Washington really seems to like the confines of Husky Stadium. The offense was firing on all cylinders once again, and behind the support of the usual suspects, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze, the Huskies ended their losing streak at two games, defeating the Arizona Wildcats 49-39.
In the victory, Penix surpassed Cody Pickett, setting a new school record with 516 yards passing and four touchdowns, while adding a score on the ground. That yardage mark vaulted him back up to first nationally in passing yards, and it has been a long time since the Huskies had a quarterback of Peinx’s caliber running the show.
“The thing I focus on is what I can do to help the team win,” Penix said after his record-setting performance. “I just want to continue to push myself and push my teammates to be great each and every day. Those things happen whenever you win, you’re doing the right things, you execute the right way, and have great preparation.”
Odunze also became the first Husky to go over 100 yards in four straight games, and he finished his day with nine catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The third-year sophomore has been one of the best receivers in the conference in 2022, and head coach Kalen DeBoer called him a “unique talent” following the game, because of his size, strength, and route running ability.
“It’s a credit to all the guys from the o-line blocking their guys to the other receivers running their route that helped me get there,” Odunze said of his record. “We preach that execution and for me to go out there and do that is an honor.”
One of the big surprises on the day was running back Sam Adams II, who saw a lot of action, and scored his first career touchdown. He recorded six carries for 20 yards, and also added two catches for 14 yards, and his eight touches tied him for third on the day.
“Sam’s just been right there,” DeBoer said following the game. “He’s been chomping at the bit, and he worked really hard to get to this point. I love the way he carries himself and he shows up and gets to work every day… it’s really exciting to think about the potential of our offense because when guys like that are giving us production, we have a lot of things we can do.”
While the defense still showed that there are massive flaws that can be exploited, they showed up when it mattered, recording a sack of Jayden de Laura on Arizona’s final drive. de Laura threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns, and freshman receiver Tetairoa McMillan asserted himself with seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Arizona’s offense put up 526 yards of offense, and while neither team committed a turnover, Washington was finally able to record three sacks, after not hitting home in either of their previous two losses.
On October 22nd, the Huskies will head to Cal to take on the Golden Bears, and they should have an opportunity to fix some things in their secondary. DeBoer called their matchup with Arizona a “unique challenge” but Cal’s passing offense is one of the worst in the Pac-12, averaging just under 251 yards per game.
