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NEW ORLEANS — At this time a year ago, Washington receiver Rome Odunze‘s immediate future was unclear. After an incredible junior season in which he was named an All-American and was part of one of the best receiving corps in college football, the polished Las Vegas native would have been justified in calling his time at Washington a success and heading to the NFL.

It was tempting — here was his chance to opt into life-changing money and realize a longtime goal — but he wanted to be deliberate. As he weighed the decision in the month following the regular season, a clearer picture of what 2023 would look like emerged, starting with quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s pledge to return. Seven other key contributors followed suit.

“I was going over everything I could, calculating everything I could,” Odunze told ESPN. “Talking with my family, with my dad, who is heavily involved in that as well.”

But in the back of his mind, he kept returning to one thought.

“I’ll be coming back with Penix.”

On Jan. 12 last year, four days before the deadline for underclassmen to enter the NFL draft, Odunze went with his heart, announcing he would return to UW.

Helping UW to a third national title in school history is a goal Odunze has never shied away from. As a high school prospect, his commitment announcement on social media included the phrase #NattyOTW (national title on the way). In January 2022, when he decided to remain in Seattle after Kalen DeBoer was hired as the head coach, there it was again.

“My goals and aspirations remain the same! To win a national championship at the University of Washington,” he said in the post.

In no small part due to the performance of Odunze and UW’s other receivers, the Huskies are a win away from achieving what Odunze set out to do.


THERE’S A CERTAIN level of anonymity that comes with playing on the West Coast in a sport in which so much of the focus is on the teams and conferences that have dominated the playoff since its inception in 2014, namely, not the Pac-12. While that dynamic has been a source of frustration in the conference for years, it also made the ease with which Penix carved up Texas‘ secondary in the College Football Playoff semifinal last week even more satisfying for those who felt slighted.

“Because they always treat us as an underdog,” said receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. “Turn on the film, man, and nothing lies. Nothing lies.”

The film Michigan is scouring over in preparation for Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship game in Houston (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) will show that Penix completed 19 of 21 passes to his receivers — not including tight ends and running backs — for 353 yards and two touchdowns. On one of the biggest stages the sport has to offer, Washington’s receivers got separation like it was a summertime 7-on-7 drill. And when they didn’t, Penix’s pinpoint precision made sure it didn’t matter.

In the locker room after the game, Polk, who caught five passes for 122 yards, was asked if this was the most dialed in Penix has ever been.

“He’s like that 24/7, every day,” Polk said. “So that’s nothing new to us.”

But it’s not just Penix. The Huskies’ receiving corps has also been all-in since Ryan Grubb joined the program as the offensive coordinator.

Upon moving to Washington with DeBoer from Fresno State after the 2021 season, Grubb noted in his early roster evaluation how well Odunze, Polk and Jalen McMillan complemented each other. The production wasn’t there on a team that went 4-8, but, for Grubb, it was enticing to think about what it would be like calling plays with this diversity of talent.

For that to happen, he needed them to buy into his vision.

“Rome, J-Mac and J.P. all were in the transfer portal or talking about transferring basically in the first week I was here,” Grubb said. “It’s just me and Kalen. Nobody else is here yet [on the offensive staff]. So, my first 10 days, all I did was watch film with those three guys and try to convince them on the reasons to stay.”

Not only did Grubb’s visions for each player help retain them, but they have played out exactly how he told them they would over the past two seasons and, more specifically, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

To Odunze: “You’re the big stretch-the-field guy, but guess what? We also use you to run option routes and in between hooks this way. And then we’re also going to have a way, because you’re strong with the ball in your hands, to get you screens.”

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0:32

Rome Odunze makes over-the-shoulder grab for Washington

Michael Penix Jr. tosses the ball downfield to Rome Odunze, who makes an over-the-shoulder catch for Washington.

To Polk: “You’re the route runner, you’re the Z, you’re the pure route runner. You’re the guy running the great curls and banging in the windows, you’re getting outside fade balls.”

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1:02

Ja’Lynn Polk’s 77-yard catch sets up Washington TD

Michael Penix Jr. connects with Ja’Lynn Polk for a 77-yard gain, leading to a Dillon Johnson score for Washington.

To McMillan: “You’re the slot guy. You’re the separator.”

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0:38

Penix threads the needle to McMillan for Washington score

Michael Penix Jr. lasers a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan to give Washington the lead again.

The trio of receivers has been as good as any in the country this season. They have combined on 191 catches for 3,201 yards and 26 touchdowns, and all that’s left is a shot at the national title, exactly what Odunze has been eyeing his whole career.


MCMILLAN’S CONTRIBUTIONS IN the Pac-12 title game (9 catches, 131 yards) and semifinal (5 catches, 58 yards) have been a significant development since he was slowed — or unavailable — for weeks after suffering a knee injury against Michigan State in the third game of the season. Last season, he led the team with 79 catches and ranked second, behind Odunze, with 1,098 receiving yards.

His absence coincided with a period when the Huskies lost some of their explosiveness. They’ve averaged 433.4 passing yards in the six games in which he’s made at least one catch, but it has dropped to 307.8 passing yards in games in which he was either held without a catch or did not play.

Receiver Germie Bernard (34 catches, 419 yards), a transfer from Michigan, and tight end Jack Westover (41 catches, 391 yards) have also been reliable options in the passing game. Passes intended for both players — not just from Penix — have been completed at an 81.5% clip.

But through it all, Odunze has been the go-to guy. The Fred Biletnikoff Award finalist’s 1,553 receiving yards rank No. 2 in the country behind LSU‘s Malik Nabers (1,569) and are the third most in a single season in Pac-12 history. Currently No. 5 on ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board, he almost assuredly will be a first-round pick.

