Hey, before Washington quarterback, Michael Penix has fully secured his helmet to his head, Washington’s defense as special teams staked him to a 14-0 lead. Cal closed two within seven, 14 to 6, but then Washington went on. 31-6 burst to go into the half up 45-12.
Here are our takeaways from Washington’s 59 to 32 win over the Golden Bears:
Takeaway 1: #Penix4Heisman
The headline says it all. There is no reason Michael Penix is not the odds on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season. In less than three quarters against Cal the Huskies lefty gunslinger threw for 304 yards and 4 scores.
With Jalen McMillan sidelined for the game, Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk who led the way for Penix. Odunze continued his Biletnikoff campaign with 125 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. On the season he has 544 receiving yards on 27 receptions with 4 TDs.
Polk was the one to step into McMillan’s shoes and he did it well. Polk had a big game with some incredible grabs and a final stat line of 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Penix has made a Heisman campaign for himself—not only in Seattle but on the nationally.
Playing like this against Boise State and Tulsa is one thing, but if games against Power 5 opponents continue to end at half time then the country is in trouble.
Takeaway 2: Suddenly a Ballhawking Defense
This secondary has improved dramatically. They heard the criticism this off-season and have set out to change that narrative.
And they are.
After coming up with seven picks in last seasons 13 games the Huskies have matched that number in week four. Edefuan Ulufoshio had the first of 3 today as he took a pass off of Cal’s first drive 45 yards into the end zone to put the Huskies on the board first.
The sixth-year senior wasn’t alone in getting to the ball. Dominic Hampton had one deep in Bear territory after the pressure got to Ben Finley. Jabbar Muhammad would grab his first pick for the Huskies taking the ball back after Penix threw one of his own. Plus a good return fro Muhammad things could have been a lot worse for the Huskies.
Takeaway 3: Stockpile of Weapons
With Jalen McMillan missing from warmups it was fair to wonder how things would be handled. Things turned out alright. McMillan has been the Huskies primary punt returner and with him missing you had to wonder what would happen there. The answer answer was Rome Odunze.
Taking his first touch of the game 83 yard into the end zone to add on to the Husky lead.
No McMillan meant that the Huskies would need to find production from other outlets. Ja’Lynn Polk seemed to be the main beneficiary of the increased opportunity as he looked unguardable through the game.
While Polk and Odunze saw most of the action, when other players got involved they got involved.
Tybo Rogers, Germie Bernard, and Rashid Williams all had plays go for 18+ yards. This just highlights the dimensions that this Huskies offense offers themselves and opposing defenses.
Takeaway 4: It’s official—Washington Can Run the Damn Ball
We asked before the game if the Huskies were able to run the ball. Usually what Cal does best under Josh Wilcox is take away what a team is best at. That turned all eyes to Washington’s ground game to see if they could grind out yards against a petty good defensive front 7.
Turns out they can, as RealDawg’s Mike Martin noted in a tweet before the reserves took over near the end of the 3rd quarter:
”Washington’s two primary ball carriers are averaging 7 yards a carry:
Dillon Johnson 10 carries for 66 yards–6.6 per carry
Will Nixon 5 carries 39 yards–7.8 per carry”
This might be the sign the Huskies have needed. With a healthy Dillon Johnson the two-headed backfield appears prepared to tear into opposing teams if they focus to much on the star studded receiver group.
Takeaway 5: Defense Showed Some Holes
Maybe it was simply the fact that this game was never close but the secondary seemed to slip up at times. There were a couple occasions where Cal was able to string together good passing looks on intermediate and deep throws.
While the takeaways stole the show as they rightfully should it’s important that this group stays relentless as they will be asked to step up big time deeper into the season.
The pass rush also looked some what off-and-on. While the had some nice plays, and a handful of missed holes, they just weren’t quite getting the results they wanted. They have done well in previous games so I’m not worried. But with the quarterbacks in this conference getting pressure us going to be a big deal.
RealDawg.com will continue to its coverage of Washington’s 59-32 victory over California throughout the day.
