With their 35-28 win over Utah in Alaska Airlines Husky Stadium this past Saturday, unbeaten Washington is on a collision course for a rematch with the Oregon Ducks in the PAC-12 Conference Championship on Friday, December 1st, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. After a three-and-out by both teams to start the game and a 2nd punt by Utah, Washington went on a 7 play, 77 yard, four minute drive—aided by a Utah Pass Interference Penalty—that ended up in the end zone on a 2 yard Michael Penix-Jr run to take a 7-0 lead with six minutes left in the 1st Qtr. Utah came back to tie it on their next possession on a run into the end zone by RB Ja’Quindon Jackson followed by a 41 yard Husky field goal to go up 10-7 at the end of the 1st Qtr. Both teams scored TD’s on each of their next five possessions which put the Utes up 28-to-24 at the break. But with the Washington defense stepping it up in the 2nd half and holding Utah scoreless while putting up a TD, a field goal and a safety, they were able to keep their unbeaten record intact and for only the second time in school history are sitting with a 10-0 record. Their remaining schedule includes a difficult game coming up this Saturday against Oregon State on the road in Corvallis and the Apple Cup at home against the Cougars. With the loss, Utah is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of a PAC-12 Conference Championship three-peat and hits the road for a game against an Arizona team that might turn out way better than I would have thought at the start of the season.
For the Huskies, QB Michael Penix-Jr connected on 24-of-42 for 332 yards and 2 TD’s as well as rushing 5 times for another score. Penix-Jr spread it out multiple times to six different receivers with Junior WR Rome Odunze picking up 111 of the yards and both of the TD’s. On the ground it was Junior RB Dillon Johnson leading the way for Washington while rushing 23 times for 104 of the 125 yard total as well as the other TD. For Utah, Bryson Barnes was 17-of-30 for 267 yards, 2 picks, and 2 TD’s—one to Sophomore Safety Sione Vaki and the other to Junior TE Miki Suguturaga—with Junior WR Devaughn Vale picking up the lion’s share of the yards—145—on just five receptions, a 29 yard per catch average. On the ground Barnes combined with Sophomore RB’s Jaylon Glover and Ja’Quindon Jackson for 105 of their 115 total yards with Jackson picking up both rushing TD’s. Washington out-paced Utah in 1st Downs, 26-to-17; total yards of offense, 457-to-382, and time-of-possession with 10 extra minutes. Both teams got in their own way with a combined 19 penalties for 197 yards.
My dad was a huge basketball fan and I remember as a kid sitting on a yellow stool in the kitchen with my father listening to the radio as Chick Hearn called those Laker basketball games as they went left to right across the radio dial as Chick used to say. My dad wasn’t a Laker fan but he was a big fan of Jerry West. It came to mind watching this game because the reason my dad was a Jerry West fan was because he admired West for coming to work day-after-day, keeping his head down, doing his job, and keeping his mouth shut. Jerry wasn’t in for crying and whining to the referees about bad calls or celebrating his own accomplishments even at the end of a game they won, and certainly not during a game. Washington could have had a little more cushion in this one if not for a premature celebration that took place at the end of the 3rd Qtr with the Huskies up by just five points, 33-28. The AP, in their recap for ESPN describes it as follows: “Washington took a 33-28 lead on Penix’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Odunze in the third quarter and appeared on the verge of extending the lead only to see linebacker Alphonso Tuputalo return an interception 76 yards but dropping the ball at the 1-yard line as he was going into the end zone and while he celebrated with teammates, Utah offensive lineman Michael Mokofisi jumped on the loose ball giving the Utes possession.” As Washington head coach Karen DeBoer said afterwards; “It’s a great lesson to learn from. Fortunately, we win the football game so we can learn from that.” Can’t afford that one again going forward.