Boise State was supposed to be Washington’s first big test but the Huskies dismantled the Broncos 56-19. Then a trip into East Lansing, Michigan to take on the Spartans was supposed to present the UW with the biggest test, but Husky quarterback Michael Penix dispatched the Spartans’ student section by halftime.
A culture clash between Cal and UW the following week, facing a Justin Wilcox defense was the next challenge that wasn’t a true test, followed by a daunting desert trip as the Huskies faced an Arizona Wildcat team, pulling out a 31-24 victory.
It wasn’t until week 6 that the Huskies found themselves in a hole needing to punch their way out, doing just that very thing, running their record to 6-0. Trailing 33-29,
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura had this to say:
“The Huskies passed their first big test of the season with a 36-33 win against Oregon, as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. strengthened his Heisman Trophy résumé. The sixth-year left completed 22 of 37 passes for 302 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown pass with less than two minutes to play. The Huskies enter what should be a manageable two-game stretch against Arizona State and Stanford before finishing the year with four teams that entered this week ranked in the AP Top 25. After going mostly unchallenged to this point, the win was a valuable test headed into the second half of the season.”
With that the ESPN brain trust moved the Washington Huskies up to 3rd in their Week 7 College Football Power Rankings behind only the Georgia Bulldogs and the Michigan Wolverines.
Next up for Washington is a home date with the Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday at 7:30 on Fox Sports 1.
Photo Credit: @_ajaythegreat
