Heisman or not, Michael Penix Jr. cemented his legacy in the CFP semifinal
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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS — Michael Penix Jr. arrived in Seattle two years ago hoping to revive his career. He’ll leave as a Huskies legend.
On the biggest stage of his career, Penix turned in his greatest performance, completing 29 of 38 passes for 430 yards as Washington‘s offense mostly dumbfounded Texas in a 37-31 win in the Allstate Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff national championship game.
“[He made the] throws that we know he’s capable of,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said. “And with a good defense like we were facing in Texas today, he kind of resorted to all the tools that he has and the skill sets that make him special and make him, in my mind, the best player in college football.”
After finishing as the Heisman runner-up to LSU QB Jayden Daniels and leading the Huskies to the playoff, Penix had already secured a prominent place in UW lore, and now he has a chance to leave as perhaps the most revered figure in school history.
“I don’t know if you can transfer the Heisman Trophy or how that works, but man, he’s the best to do it in the nation, and I’ve known that for a long time,” said Washington receiver Rome Odunze, who finished with six catches for 125 yards. “Unfortunately, I feel like the media and everybody on the outside hasn’t paid close enough attention. He’s special and he’s fought through adversity, and here he is shining on the biggest stage.”
Against the Longhorns, Penix’s deep-ball accuracy and quick release were on display almost immediately. He hit Ja’Lynn Polk for a 77-yard strike on his first attempt of the game and, as he has all season, consistently found advantageous matchups the rest of the game.
When targeting the Huskies’ top three playmakers — Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Polk — Penix was 16-of-17 for 305 yards. Texas had no answer for the trio that made up arguably the most talented receiver corps in the country. Penix, who came into the game as the national leader in passing yards, eclipsed the 4,500-yard mark for the season to become the first FBS quarterback to achieve that in back-to-back seasons since Patrick Mahomes in 2015-16.
Penix was 7-of-10 for 257 yards when passing for 15-plus yards down the field and was also effective with his legs, running for 31 yards on three carries, picking up a pair of key first downs.
When Penix finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting, he shrugged it off, telling teammates he cared more the team success and what they still had to play for.
“As far as the Heisman thing, that’s over, man. It don’t matter,” Penix said. “Right now, man, we’re looking to win the national championship. That’s been my goal since Day 1.”
Those teammates, though, were less diplomatic about the result and viewed it as a slight toward the team as a whole.
“We were super disappointed,” Odunze said. “Honestly, that was probably one of the most disappointing things we’ve experienced in the season. Fortunately, no, we haven’t had a loss, so that was kind of our loss.”
In the two seasons that Penix has been with the program — coinciding with the arrival of coach Kalen DeBoer — the Huskies are 25-2 and own the longest winning streak in the FBS at 21 games. It’s a streak that hasn’t been without a number of close calls, with the win against Texas being no exception.
Washington wasn’t able to celebrate until Texas failed to connect in the end zone from 13 yards out on three straight plays to end the game.
A lot has been made about Washington’s curious status as a betting underdog in its past two games. First, against an Oregon team it had previously beaten. Then, Monday night, against a team that emerged from an inferior conference with a loss on its record. In both cases, not only did the Huskies keep their winning streak alive, they turned in convincing performances that left no doubt as to who was the better team.
“We’ve talked about it for sure,” UW linebacker Carson Bruener said. “Pac-12 championship, we were underdogs. We won the game. This game, we were underdogs, we won. I wouldn’t be surprised for the national championship if we’re going to be underdogs again.
“We’ll go out there and we use it as fire. We love it.”
Against top-ranked Michigan, which beat No. 4 Alabama in the other semifinal, the Huskies will, indeed, be underdogs again, as they opened as 4.5-point underdogs, according to ESPN BET.
In 1991, Washington’s path to the national title also went through Michigan. The Huskies beat the Wolverines 34-14 in the Rose Bowl to finish undefeated and ended the year ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll, while Miami was No. 1 in the AP poll. Washington and Michigan have played three times since, with Michigan owning a 3-1 advantage, including a 31-10 win in 2021.
The current Huskies are well versed on the ’91 team.
“We talk about the ’91 team all the time,” Odunze said. “They had a similar season to us in 1990, to our season last year. Didn’t quite make the national championship and then they had the slogan [in 1991], ‘Hungrier than ever.’ And that’s kind of been our mindset this year, and we’ve had that starving mindset to go and get it. We’re so close, but the job’s not done yet.”
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
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