It’s tough playing in Corvallis and many folks felt Washington would get beat in this one, but the Huskies were able to squeak by Oregon State 22-20 and as a result locked down their ticket to the PAC-12 Conference Championship Game on Friday, December 1st at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. They were up 9-to-7 at the end of the 1st Qtr and extended that lead to 22-10 by the half. But with the tough Oregon State defense holding them scoreless in the 2nd half it was a nail biter all the way down to the last two minutes of the game. Sitting 4th and 5 at their own 47 yard line and trailing 22-20 Oregon State’s QB DJ Uiagalelei’s pass fell incomplete and Washington took over and ran out the clock.
Both teams scored TD’s on their first possessions of the game on 10 play drives under five minutes with Washington drawing first blood on a Michael Penix-Jr 12 yard TD pass to his favorite target Rome Odunze while the Beaver QB handed it off to the PAC-12’s leading rusher, Damien Martinez, who took it in from three yards out. At that point it looked as though it could be a high scoring back-and-forth affair but it didn’t take long for the defenses to exert their will aided by the constant down pour of rain. The Huskies would go up 9-7 with a little more than a minute left in the first quarter on a safety picked up in the end zone after the Beaver long snapper sent one over the head of their punter.
The next four possessions combined resulted in back-to-back punts and back-to-back fumbles. Fortunately for the Huskies, Oregon State’s fumble was at the end of a completed pass at their own 19 yard line which resulted with Michael Penix-Jr in the end zone three plays later on a five yard QB keeper to go up 16-7. The Beavers would close to within six on an Atticus Sappington 38 yard field goal just eight plays later to make it 16-to-10. Washington would follow right up with another Penix-Jr to Odunze TD pass to make it 22-10 at the break.
Having deferred to start the game, Oregon State had a great chance to make it a five point game but instead had a pass intercepted at their own 32 yard line. But with one of the nation’s leading defenses digging in, the Huskies were unable to capitalize and ended up missing a 39 yard field goal. Oregon State would reward their defense by finally closing that gap on their next possession, a 16 play 78 yard drive followed by another Damien Martinez scamper into the end zone to make it 22-17 with less than two minutes left in the third quarter. After holding the Huskies to a three-and-out the Beavers would make that score even tighter on another Atticus Sappington field goal, this one from 35 yards out, and had a chance to win this one after forcing Washington to punt on their next possession. But at the end of an 11 play 42 yard drive got stopped on a 4th and 5 from their own 47 yard line with just two minutes left. It just took two Dillon Johnson runs and one Michael Penix-Jr pass to get a 1st down and burn enough time off the clock where Penix could take three knees and run the clock out. Another close one for the Huskies, their fourth one possession win this season.
Up next for both teams are their in-state rivalry games. The Huskies will play host to Washington State in the Apple Cup while Oregon State will travel to Eugene to take on the Ducks.