Basically tells us to get ready for these guys to go pro. My fear is that we fix the defense and then I still have to watch Dylon Morris and a shitty offense bring the season down. The fact that Morris' popgun arm is still the backup leaves me no hope at all that Huard is the savior. So, if Penix doesn't stick around, and we don't bring someone like him in, we again have the Dylon Morris show to look forward to, and no matter how much better the defense gets, we won't go bowling.
Appreciate them while you can, Husky fans.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze produced a pair of record-setting performances Saturday, lifting the Huskies to a 49-39 homecoming victory over Arizona. Penix — a redshirt junior and Indiana transfer — completed 36 of 44 passes (81.8%) and threw for 516 yards, obliterating Cody Pickett’s single-game record (455 yards in 2001). The 6-foot-3, 213-pounder accounted for five touchdowns, four through the air and one on the ground.
Penix’s 516 passing yards, by the way, are the most in college football against any FBS defense this season.
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When it was over, Odunze said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that in person, seeing someone be so dialed (in). It just goes to show how much of a talent Mike is and how much he puts into the game and prepares for the game. The hard work he puts in is paying off, and I’m sure he’ll continue to do that.”
Odunze, too, made Husky history — becoming the first UW player to produce 100-plus receiving yards in four consecutive games. Mario Bailey didn’t do it. Reggie Williams didn’t do it. Jaydon Mickens, Jermaine Kearse, John Ross and Dante Pettis didn’t do it.
Odunze did it — again. The 6-3, 201-pound sophomore piled up nine catches, 169 receiving yards and two touchdowns (from 45 and 48 yards out). The Las Vegas product has amassed 33 catches, 561 receiving yards, 17 yards per reception and five touchdowns in his past four games.
https://twitter.com/UW_Football/status/ ... 1840177154
Indeed, this was not an outlier against a dreadful Arizona pass defense. Penix currently leads the country in both total passing yards (2,560) and pass yards per game (365.7), while ranking fifth in passing touchdowns (20), fifth in completions of 20 yards or more (35), seventh in pass attempts per game (41.1), 19th in pass efficiency rating (162.17) and 22nd in yards per pass attempt (8.9).
But let’s dive deeper. Assuming he starts 13 games this fall, Penix is on pace to surpass Pickett’s season passing record (4,458 yards in 2002) by more than 300 yards … despite attempting 78 fewer passes. He’s on a second-place pace in completions, touchdown passes and pass efficiency rating as well.
Odunze, too, is trending toward setting a school record for receiving yards per game (his 115.5 would top Reggie Williams’ 111.8 in 2002), while ranking second in catches per game (Williams’ 7.4 in 2003) and receiving yards (Williams’ 1,454 in 2002).
For a program that has not produced a 1,000-yard receiver since John Ross in 2016, both Odunze and Jalen McMillan could accomplish that feat this fall.
The conclusion? UW’s pass game is clicking at a near-unprecedented level.
Now, we need to notice.
Because it would be easy, admittedly, to watch these performances and accept them as the norm — a ho-hum touchdown downpour from the pass-happy Huskies. It would also be easy to expect an indefinite passing parade, considering coach Kalen DeBoer is in his first season at UW and both Penix and Odunze have eligibility beyond this fall.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. makes a pass against Arizona during the second half on an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Seattle. Washington won 49-39. (John Froschauer / The Associated Press)
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. makes a pass against Arizona during the second half on an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Seattle. Washington won 49-39. (John Froschauer / The Associated Press)
But Penix’s injury history, for one, highlights the precariousness and difficulty of such consistent success. And with success comes individual opportunity. It would not be a surprise to see both Penix and Odunze declare for the NFL draft this winter, and it’s conceivable offensive coordinator and play-caller Ryan Grubb could be coveted as a head coach as well.
“It’s just execution, and coach Grubb,” Penix said, explaining the success Saturday. “Man, I say it all the time: he’s a wonderful OC. Every time I get the ball in my hands, I know I have an opportunity to do something great with it. He makes me feel real comfortable in the pocket and in the game, just based on the preparation leading up to it. He truly gets us ready. He gets the whole offense ready.”
The same cannot be said of UW’s pass defense — which ranks 10th in the Pac-12 in opponent yards per game (258.3) and completion percentage (64.7%), 11th in opponent pass efficiency rating (155.80) and last in passing touchdowns allowed (17) and opponent yards per pass attempt (8.4). UW also ranks 126th nationally in third-down defense (48.96% conversions).
This is a flawed, frustrating team — and the worst Washington defense in more than a decade. It’s a program that has to win in a particular way (by hoping Penix’s arm outlasts the opposing passer). It’s a roster with glaring needs and precious little depth at several spots.
But none of that should diminish what Penix and Odunze are doing.
The Huskies, after all, scored a total of 258 points in 2021.
They’ve scored 295 points in seven games this season.
That’s thanks, in part, to Penix and Odunze — who are producing two of the best offensive seasons in Husky history.
But be warned: their excellence is not indefinite. At some point — whether it’s next month or next year — this pair will stop producing highlight touchdowns. The fun won’t last forever.
That’s all the more reason, then, to savor these Saturdays. Because soon enough, Penix and Odunze will reside in the record books, rather than Husky Stadium. It’ll be on to the NFL.
For now, though, something special is happening in Seattle.
Mike Vorel: mvorel@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @MikeVorel. Mike Vorel is the UW football beat writer for The Seattle Times.
