The Washington Huskies defeated Texas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Monday night to earn their place in the national championship game alongside Michigan.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the Heisman Trophy runner-up and Maxwell Award winner, showed out the entire game. He completed 29 of 38 passes for 430 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and six different Huskies receivers had a catch of 10 yards or longer. The star quarterback completed his first 11 passes of the second half to help build a two-score lead that Washington eventually needed every inch of.
An onside kick recovery late in the game seemed to seal the final score at 37-31 in Washington’s favor, but an injury to running back Dillon Johnson stopped the clock on third down. After a penalty on the ensuing punt and a 41-yard pass from Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers to Jordan Whittington, the Longhorns were just 12 yards from a miraculous game-winning touchdown.
Instead, Washington defensive back Elijah Jackson swatted away the fourth-down pass in the defensive play of the game to ensure there would be no comeback, and the celebration was on.
Here are the best photos from Washington’s victory.