HOUSTON – Michael Penix Jr. couldn’t complete the final chapter in his storybook season Monday night.
The quarterback with two surgically-repaired knees threw for 255 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions as No. 2 Washington fell to top-ranked Michigan 34-13 in the College Football Playoff championship game.
Penix returned for a sixth season to try and help the Huskies to a title, but his performance wasn’t enough to overcome a terrible start by his team’s defense.
Washington (14-1) was obliterated by Michigan (15-0) for 174 yards rushing and 229 total yards in the first quarter as the Huskies fell behind 14-3.
They tightened things up after that, and Penix got Washington within a touchdown on a 3-yard TD pass late in the second quarter.
But Penix’s elite precision eluded him throughout. Renowned for his deep ball accuracy, he missed narrowly on several downfield passes.
An interception on the first play of the second half cost Washington momentum, and he couldn’t get his team in the end zone after halftime to snap Washington’s 21-game winning streak.
After suffering injury after injury during his four years at Indiana, Penix played two seasons at Washington without any major injuries to lead the nation in yards passing this season and finish second in Heisman Trophy voting to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. He tore his ACL in 2018 and 2020 and had shoulder injuries in both 2019 and 2021.
Penix took a beating in his college finale. After the game, he limped in the tunnel back toward Washington’s locker room, a towel covering his face and his right arm protecting his apparently tender side.
Penix will move on to the NFL and the Huskies will leave the Pac-12 for the new Big Ten this summer. Washington is one of 10 schools leaving the conference, and though it isn’t going away, the Pac-12’s days as a football power are almost certainly over.
The Huskies were down by 14 with about four minutes left when they went for it on fourth-and-13 from the Michigan 30. Penix overthrew his target and was intercepted by Mike Sainristil, and he returned it 81 yards. The Wolverines scored two plays later to make it 34-13 and end any possibility of a late rally.
Penix threw for 319 yards in the conference championship game to lead Washington to a 34-31 win over Oregon before his 430 yards passing and two touchdowns lifted the team to a 37-31 win over Texas to advance to the national title game.
But on college football’s biggest stage, he simply came up short.
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