tipped by a Michigan State defender. Polk proceeded to shed a few tacklers on his way for a 30-yard score.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?! 😳🤯pic.twitter.com/vORDPW7JvX
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) September 16, 2023

1st quarter, 1st and 10 from MSU 39 — Tupuola-Fetui announced his return with authority. Following a questionable holding call on defensive tackle Ulumoo Ale, the edge rusher came flying in to sack Michigan State quarterback Noah Kim.

While it seemed pretty clear that Tupuola-Fetui forced Kim to fumble, the play was not reviewed and Michigan State retained possession.

2nd quarter, 2nd and 8 from UW 36 — The Huskies found the end zone in a mere 41 seconds, thanks in large part to a 34-yard reception from Jalen McMillan. However, after the play McMillan went down with some sort of injury.

The Husky receiver didn't return to the game and, in his postgame news conference, coach Kalen DeBoer said, "He'll be good for next week." McMillan had an excellent half before leaving, recording 4 catches for 96 yards.

1st quarter, 1st and 10 from MSU 44 — Following Powell's first Husky pass theft, Penix Jr. and co. didn't waste any time capitalizing on the turnover. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb immediately dialed up a deep shot to Polk, who made a leaping grab for a 38-yard gain.

Two plays later, Westover found the end zone for the first of his three scores on the day.

.@RomeOdunze IS SO GOOD AT FOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/UhOawHl5KW
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) September 16, 2023

3rd quarter, 2nd and 10 from UW 30 — The play was simple: Penix Jr. found Rome Odunze for a 14-yard gain and a first down. But it was the final grab in what was a superlative day for Odunze, who recorded 8 catches for 180 yards.

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