The Washington Huskies needed to sweat a little more than they wanted, but head coach Kalen DeBoer and his team held off Oregon for a 34-31 victory to claim the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Championship.
Washington controlled the entire first half by keeping the Oregon offense off the field. The Huskies held the ball for more than seven minutes on the opening drive that resulted in a field goal. The defense then forced an immediate three-and-out from the Ducks, and the Huskies ate up another three-and-a-half minutes of clock with a touchdown drive to go up 10-0.
Oregon finally got on the board midway through the second quarter with a field goal, but Washington responded with another touchdown and another field goal to build the lead up to 20-3 in the closing minutes of the first half.
Washington quarterback and Heisman contender Michael Penix Jr. tried to make as much of a statement as he could in the last 60 minutes of his case. He connected on 17 of his 23 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown in the opening half, including a 45-yard bomb to Jalen McMillan under pressure to set up the second touchdown.
Oregon wouldn’t let the game get away easily, however. The Ducks scored a touchdown in the last minute of the first half, a frantic seven-play, 75-yard trip to the end zone to cut the lead to 20-10.
The Ducks found the end zone twice more in the third quarter to take a 24-20 lead, the Washington offense seeming to stall at the worst time. As he has all season, however, Penix came through when the moment demanded it. He led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to put the Huskies back in front.
Later in the fourth quarter, more infliction points arrived for the Huskies quarterback. With Washington still ahead by three points, he faced a third and goal against an Oregon team desperate to keep it a one-score game. Instead, he scrambled to his right and found tight end Quentin Moore for a touchdown to make it 34-24 in the final two minutes.
The Ducks again threw a desperate punch, this time a 63-yard catch-and-run from wide receiver Traeshon Holden on the second play of the ensuing drive, but Penix linked up with McMillan again for a crucial third-down conversion on the final drive to effectively end the game.
Washington, who came into the game No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, ends the 2023 season 13-0 with the Pac-12 title on its resume. The Huskies effectively clinched a College Football Playoff appearance and will await its seeding and opponent on Selection Sunday. The performance also vaults Penix further into the forefront of Heisman Trophy conversations, although a second loss for Oregon quarterback Bo Nix likely hands the lead to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.