When CBSSports.com’s Chris Trapasso responded to ESPN’s Todd McShay’s claim that there are a “clear-cut top-3 QBs in 2023 class” Trapasso threw Washington quarterback Michael Penix’s name into the national conversation of signal-callers on the rise throughout the first month of the football season.  On the way there he inadvertently threw a bit of shade on the new Husky offense, saying that it’s “a little gimmicky”.  As much as the comment about Penix is welcomed as much as the under-handed dig pertaining to Washington’s offense shows that he’s not watched the Huskies play.

But it’s not even his fault that he’s ill-informed.  By the time Washington had its 4th sack of the first half on Stanford’s Tanner McGee, the midnight hour was close at hand in Western New York, as his location says on his Twitter profile.  He probably had his pajamas on and was headed to bed.

Of course, Trapasso was actually defending Penix, meaning no slap at DeBoer’s offense, but the tweet illustrated the problem with Pac-12 After Dark.  While it’s after dark out West, back East it’s the next day.  Analysts have been left to assume that in order for Washington to rebound from a 4-8 season there had to be a gimmick, there had to be a catch.  And there was–lots of them.  92 of them in fact, 12 of which went for TDs.

How can a guy, that’s thrown for 345, 337, 397, and 309 yards in essentially the first three periods of games before DeBoer throttled down, fly under the radar?  Because he’s been flying at night.  Two games started at 10:30 in the East and one started at 7:30.  The one game that started at a decent time for those in the East Coast Bias region was the game against FCS Portland State.

Because those games were going on into the night they missed out on Penix’s 1,388 passing yards that leads the nation (just ahead of Mike Leach’s gimmicky Air Raid offense at Mississippi State).  He leads the nation in shots downfield.  He leads the conference with a quarterback rating of 172.2.  8th in the country with 12 passing TDs.

This is Penix to Rome, no gimmick.

And he’s only thrown one interception.

It hasn’t happened by accident.  The Huskies stockpiled NFL-type receivers before DeBoer stepped at Montlake:

–4-star Giles Jackson 5 foot 9, 185 pounds

–4-star Rome Odunze 6-3, 201

–3-star Ja’Lynn Polk 6-2, 199

–4-star Lonyatta Alexander 6-1, 200

–4-star Jalen McMillan 6-1, 186

–3-star Denzel Boston 6-3, 193

–4-star Jabez Tinae 6-0, 189

What led to Jimmy Lake’s firing wasn’t the sideline incident, that was the exclamation point.  The issue was a roster replete with talented receivers that could only muster 21 points because it chose to “run the damn ball”.  This is the offensive capability that was stymied by an ineffective scheme in 2021 not by an empty cupboard.

Penix has brought with him some big energy to Washington’s offensive scheme.

He continually throws touch passes to spots where his receivers are the only ones with the ability to catch the ball.  If not for several drops the numbers would be even gaudier.

Trapasso was responding to McShay he noted that “Talking to NFL scouts, these QB’s are rising fast: BYU Jaren Hall, UT Hendon Hooker and Fresno St Jake Haener”…which further illustrates how far off the East Coast is because Haener was carted off of the field 10 days ago against USC and will miss this week’s game for Fresno State.

Let’s no longer call it an “East Coast Bias” when it’s actually “West Coast Barriers”.  It’s something that the conference has erected as it seeks to keep any game on TV into the wee hours of Saturday night/Sunday morning.  It’s a long day for someone Trapasso and other reporters who the 80-something percent of the teams east of the Rockey Mountains beginning at 6 AM.

No wonder USC and UCLA are jumping ship.

Had Trapasso been awake, (and I really can’t blame him for not staying up to watch the entire game) he’s have seen how two of the conference’s highest-rated tackles have kept Penix upright the entire season, giving the Indiana-transfer time to shred defenses with ample time in the pocket.  He’d have seen an offense showcase that seemed to score at will against its first 4 opponents.

Gimmicky doesn’t lead the nation in shots downfield with 4 different receivers with over 100 yards receiving in the first 4 games.  The Washington offense simply has too many playmakers for most teams to cover all of the time.  Sure, a team can cover up Odunze with two defensive backs for a portion of the game but then what do they do about McMillan, Polk, and Jackson.  And if they do tight ends Jack Westover or Devin Culp pop open.

Keeping Penix upright are two of the conference’s best tackles, Roger Rosengarten protecting the left-hander’s blind side and Troy Fautanu at left tackle.

So, the powers that be again put the Huskies on at 10:30 on the East Coast on a Friday night in Los Angeles when the analysts are sawing logs so that they can get up early for the games that start early the next day.  Who can blame them?  Not me.

Sure, win and it all works out but some recognition for the culture change and the hard work that these kids put in would be nice, they’ve earned it.

No need to call it gimmicky.