Unbeknownst to the Washington Huskies, they got the better of their future head coach Jedd Fisch and the Arizona Wildcats 31-24 in a nail-biter on the road. After four straight blowout victories to open the season, Washington’s matchup with Arizona began a string of hotly contested games during the team’s run to the national championship.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was held without a touchdown pass, but threw for 360 yards even though he was missing wide receiver Jalen McMillan for the second straight week. Wide receiver Germie Bernard led the way for Washington’s pass catchers with 8 receptions for 98 yards, adding 5 carries for 12 yards and a touchdown in the best game of his brief UW career.
Bernard lined up all over the formation for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, taking handoffs as a running back and splitting out as a receiver. However, he also had a costly fumble on the goal line when Washington could have put the game away and taken a 38-17 lead in the fourth quarter.
Running back Dillon Johnson also had his best game of the season to this point, taking 16 carries for 91 yards and 2 scores as he continued to get comfortable in Washington’s offense. Running back Will Nixon also found the end zone, even though he took just 2 carries for 8 yards.
Wide receiver Rome Odunze was held to his lowest output of the season with just 5 receptions for 64 yards, and Washington’s top receiver also suffered a punctured lung and broken rib on the game-winning onside kick recovery in the fourth quarter.
Odunze’s running mate Ja’Lynn Polk was also held in check by Arizona’s defense, also managing 5 catches for just 41 yards. Safety Vincent Nunley also recorded the first inteception of his career, while Bralen Trice was able to hit home for his first sack of the season after being held without one despite getting constant pressure over the team’s first four games.
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.