2023 Week 13: UW Football - WSU Cougs

[Michael K.]

And one of those misses bounced off the lineman's face.

[Michael K.]

It said Husky fans, which I am one. Yeah, coming from a fan who's team has lost 11 of 13? In a tie game? Yeah, I thought I was pathetic.

What ever. I find it funny one guy can rip on a fan base, but the guy that responds is the issue. But, don't really give a fuck either.

12 of 14, I guess I should just leave it at that. Let Coug fans post dumb ass memes.

Let them.

What can be done about it?

If you don't like it, don't read it or FOE them.

Gotcha, so I should ignore what is typed, but no one should ignore if I respond. Jesus this place.

[D-train]

Former Times columnist Jerry Brewer went to the game and wrote this for his current employer.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2 ... ndefeated/

[Fungo]

Former Times columnist Jerry Brewer went to the game and wrote this for his current employer.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2 ... ndefeated/

Need to subscribe to see it.

[D-train]

Former Times columnist Jerry Brewer went to the game and wrote this for his current employer.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2 ... ndefeated/

Need to subscribe to see it.

Weird. I didn't have to.

[D-train]

SEATTLE — The blemishes are everywhere, except in the loss column. For the past two months of this college football season, the Washington Huskies have demonstrated flawed flawlessness, a most imperfect run to perfection. Their offensive strengths have diminished, and the national spotlight has laid bare their defensive weaknesses. They have been unable to blow out even meager opponents.

And how much does their inability to fashion style points matter? The number at the end of their record says it best.

Zero.

Their 12-0 seems more like 12-OMG because — oh, my God — every Huskies’ game causes heart palpitations. Still, there’s something sensational about the way they made history, finishing the last regular season of a Pac-12 conference that realignment sold for parts as the only team to go undefeated since the league expanded to a dozen members in 2011. Washington sealed the achievement as only it could Saturday, outlasting rival Washington State, 24-21, on a 42-yard field goal from Grady Gross as time expired.


With their celebrated offense hiccuping all afternoon, the Huskies weren’t impressive against Washington State, whose 4-0 start devolved into a 5-7 disappointment. But once again, they were indefatigable winners, relishing difficulty instead of expecting ease, piecing together timely defense, solid special teams and audacious play-calling despite their offensive regression.

“When you go 12-0 and a perfect season, I could go on and on about how that happens and how hard it is,” said Washington Coach Kalen DeBoer, whose team will play in a much-anticipated rematch against Oregon (11-1) in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday in Las Vegas. “We’re going to enjoy it here for a short time. … You do have to have a little bit of perspective for one second to take it in and understand the place and the history of the program and understand what 12-0 really took to get to.”

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On Saturday, it took perhaps the boldest decision of DeBoer’s coaching career. It took the ingenuity of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who installed a special play during the week and persisted through a bumpy game with that call in mind. It took a veteran squad that includes sixth-year senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Penix Jr. to execute it at the most critical moment.

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One minute and 15 seconds remained in the Apple Cup. The game was tied at 21, and the Huskies faced a fourth-and-1 situation at their own 29-yard line. At first, they lined up in a punt formation and tried to get Washington State to jump offsides. When that didn’t work, DeBoer called a timeout. The Huskies were going for it, even though failure would give the Cougars the ball on the edge of field goal range with ample time and opportunity to get closer.

“I think, way back, there’s been some risky plays,” DeBoer said when asked whether it was the riskiest decision of his career. “But I’d say it’s certainly up there given the moment, given the situation, given the field location, the time of game, all those things.”

To add to the drama, pass-happy Washington decided to run — but not just any run play. Penix was given an option call. He was asked to read the edge defender and decide whether to hand off the ball to running back Dillon Johnson or pitch it to wide receiver Rome Odunze, who was sprinting from the opposite direction.

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Penix noticed Washington State strong safety Jaden Hicks squeezing toward the middle of the line to stop Johnson, so he pulled the football away from the running back at the last second, turned his back to the defense and tossed the ball back to Odunze.

“It was just a lot of grass out there,” Penix recalled later.

Said Odunze: “It was a dream in front of me.”

