USC’s Caleb Williams has been getting positive press all season long, and deservedly so. He’s a terrific QB and has done a great job running Lincoln Riley’s offense. Many pundits feel that he’s so talented that he’ll probably be favored to go No. 1 in the 2024 NFL Draft—the first year he becomes eligible. However, if you were to look at ESPN’s College Football Team Offensive Stats you might be surprised to find out that USC is sitting at No. 12 in the nation in passing yards per game while Washington and QB Michael Penix-Jr.—the team that upset the Ducks this past Saturday night 37-34, in Eugene no less—are actually the No. 1 passing team in the country. Considering that Oregon is the No. 5 worst team against the pass in the nation and No. 1 in the PAC-12, the result Saturday night shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise, although if you watched the game the interception that Penix-Jr threw early in the 4th Qtr sitting 1st and goal at the Oregon 1 yard line and trailing 31-27 seemed like the beginning of the end for the Huskies. But the Washington defense toughed it out and at the end of a 20 play 91 yard drive that took up well over ten minutes on the clock were able to hold the Ducks to a field goal and a single possession lead of 34-27.
You would think one might get a little rattled throwing an interception sitting 1st and goal at the opponent’s 1 yard line or the Offensive Coordinator might go a bit conservative for a few plays. But on Washington’s very next possession on a 3rd and 7 from the right hash mark Penix-Jr threw across the field to WR Taj Davis for a 62 yard jaw dropping TD pass that tied the score 34-34. The announcers for the game commented that the reason Davis was so open that deep on the opposite side of the field was because no one thought there was any QB that could make that throw. With just over three minutes left in the 4th Qtr the Ducks took possession of the ball but three plays later found themselves at 4th and 1 on their own 34 yard line. With just 1:26 left and having made 100% of their three 4th down attempts in the game they went for it but were dropped for a loss. Three plays later Washington is sitting 4th and 2 at the Oregon 25 yard line with less than a minute left and the score tied.
Back in the day before Washington’s Place Kicker Peyton Henry came on board I have mentioned previously about sitting in the stands at Husky Stadium and watching the fans hold their collective breath whenever a field goal was attempted. It was always risky and Head Coach Chris Petersen used to walk a fine line between going for it on 4th down or attempting the field goal so as not to make the kicker’s confidence even worse than it probably already was. Peyton Henry took all that anxiety away and in his career has made 99% of his x-tra point attempts and is connecting on close to 90% of his field goal attempts this season, winning his 2nd PAC-12 Special-Teams Player of the Week after kicking a field goal with eight seconds left to beat Oregon State on November 7th. But in spite of all his success there is one memory that is always in the back of his mind—a missed 37-yard field goal that would have beaten Oregon in Eugene at the end of regulation in 2018, a game that because of the miss went into overtime and an eventual loss for the Huskies. But on Saturday night Shakespeare would say “the wheel is come full circle” as Henry nailed a 43 yard field goal to give Washington the upset victory over the Ducks. Henry said afer the game; “That (2018 Oregon miss) is always in the back of the mind, especially because when people think of me, they think of that kick . . . hopefully [now] they’ll remember me for this kick.”
Penix-Jr connected on 74% of his passes for 408 yards 2 TD’s and that one interception, while on the ground the Huskies rushed 22 times for 114 yards and a touchdown a piece by Senior RB Wayne Taulalpapa and Sophomore RB Cameron Davis. All the rest of the scoring came on the foot of Peyton Henry who kicked three field goals and four extra points. For Oregon, QB Bo Nix was equally accurate going 19-of-27 for 280 yards, 2 TD’s and no interceptions as well as rushing nine times for 59 yards and another score. Sophomore RB’s Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington shouldered most of the load for the Ducks on the ground while collectively rushing 39 times for 251 of Oregon’s 312 yards and the other rushing TD. Oregon led on paper ahead 32-to-23 in 1st Downs, 592 Total Yards of Offense against 522 yards; 312 yards of rushing compared to 114; and nine extra minutes time-of-possession—but ultimately trailed on the scoreboard.
Washington might be able to rest some of their starters next week in preparation for the Apple Cup as they go back home to host Colorado while Oregon gets to stay home but faces their second very dangerous opponent in a row in Utah. USC currently leads the PAC-12 with a conference record of 7-1. With UCLA’s shocking loss this weekend to Arizona the Ducks and Utah are sitting 2nd and 3rd. A win by the Utes would move them ahead of Oregon and in position to play for the PAC-12 Conference Championship.