Michael Penix Jr. is fresh off the most prolific single-game passing output in Washington history, and he’ll aim to deliver another strong outing when the Huskies take on Cal on Saturday night in Pac-12 play in Berkeley, Calif.
Penix passed for 516 yards in last weekend’s 49-39 home win over Arizona to surpass the school mark of 455 set by Cody Pickett in 2001.
He has exceeded 300 passing yards in every game for Washington (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) and leads the nation with 2,560 passing yards. Penix has 20 touchdowns against four interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his attempts. He leads all of FBS in passing yards and is fifth in touchdowns through the air.
The transfer from Indiana had injury issues during his four seasons at the Big Ten school but is thriving in the Pacific Northwest.
“I feel like they were just bad luck,” Penix said of the injuries. “But for me, I just go out there and have fun. I can’t really worry about injuries.”
The contest against Arizona marked the fourth time Penix has thrown four touchdown passes in a game this season. He also rushed for a score.
“You put the ball in his hands and good things are happening,” Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer said. “It’s not just about the statistics. It’s about how he leads and how he’s so calm under pressure and keeps charging ahead.”
The victory over Arizona ended a two-game slide. Now Washington looks to beat the Golden Bears (3-3, 1-2) for the 11th time in the past 15 meetings.
Cal scored just 22 total points while losing back-to-back road games — 28-9 to Washington State on Oct. 1 and 20-13 to Colorado in overtime last Saturday.
Golden Bears coach Justin Wilcox was highly displeased with the performance against Colorado, which entered the contest with a 0-5 mark.
“You can’t win scoring one touchdown,” Wilcox said. “It is very hard to win at this level scoring one touchdown.”
Wilcox is hoping to spruce up the attack and said Tuesday that he brought Steve Greatwood out of retirement to serve as an offensive analyst.
Greatwood, 64, spent 38 of his 40 coaching seasons at the college level, finishing as offensive line coach of the Golden Bears from 2017-19 under Wilcox.
“An extra set of eyes, a person who’s universally respected, not only as an offensive line coach but as an offensive coach,” Wilcox said of the move.
Golden Bears quarterback Jack Plummer has passed for 1,509 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Jaydn Ott has rushed for 580 yards and five scores.
–Field Level Media
