Never a doubt, right?
The Huskies eeked by Cal, 28-21, in a game that had all the trapping of a #Pac12AfterDark special, including an F-bomb by Marshawn Lynch on national TV!
After the teams combined for six total points in the first half, the game transformed into a shootout and undoubtedly tested the nerves (and fingernail fortitude) of Husky fans.
But in the end, the Huskies left Berkeley with their first road win of the season, bowl eligibility in their back pocket and a bye week to recharge.
Here are three impressions from UW’s win over Cal.
Penix continues to shine
Michael Penix Jr. continues to make football look easy. While the Huskies leaned heavily on their rushing attack (32 rushes for 102 yards and a TD), when UW needed a play, they turned to Penix and his golden left arm to make it happen.
That was on display especially in the second half, as the Huskies started to let it fly. After Cal had applied pressure with two quick scores to even the game at 14, Penix went to work. He floated a pass over a linebacker for 17 yards into the arms of Jalen McMillan, rifled a bullet for 17 more to Giles Jackson in a tight window, then hit McMillan again for a 13-yard touchdown strike down the sideline. While the game was far from over, McMillan waved goodnight to the crowd. Perhaps he knew there would be no overcoming the dialed-in QB (though Cal almost made him pay for the gesture).
Penix finished the night with 374 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 71% completions. He also continued his historic passing season, becoming the first Husky to pass for 300 or more yards in eight consecutive games, surpassing Cody Pickett’s previous record of seven games.
The dude sure can sling it.
Missed opportunities
UW dominated Cal in almost every statistical category but the scoreboard in the first half. The Huskies could not finish any of their first three drives, despite moving the ball with ease. UW outgained Cal 245 to 83 in the first half, while gaining 14 first downs to Cal’s five and running nearly twice as many plays (47 to 24). Cal was forced to punt on each of its first-half possessions, while UW punted just once. And yet, UW went into the break with a mere 6-0 lead.
The half was marred by missed opportunities that let the home team stick around. Four drops — including three by running back Wayne Taulapapa — a big offensive pass-interference penalty on Cameron Davis and a rare missed 34-yard field goal by Peyton Henry kept UW from building a bigger advantage.
Cal inevitably capitalized quickly in the second half, rattling off a 70-yard touchdown drive to take the lead. It seemingly served as a wake-up call to the Huskies, who snatched control right back with a touchdown of their own and eventually hung on for the win.
Still, the Huskies can’t afford to leave points on the board against Pac-12 teams.
Defensive struggles continue
UW’s defense has — to put it mildly — been underwhelming this season. On Saturday night, the Huskies appeared hungry to beat up on an equally underwhelming Cal offense. And they started the game doing just that, holding the Bears to a meager 83 yards and zero points in the first half.
But the roles reversed after halftime, and Cal found its rhythm against UW’s shoddy secondary. QB Jack Plummer led Cal to 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a 48-yard bomb to J.Michael Sturdivant, who blew past UW corner Jordan Perryman for the score.
It wasn’t all bad, though. The Huskies did come up with five key sacks, including a timely sack by Zion Tupuala-Fetui that doused a potential game-time drive. Bralen Trice also had a big night, with a pair of sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.
And while the UW defense did just enough to avoid a crushing road loss, the Huskies didn’t force any turnovers and allowed Cal to hang around in a game that should’ve been easier than it ended up being.