A Grip on Sports: The Huskies earn a berth in the national title game with a hang-on Sugar Bowl victory
A GRIP ON SPORTS • That was close. Closer than it needed to be. Closer than it should have been. And yet, after Monday night’s 37-31 Sugar Bowl win over Texas, the Washington Huskies are this close to a national title. As is the soon-to-be splintered Pac-12. What a way to start 2024.
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• There is a term Husky fans love to use in describing their rivals from across the Cascades. One we’ve made taboo in this space, mainly due to it become so ubiquitous as to be a cliché. But we would have used it today, or some form of it, if Washington had blown a seemingly un-blowable Sugar Bowl lead Monday night. The Huskies came oh-so-close to doing just that.
Everything they had worked for all season. Everything they have earned with close win after close win. Everything they had done correctly since Kalen DeBoer took over. They almost Husked-it all.
We could argue for days which is worse, the Huskies’ decision to pass the ball on third down in the final couple minutes, or the one to run Dillon Johnson inside on their next third down or the idiocy of an NCAA rule that actual rewards trying to hurt an opponent, but there would have been no arguing one truth. If Elijah Jackson had not risen up and knocked away the final Texas pass, the Longhorns would have rallied to win and it would have been the most fitting way imaginable for the Pac-12 to fade into nothingness.
A perfect ending for an imperfect conglomeration of schools that shot each other in the foot for years before finally limping off to perceived safe havens. As if anything is safe in college athletics these days.
Washington’s six-point lead with 2 minutes, 50 seconds left certainly wasn’t. Even with Texas down to a single time out and DeBoer’s team at the Longhorn 10, ready to take a two-score lead on a nearly sure-thing Grady Gross field goal. Run the ball and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is forced to use one of his two timeouts. Or burn 40 precious seconds.
But Ryan Grubb, the Huskies’ celebrated – rightfully – offensive coordinator, decides to go for a perceived knockout. He has Michael Penix Jr. pass. Usually a great decision – Penix was a remarkable 29-of-38 passing for 430 yards and two touchdowns – but here, fool’s gold. The seconds were more crucial more than the possible four points. His incompletion kills the clock. And keeps Texas alive.
The Longhorns get Gross’ three points back in 85 seconds, leaving them 69 to get the ball back and score a touchdown. And only that many because of the next Husked-up decision. Take three knees and Texas is still starting a touchdown-needing drive from inside their 20 with less the 20 seconds. Tough.
Instead, the Huskies try for a game-ending first down. Nothing wrong there. Aggressiveness is usually a good thing. But after two Johnson runs, and two UT timeouts, UW still needs 5 yards. Run or kneel? Might as well run again, right? Turns out, the risk/reward equation is more complicated than that. Johnson hit the center of the line. Goes down awkwardly. Hurts his foot or ankle or leg. Can’t move. Clock stops and then, for some silly reason, doesn’t start again until the ball is snapped. What?
There was no evidence any Texas player tried to hurt Johnson. But the rule sure rewards anyone who does. It was a running play. If Johnson had bounced up, 40 seconds runs off the game clock before the Huskies punt. Instead, the game clock stops with 50 seconds left. There is a 25-second play clock instead of 40 – an appropriate adjustment. But it was a running play. Why does the game clock not run when the ball is ready for play? It should. There is already the shorter play clock, ensuring no one would fake an injury. The clock rule makes no sense, especially in the area of player safety. Then again, sense and the NCAA are estranged these days.
The Longhorns almost took advantage of the extra seconds. They covered 56 of the needed 69 yards in nine plays – and 45 seconds. But they couldn’t get those final 13, thanks to Jackson. And the rest of the Washington defense that has helped preserve 10 wins by 10 points or less.
Monday night they did one more thing. The kept this UW team from Husking their national title hopes.
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WSU: We wrote a bit the other day about Cameron Ward’s NIL worth and how it seemed to be just getting more lucrative. But little did we know Ward had already decided to turn the offers down and bet on himself. The former Washington State quarterback is entering the NFL Draft. Greg Woods has this story on Ward’s decision, announced yesterday on social media. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, the Huskies’ win was covered from all different angles, from the Times’ stories in the S-R, to more in Puget Sound papers to national news outlets to just about anyone with a couple fingers and a machine to type with. As it should be. Penix was remarkable, the UW offensive line showed it deserved the Morris Trophy and the defense was relentless. The special teams? Only so-so. … That group also almost cost Michigan in its 27-20 overtime Rose Bowl win over Alabama. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines did everything they could to help Nick Saban’s team win but the Tide wasn’t up to the task. … There was one other Pac-12 bowl game, with Oregon showing it is much better than the best Group of Five school, if undefeated Liberty was that, winning an unexciting Fiesta Bowl 45-6. Bo Nix went out with a few records, one national, the others from the Oregon book. … Oregon and Oregon State lost players to the portal yesterday. That doesn’t stop, does it? … It was a good year for Arizona. … In basketball news, Jon Wilner ranks the Pac-12 schools, with Arizona still on top. … The Wildcats dropped to 10th in the A.P. poll after its loss to Stanford. … Colorado is improving, in part due to health. … Colorado’s women moved up to fifth after controlling Utah. … Arizona has a throwback to former stars on its roster.
Gonzaga: Despite having four losses, the Zags did not drop out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, keeping alive their streak of 142 consecutive weeks in the poll. Theo Lawson has that story. … Dave Boling continues his walk down Memory Lane from 1999 with this story on the NCAA’s first round win over Minnesota.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, the FCS title game is in Texas, a state with which Montana has some connections. … The Weber State women aren’t playing well.
Whitworth: The Pirates open Northwest Conference play tonight at home against Whitman. Ethan Myers has a preview as Whitworth, coming off its most-impressive win of the season, takes aim at another title.
Seahawks: Pete Carroll is not going to change. At least not in respect to his respect for Jamal Adams. At least publicly.
Kraken: The Winter Classic at T-Mobile yesterday was a classic for goalie Joey Daccord and Seattle, which won 3-0 over visiting Las Vegas. … There were some off-the-ice highlights as well.
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• A reminder. We will not be here tomorrow. Headed back to the glorious Inland Northwest. No more shorts. No more waves crashing at our feet. No more In-N-Out. That’s OK. Home is better than all that. See you Thursday. Until then …