“I say this to everyone. Rome is a 10-year pro,” Grubb said earlier this year. “I just don’t mean he catches really well — he could probably run for president, too. Responsible, tough, smart, personable. He’s the guy.”

Nothing would go further toward proving his worth than a standout performance against Michigan.

The Wolverines have allowed just 10.2 points per game this season and they have more than twice as many interceptions (16) than touchdown passes allowed (7). Opposing quarterbacks have managed a dismal combined QBR of 28.4 — Penix’s is 85.7 — and only Ohio State‘s Kyle McCord and Maryland‘s Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 200 yards in a game.

For Washington, though, the approach remains the same as it did early in the year.

“I think the team just has a confidence and kind of a swagger about us that provided us to go out there and have a mentality that we’re not trying to prove anybody wrong at this point,” Odunze said. “We just continue to prove to ourselves that we are who we think we are.”

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Devils’ Nemec, scratched in G1, plays 2OT hero

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Devils' Nemec, scratched in G1, plays 2OT hero

NEWARK, N.J. — Simon Nemec hasn’t had an ideal start to his NHL career. But in Game 3 of the New Jersey Devils‘ Stanley Cup playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes, he finally had his career highlight.

The 21-year-old defenseman scored an unassisted goal at 2:36 of double overtime on Friday night to give the Devils a 3-2 win and new life, cutting the Hurricanes’ series lead to 2-1.

In the process, Nemec, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NHL draft, had the most impactful moment of his pro career with his first playoff goal.

“I was so happy,” he said. “Amazing feeling. It’s been a tough season for me, and that’s a really big win for us.”

A native of Slovakia, Nemec spent his first season after the draft in the American Hockey League. He split time between the AHL and the Devils in Year 2, thrust into action because of injuries to the New Jersey defense. He split time between the NHL and the minors again this season. Nemec has played 87 games in the NHL, with five goals and 18 assists while skating to a minus-17.

He was a frequent healthy scratch in New Jersey, including Game 1 on Sunday, and his lackluster play caused many to wonder if Nemec would live up to his lofty draft position. Nemec was last on the Devils in goals above replacement at minus-8.7, according to Evolving Hockey.

Thanks to injuries to defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon, Nemec was called upon in Game 2 against Carolina and was back in the lineup for Game 3, in which the Devils lost defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic to injury after just 10 shifts. That injury, plus the multiple overtimes, meant massive increases in ice time for veterans such as Brian Dumoulin (36:29) and Brett Pesce (32:25), as well as more responsibility for Nemec.

“You just need guys to step up at the right times,” Dumoulin said. “He knew he was going to be going out there, we’re going to be relying on him, and we needed him. You could see that he took that moment. He wasn’t scared of it, and he took the reins of it.”

Nemec said the overtime goal, which beat Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen (34 saves), was the kind of boost he needs in his career.

“Yeah, it helps me a lot,” he said. “I feel like my confidence is back the last couple games. I’m just trying to play my game and do this stuff. I have to play offense a little bit, too, so my confidence is higher, and I just feel good about myself.”

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe admitted that he dreamed about defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, who returned to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 4 and played 27:09, being the Game 3 hero.

“But if I was really thinking, I would have said, ‘Wouldn’t this be something if the young guy who just stepped up so big for us here, if he ended the game?'” Keefe said.

The message the coach gave his team in the overtime intermissions was one of aggressiveness. That apparently wasn’t lost on Nemec.

“We’ve got to go win this hockey game. We don’t want to sit back, we don’t want this game to go on forever,” Keefe said. “Credit Nemo with doing that. To have the mindset to do it, not just sitting back and conserving energy. He was on the front foot. You love to see it and love to see him get rewarded.”

Game 4 of the series will be Sunday afternoon in New Jersey.

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Follow live: Kings look to take 3-0 series lead vs. Oilers

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Hagel suspended for Game 3 due to hit on Barkov

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Hagel suspended for Game 3 due to hit on Barkov

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday night for what it labeled “an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent” that injured Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Hagel will miss Saturday’s Game 3 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers lead the series 2-0.

Around midway through the third period of Thursday’s Game 2, Tampa Bay was on the power play while trailing 1-0. Barkov pressured defenseman Ryan McDonagh deep in the Lightning zone. With the puck clearly past Barkov, Hagel lined him up for a huge hit that sent the Panthers captain to the ice and thumping off the end boards.

A penalty was whistled, and the officials conferred before calling a “five-minute penalty.” After review, Hagel was given a 5-minute major for interference. Barkov left the game with 10:09 remaining in regulation and did not return to the Panthers’ 2-0 win.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after the game that he didn’t expect Hagel to receive a major penalty for the hit.

“Refs make the call. I was a little surprised it was a five, but it was,” he said.

The NHL ruled that Hagel’s hit made “some head contact” on Barkov.

“It’s important to note that Barkov is never in possession of the puck on this play and is therefore not eligible to be checked in any manner,” the league said.

In the Friday hearing, held remotely, Hagel argued that he approached the play anticipating that Barkov would play the puck. But the Department of Player Safety said the onus was on Hagel to ensure that Barkov was eligible to be checked. It also determined that the hit had “sufficient force” for supplemental discipline.

It’s Hagel’s first suspension in 375 regular-season and 36 playoff games. He was fined for boarding Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen in May 2022.

The Panthers held an optional skate Friday. Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov “hasn’t been ruled out yet” but “hasn’t been cleared” for Game 3.

“He’s an irreplicable player,” Panthers defenseman Seth Jones said of Barkov. “One of the best centermen in the league. He’s super important to our team.”

The Lightning lose Hagel while they struggle to score in the series; they scored two goals in Game 1 and were shut out in Game 2. Tampa Bay was the highest-scoring team in the regular season (3.56), with Hagel contributing 35 goals and 55 assists in 82 games.

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