Washington clinches Pac-12 title game berth
Michael Penix Jr. threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and No. 5 Washington remained undefeated and clinched a spot in the Pac12 championship game with a 22-20 victory over No. 10 Oregon State on Saturday.
Played in a nearly constant rain, it was the final Pac-12 game at Reser Stadium
as the conference currently stands. The Pac12 collapsed over the summer, leaving Oregon State and Washington State as the lone remaining teams.
Rome Odunze caught seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskies (11-0, 8-0, No. 5 CFP), who have won 18 straight games. Washington is departing for the Big Ten next season, along with Oregon, USC and UCLA.
Penix completed 13 of 28 passes for 162 yards. He has thrown for 30 touchdowns this season.
Damien Martinez ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns for the No. 10 Beavers (8-3, 5-3, No. 11 CFP), who were effectively eliminated from a shot at the conference championship. The loss snapped a ninegame winning streak for Oregon State at Reser.
The Beavers closed
to within 22-20 on Atticus Sappington's 35-yard field goal with 10:40 left in the game. Washington was forced to punt on the next series, and Oregon State fell short when DJ Uiagalelei's fourth-and-5 pass to Jack Velling at midfield was incomplete.
The win kept Washington alone atop league standings in front of No. 6 Oregon, which also has national championship aspirations and defeated Arizona
State 49-13 earlier on Saturday. The Ducks have just one loss — to Washington earlier this season. The Beavers visit Oregon on Friday in Eugene.
On Washington's first series of the game, Penix hit Odunze with a 12-yard touchdown pass in a steady downpour at Reser. The Beavers answered with Damien Martinez's 3-yard TD scamper.
The Huskies went up 9-2 on a safety when Oregon State misplayed a punt with a bad snap that went over the head of the punter.
The wet and slippery conditions caused problems for both teams. Washington's Dillon Johnson gained of 42 yards to get to the Oregon State 9-yard line, but fumbled and the Beavers recovered. Then Anthony Gould fumbled a pass from DJ Uiagalelei and Washington recovered on the Oregon State 19. The Huskies went on to score on Penix's 5-yard keeper.