The Flight of the Penix Has Been Something to See This Season

Kalen DeBoer remembers his phone call to quarterback Michael Penix Jr. just like others could tell you exactly where they were when a man first walked on the moon or when they won the lottery.

It was that big a deal.

The new University of Washington football coach was sitting in his rental car on a recruiting trip, likely somewhere in California, when he reached out to this big-league talent he had worked closely with as the offensive coordinator at Indiana and who was now in the transfer portal.

They agreed Penix should come to Seattle and look over the place.

However, the free-agent quarterback made it clear right away he wasn't interested in doing any campus sightseeing — he specifically wanted to meet the guys who would be catching his passes and who would be blocking for him. He would watch film of the pass-catchers going back to high school.

Everything happened so fast, Penix entertained offers only from the UW and the University of Central Florida (UCF) before choosing the Huskies because he knew what he was getting with DeBoer's vast offensive expertise and he liked what he saw in those players awaiting him in Montlake.

Eleven months later, Penix has played as well as anyone at his position nationwide while helping lead a UW football renaissance. The Huskies are 10-2 and bound for the Alamo Bowl and a Dec. 29 postseason meeting with the Texas Longhorns in San Antonio. Three thousand miles from home, the quarterback has enjoyed himself so much, he's already announced his college return for 2023.

Penix, in fact, has played as well if not better than any UW quarterback before him, based on being totally unstoppable for long periods of time. Just check out the attached photo gallery of his game-by-game performances and outer-worldly passing numbers.

Similar to legendary pocket-protected Huskies Sonny Sixkiller and Don Heinrich, Penix currently leads the country in passing, piling up 4,354 yards overall and averaging 362.8 per game. Yet those other prolific UW throwers never won more than eight games in a season or played in a bowl game in another time, though they came close.

"The guys believe in him," DeBoer said of Penix. "He gave us a lot of hope from Day 1 with his talent."

Coming out of the chute as a UW quarterback, Penix turned in gaudy numbers: 26-for-39 passing good for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns in the 45-20 victory at Husky Stadium. He also ran four times for 27 yards.

He was good for three quarters in the 52-6 rout of this Big Sky team at Husky Stadium before turning the offense over to the second and third units. Penix completed 20 of a season-low 27 passing attempts for 337 yards and 2 scores.

With a national TV audience getting reacquainted with this dazzling quarterback, Penix riddled the Big Ten secondary for 397 yards and 4 scores on 24-for-40 passing in the 39-28 victory at home.

Coming into this game, some people thought Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee was the better NFL prospect. No one felt that way when it ended. Penix completed 22-for-39 passing for 309 yards and 2 scores in the 40-22 win.

Taking to the road for the first time, the Huskies led 7-0 and 10-9 at the Rose Bowl before running into trouble against a decent UCLA team, falling way behind and losing 40-32. Penix was good on 33 of 48 passes for 345 yards and 2 scores.

Continually playing catch-up, Penix compiled stats of 33-for-53 passing for 311 yards and surprisingly no touchdown passes in the 45-38 loss in Tempe. He scored his first Husky TD on a 1-yard run on the first series of the game.

Coming off consecutive losses, Penix let loose for a school-record 516 yards against Arizona on 36-for-44 passing for 4 touchdowns, the third time he had thrown for that many scores in a game. His showing was good for a 49-39 victory at Husky Stadium.

For the second time in three outings, Penix exceeded 50 pass attempts, going 36-for-51 for 374 yards and 2 touchdowns on a chilly night in a 28-21 victory over the Golden Bears in Berkeley.

In swirling wind that made everything tricky in passing, catching and kicking, Penix topped 50 pass attempts for the third time, finishing 30-for-52 for 298 yards and a touchdown pass in a 24-21 victory at Husky Stadium.

Penix was highly effective when it mattered most in the biggest game of the year, going 26-for-35 for 408 yards and 2 touchdowns. He hit on scoring passes of 62 and 76 yards in the 37-34 win in Eugene. He also ran twice for 20 yards, keeping everyone on their toes.

In a 54-7 rout of the Buffaloes, Penix played just two and a half quarters and finished 19-for-31 for 229 yards, season lows in completions and yards, and launched a touchdown pass in the final home game this season at Husky Stadium.

The Huskies pulled away in the second half and won the Apple Cup 51-33 over WSU in Pullman. Penix was as efficient as ever, going 25-for-43 for 485 yards and 3 scores. His yardage total was surpassed only by his earlier Arizona outing by 31 yards. Penix also ran the ball twice for 34 yards and 2 scores, with a 30-yarder meant to be a TD catch from receiver Jalen McMillan on a double-reverse pass, but the angle on McMillan's throw made it a rushing touchdown.

The coach said everyone did a double-take at Penix's playmaking skills after seeing him for the first time in his debut against Kent State. The newcomer then upped his game to another level when facing Michigan State, a team he had beaten before in the Big Ten.

He stayed the course even after losing consecutive outings to UCLA and Arizona State by a touchdown each, and surviving his only health scare in Tempe when he was targeted on a heavy pass rush after having four consecutive Indiana seasons end for him with season-ending knee or shoulder injuries.

"It's just playing football," Penix said of his approach. "Just having fun, understanding the situation and obviously trying to keep myself protected at all times."

Truly his low point of the season came when that pair of Sun Devils hit him with bookend tackles, high and low, that brought the targeting penalty and left the UW quarterback prone on the field and struggling to breathe — and it scared him.

But never once did he give in this season, always battling back or answering an opposing score with a score or just challenging a defense to stop him.

"His response is always on point," DeBoer said. "It's immediate. It's not like a quarter later he finally made the throw. He's just so good in the moment."

Coming down the stretch, Penix has been a big reason the Huskies have won six consecutive games, including sweeping their Northwest rivals in, this order, Oregon State, Oregon and Washington State, all bowl-bound teams.

None of those neighborhood conquests were easy either, with two coming on the road. For sure, beating the Ducks 37-34 in Eugene was monumental, a game that will be talked about for ages.

Whereas Indiana was exciting for him at times, only to end in disaster each and every single season, Penix finally has been given a chance to spread his wings — yes, like the Flight of the Phoenix — and he's really enjoyed himself.

So much so that the lure of the NFL can wait, that he wants more of that feel-good stuff that's come his way in Seattle, that maybe he won't be satisfied until he's taken more seriously as a Heisman Trophy candidate and his team gets a chance to be in the championship conversation.

"I don't think it was proving people wrong," DeBoer said of his quarterback's insatiable drive to succeed. "The thing I love is it's probably about trying to prove us right for having him here."

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