Washington Huskies Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been lighting it up so far this season and his hot streak continued in the first half against Michigan State. Even when he makes a bad throw he's still succeeding out there, as he showed on a deflected pass turned touchdown in the first half against Michigan State.
Penix started the game completing eight of his first nine passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. Then he threw a questionable ball in the direction of Spartan's DB Jordan Hall. Hall batted the ball skyward, but that led the ball directly into the hands of the Huskies wideout Ja'Lynn Polk, who scampered into the end zone untouched.
When you’re Michael Penix Jr. you deserve all the lucky breaks.
Hell of a play by Ja’Lynn Polk pic.twitter.com/KvkprcjVsa
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 16, 2023
The throw that led to this touchdown pass might have been one of Penix's only bad decisions of the game so far, but as NBC play by play man Brendan Burke said "When you're hot, you're hot."
Michael Penix Jr. is on fire right now, and his stellar play could lead the Huskies back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2016. The rest of the Huskies offense looked primed to make a run as well with receivers Polk, Jalen McMillan, and Rome Odunze forming a deadly trio out wide. Those receivers, Penix, and the other Huskies skill players have already racked up over 850 yards and 8 touchdowns through the air this season.
Defenses in the Pac-12 and around the country shudder when they prepare for Penix and his laser arm. His stats last year were out of this world, throwing for over 4,500 yards and 31 touchdowns, and he might just be better this season. Still those stats were only good enough for Penix to finish eighth in the Heisman voting. A placing that both he and Washington Huskies fans everywhere were disappointed in. Penix's name is firmly inside the Heisman top five discussion already and if he keeps playing like this the award could be his to lose.