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Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is currently the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy and cemented that status by leading the Huskies to a win over Oregon on Saturday—a game where he apparently willed a comeback into existence by freestyling on the sidelines.
The quarterback initially enrolled at Indiana in 2018 but suffered multiple ACL tears before deciding to take his talents to the University of Washington at the end of 2021. He’s exuded some Big Penix Energy since making his debut with the Huskies, who finished with a stellar 11-2 record under first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer in 2022 and have been just as impressive over the course of the 2023 campaign.
Oregon and Washington were both undefeated when they faced off in Seattle on Sunday for the rivalry game that marked the biggest test either side had faced during the current season. Washington had the edge for the bulk of the contest but headed into the fourth quarter trailing by four before Penix pulled off a couple of clutch passes on a game-winning drive with less than two minutes to go.
The Ducks had the ball with 3:39 remaining in the game when the ABC broadcast cut to a shot of Penix on the sideline that appeared to show him freestyling on the bench while wide receiver Jalen McMillan served as his hype man.
https://twitter.com/Jyolteon/status/1714094797282250797
On Monday, McMillan shed some more light on that moment by replying to the clip in question and saying “bro literally was freestyling about us making the comeback..9 is insane yall.”
I think most people would agree with that assessment, as Penix is a major reason the Huskies are 6-0 on the year and head into their showdown with Arizona State ranked as the fifth-best team in the country—and he’s apparently enjoying himself even when the pressure is on.