Odunze, who had seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns, turned the fourth-and-1 play into a 23-yard gain. It will go down as one of the most memorable plays in the history of the Apple Cup, a rivalry series that will change dramatically next season when Washington joins the Big Ten. And Washington will fondly remember it as the play that helped preserve its first undefeated regular season since the 1991 Huskies won a share of the national championship.


“Man, what a play call,” Odunze marveled.

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Throughout the game, Grubb reminded the offense that it was setting up Washington State for the play. Penix remembered his coordinator saying multiple times, “That play is ready.”


That play epitomizes this Washington team. It remains ambitious, even when it doesn’t seem to have reason to be.

The Huskies haven’t moved the ball as freely the second half of the season. Jalen McMillan, another formidable receiver, has fought through injury. Sophomore Ja’Lynn Polk is suddenly dropping passes. Penix’s statistics the last six games have been subpar compared to his unstoppable performances early. Washington has become more balanced on offense, but it averaged just 3.4 yards per carry against Washington State’s shaky run defense on Saturday.

Nevertheless, the Huskies don’t get too frustrated to recover. Their offensive standard doesn’t imprison their spirit. They’re a big-play team that always trusts a big play is imminent. At the most critical moments, they don’t miss.


“It’s about not fearing the moment,” Odunze said. “We’ve done some explosive things, but it’s still about grinding, staying in the fight. We’re resilient. We try to go out with the mind-set that every single play we’re going to dominate.”


After Odunze’s run, Washington got into field goal range, with the help of a questionable 15-yard roughing penalty. Odunze also leaped to break up a pass that could’ve been intercepted before Gross hit the game-winning field goal.

Washington needed every contribution, big and small, to survive. It would be alarming for most elite teams if they needed to reach so deep to outlast a foe, even a rival, with a losing record. But similar to how TCU fought its way to the College Football Playoff last season, Washington keeps winning.

It’s difficult to sweep through nine conference games, and Washington just underlined, highlighted and wrote those words in bubble letters. After destroying California, 59-32, during their league opener in September, the Huskies didn’t separate from any of their last eight opponents. They have claimed just one double-digit victory in that stretch, and that was a 52-42 victory at Southern California, a game that was tied entering the fourth quarter.

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For certain, Washington failed the eye test of a national title contender in lackluster victories over Arizona State, Stanford and Washington State. But the Huskies won five games against the teams that finished Nos. 2-6 in the Pac-12, which may have been the strongest and deepest conference this season. Victories over Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah and USC — all within a two-month span — hold more value than blowing out bottom feeders.

“It’s special,” Penix said of going undefeated. “It’s not easy. It show’s this team’s character.”

This is what he came back to do. The Huskies went 11-2 last season in DeBoer’s first year, a remarkable turnaround after a 4-8 mark in 2021. But the team wanted more.

“We wanted to be great,” Penix said. “We wanted to be legendary.”

Surely, the Huskies didn’t want to take such a treacherous path to 12-0. They made it, however. As splendid as their record looks, it’s the substance behind it that carries the most significance.

[Fungo]

Thanks. I googled and found it without the subscribe requirement. I hope the get back whatever their offense lost because Oregon is going to score some points.

[D-train]

Thanks. I googled and found it without the subscribe requirement. I hope the get back whatever their offense lost because Oregon is going to score some points.

It is basically the same players on each team as when they played last time. Just different mindsets. No reason why we can't flush the struggles and beat them again. It will be tough to beat them but they aren't any better than they were back then.

[Michael K.]

Thanks. I googled and found it without the subscribe requirement. I hope the get back whatever their offense lost because Oregon is going to score some points.

I just added my email to read it. I’m sure I’ll receive some BS email from them about subscribing. I’ll just click unsubscribe.

[Fungo]

Thanks. I googled and found it without the subscribe requirement. I hope the get back whatever their offense lost because Oregon is going to score some points.

It is basically the same players on each team as when they played last time. Just different mindsets. No reason why we can't flush the struggles and beat them again. It will be tough to beat them but they aren't any better than they were back then.

Could be tough to "flush the struggles" over the next 4 days. Penix seems to have some kind of attitude problem he needs to work through before Friday. I do think our defense has improved some since our last meeting with the Ducks. Our running game has also improved but Johnson seems to be hurting now. I hope you are right and we are able to work through our recent problems.