The Washington Huskies escape their final conference game in the state of Arizona, 31-24. The desert has been a house of horrors for this program since the two schools entered the conference. While Washington has a winning record against the Wildcats the matchups in Tucson have consistently been tough.  In fact, in 2016 when the Huskies made the playoffs, they also had a 7-point victory in Tucson. 

The game plan was clear for the Wildcats, don’t let Michael Penix beat you deep. Washington was efficient all night taking what the defense gave but had little going down field.  Here are our offensive grades from Saturday night.

Quarterback

Michael Penix was very good for most of the game. He completed 79-percent of his throws and tallied 363 yards. He did not throw a touchdown in a game for the first time since his last trip down to the desert a year ago in the loss to Arizona State. While he was good at taking what the defense gave him he was off on a few throws in the 4th that could have kept the game a 14-point lead. 

Grade: B

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Running Back

Dillion Johnson and the running game saved the Huskies. Johnson was excellent running the ball. He made tacklers miss and finished runs with violent intentions. Will Nixon was all effective with his opportunities. The running game was responsible for all four of Washington’s touchdowns and consistently kept the chains moving. 

Grade: A

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Receivers

This was a quiet game from the deepest group in the program. Jalen McMillan’s absence was felt in this game. He is a master in the intermediate level of the defense. His unique speed would have helped with the deep game that was non-existent. The position group made plays but wasn’t to the level we are used to. While Germie Bernard ended the day with 110 total yards and a rushing touchdown he did have a drop in the red zone followed by a lost fumble.

However, the receiver’s commitment to blocking was evident throughout the game as is evidenced by 65-percent of the 363 passing yards coming after the catch.

Grade: B-

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Tight End

Devin Culp had the most impressive catch of his Husky career.  In the red zone in 3rd and long Culp out jumped and held onto the ball with his helmet. That conversion set up another touchdown for the Huskies. Josh Cuevas had the longest reception of the night on a 57 yard catch and run down the sideline. Without those two plays, this game looks a lot different. 

Grade: A

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Offensive Line

At times in this game the O-line looked fantastic. They were out in the open field blocking in the second level and giving Michael Penix all the time he needed. At other times they struggled against the Arizona oss rush and were undisciplined and were flagged for holding. Michael Penix was sacked twice and harassed more than usual.

Grade: C