It seemed like the Washington Huskies were on track for an appearance in the Rose Bowl following a 13-0 season, but the College Football Playoff committee sent them to New Orleans for a matchup with the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl.
After beating coach Steve Sarkisian in the Alamo Bowl to end the 2022 season, the two teams got a rematch with much bigger stakes on the line, a trip to the national championship.
Michael Penix Jr. understood that.
After finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting just two weeks earlier, Washington’s superstar quarterback set out to prove that not only did he deserve the award, but that he would stop at nothing to get his team to the national championship. And inside the Caesar’s Superdome, he was nearly perfect.
His first completion of the day went for 77 yards to Ja’Lynn Polk in what became a legendary shootout that saw the two teams combine for 1,030 yards. Penix was surgical, completing 29 of his 38 passes for 430 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 31 yards on the ground.
As he usually did, Rome Odunze led the Huskies in receiving yards, pulling in 6 catches for 125 yards with Polk close behind thanks to 5 receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Jalen McMillan also added 58 yards and a touchdown, and running back Dillon Johnson found the end zone twice despite being held to 49 yards. It was a tough day for Johnson, who was dealing with the difficult combination of Texas’ stout run defense and the lingering effects of a fractured right foot that he suffered against Oregon State in late November.
Defensively, Bralen Trice continued to wreak havoc after being named to the AP’s All-America third team. He tallied 2 sacks of quarterback Quinn Ewers, 8 pressures, and a forced fumble. The defense recovered 2 fumbles on the day and as it had all season long, came up in the biggest moment.
Following a fair catch interference penalty on long snapper Jaden Green, the Longhorns drove 56 yards in the game’s final 40 seconds before Ewers looked for wide receiver Adonai Mitchell in the end zone and cornerback Elijah Jackson timed his jump perfectly to bat the pass away and send the Huskies to the national championship.
As we look back through Washington’s magical run to the national championship in 2023, enjoy some of the best photos of the journey from our USA TODAY network of photographers.