Washington Remains Perfect, Stifles Stanford 40-22 in Conference Opener

SEATTLE – In the chase to determine who Washington’s best wide receiver is Saturday night belonged to Rome Odunze.

Coming into the Pac-12 Conference opener the sophomore had 10 catches for 132 yards with only one touchdown reception. He ended the Huskies 40-22 route of Stanford with 161 yards on eight receptions and added another score to his tally.

“The thing about Rome is he’s so – I keep saying it all the time; he’s one of the most coachable guys I’ve ever been around,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game.

The sophomore led UW in receptions and receiving yards against the Cardinal. He also hauled in the first of two touchdown passes by junior quarterback Michael Penix Jr with 6:43 to go in the third quarter.

Earlier in the game Penix had a similar opportunity to find Odunze, but for a combination of reasons it didn’t materialize the way the offense had hoped.

“It was almost just like you knew they were going to get it corrected, and they did. They went and made a play,” DeBoer continued on the sophomore.

“That’s what I love about our guys and our team in general is same mistakes don’t happen. Even if it wasn’t a mistake, it was a good adjustment from the first time and recognition… I love it.”

After Stanford cut the lead to two scores with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Tanner McKee to John Humphreys with 13:58 to go in the game, UW flexed its passing game once again on the ensuing series.

Penix found Odunze down the right sideline after he flew passed fifth-year safety Patrick Fields and fought for a few extra yards before being tackled at the Stanford 14-yard line.

“I’ll never go down for free,” Odunze said after the game, when asked about the 61-yard catch in the fourth quarter.

“I’m not going to let anybody tackle me for free and I hate solo tackles. I’m just disappointed in myself, man. I got burners, y’all. That was just sorry. I gotta stretch a little bit more. I should’ve got in the zone there. That was a good play, but I’m not going down for free at all.”

Combined with senior running back Wayne Taulapapa, who recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game and finished the game with 120 yards on 13 carries, the offense did enough to earn the victory over Stanford.

Sophomore edge rusher Bralen Trice recorded a pair of sacks in the first quarter, effectively doubling his total coming into the game.

Another sophomore, linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala, added two sacks as well in the first half to give UW six total in the first half, one less than they entered the game with.

The Huskies hadn’t recorded eight sacks in a game since Oct. 7, 2017, when the team made eight sacks in a 38-7 route of California. Coincidentally, it wasn’t the first time UW had reached that mark against the Cardinal.

In 2016, when UW defeated then No. 16 Stanford 44-6 at home, the team also had eight sacks.

Junior quarterback Michael Penix completed 12 of 21 attempts in the first half for 128 yards and was held out of the end zone in the first half for the first time all season.

His first touchdown of the game came with 6:43 in the third quarter when Odunze hauled in a 30-yard pass from Penix. The second went to junior Giles Jackson, who took a screen pass and jolted 21 yards into the end zone with 7:41 remaining in the game to effectively seal the win.