Field Level Media
Nov 18, 2023
Michael Penix Jr. threw two touchdown passes and Dillon Johnson rushed for 89 yards as No. 5 Washington survived a scare and edged No. 11 Oregon State 22-20 on Saturday night in Pac-12 play at Corvallis, Ore.
Rome Odunze caught seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskies (11-0, 8-0 Pac-12), who clinched a spot in next month's Pac-12 championship game. Penix was just 13-of-28 passing for a season-low 162 yards.
Though high-powered Washington won its 18th consecutive game, it had just 69 yards and three first downs in the second half. Overall, the Huskies had 272 yards, well below their average of 503.9 yards.
Damien Martinez rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns for Oregon State (8-3, 5-3). DJ Uiagalelei completed 15 of 31 passes for 166 yards and two interceptions for the Beavers, who gained 319 yards.
Oregon State trailed by 12 at halftime and cut into Washington's lead with a punishing 16-play, 78-yard drive that chewed up 9:56. Martinez capped it by scoring from the 5 to pull the Beavers within 22-17 with 1:29 left in the third quarter.
Atticus Sappington booted a 35-yard field goal with 10:40 remaining to bring Oregon State within two.
The Beavers forced a punt and took over at their own 5-yard line with 7:55 remaining. Though Oregon State possessed the ball for 5:47, the Beavers didn't reach midfield and Uiagalelei's fourth-and-5 pass was incomplete and the Huskies took over with 2:08 left.
Washington soon faced third-and-3 from the Oregon State 40 and Penix completed a 19-yard pass to Odunze with 1:52 left to wrap up the contest. Oregon State suffered just its second home loss in 18 games since the start of the 2021 season.
Penix and Odunze teamed up twice in the first half as Washington held a 22-10 lead at the break.
They combined for the game's first points on a 12-yard scoring play with 9:55 left in the first quarter. Oregon State knotted the score on Martinez's 3-yard run with 5:09 remaining.
The Huskies took a 9-7 lead late in the first quarter on a safety. Oregon State was punting from its own 40-yard line and the snap from Dylan Black sailed over the head of Josh Green. Once Green caught up to the ball in the end zone, he kicked it through the back to give Washington the two points.
Penix scored on a 5-yard run to give the Huskies a nine-point lead with 9:33 left in the first half. The Beavers cut their deficit to 16-10 on Sappington's 38-yard field goal with 4:57 remaining.
Penix connected with Odunze again, this time from 32 yards out, with 54 seconds to go in the half.
--Field Level Media