By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Washington’s defense and special teams set the early tone in the Huskies 59-32 win over Cal

The Huskies jumped out to a stunning  14-0 lead and never looked back in their 59-32 win over the Cal Bears. Fair to say the Huskies punched the  Bears in the mouth and staggered the visitors before they knew what hit them.

A 45-yard pick-six by  Edefuan Ulofoshio of a Ben Finley pass was followed up with an 83-yard punt return by wide receiver   Rome Odunze. The Bears found some footing in the game on their third possession of the game when  Finley completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Hunter.

FIRST TIME  OFFENSE GETS ON THE FIELD.

Michael Penix Jr. and the offense were mere bystanders until the  5:46 mark of the first. The waiting while welcomed made the Husky offense eager to get in the fray. And that’s exactly what the  Husky offense did. Penix Jr. engineered a seven-play 73-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a yard pass to Ja’Lynn Polk to widen the Huskies’ lead to 21-6.  

 A Don Hampton interception gave the ball back to the offense who tacked on three more points on a 41 A 41-yard field goal by   Grady Groos to increase the lead to 24 -6 just before the end of the first quarter.

SCORING CONTINUES IN THE SECOND QUARTER

Hitting full stride the Husky offense continued to score at will. A Dylan Johnson seven-touchdown run was followed by Cal’s second touchdown of the half. A Finley to former UW wide receiver Taj Davis gave the Bears some life but it was for a mere moment.  Finley’s two-point pass attempt failed. Back-to-back interceptions gave the ball back to the Huskies who scored on their next two possessions to take a 45-12 halftime lead.

ANOTHER EARLY EXIT  FOR PENIX JR.

With the lead well in hand the question was how long would Penix Jr . and the rest of the starters play? The answer was two offensive possessions. Penix connected with Rome Odunze for a 13-yard TD pass play to open the third quarter to widen the Huskies’ lead to 52-13. Penix’s day would end on the Huskies’ next offensive series which ended on downs at the  Cal 23 yar23-yardd line.

Penix finished day 19 of 25 for 304 yards, 4 touchdowns, and one interception.  Ja’Lynn Polk had 8 receptions, 127 yards, and two touchdowns. Odunze was right behind him with  five receptions, 125 yards, and two  touchdowns

BIG TAKE

The win over Cal was surprisingly easy for the Huskies who once produced another three-unit win.  The defense and special teams played complementary football which made life easy for the offense.  The  45 first-half points tied a school record for most points in a half.  

POSTGAME NOTES

Post-Game Notes
Washington vs. California Husky Stadium, Sept. 23, 2023

Last season, Rome Odunze was the first Husky ever to have four straight 100-yard receiving games. Through four games in 2023, he’s matched his own record.

With 45 points in the opening half, UW tied the school record for most points in a half. The Huskies had done it four prior times in a first half (most recently, at Oregon State in 2015) and once before in the second half.

Cal’s record for most points allowed in a half was also 45, by Alabama in the second half of game in 1973. Tonight’s first-half total was most ever allowed by the Bears in the first half, breaking the mark of 42, by Washington State in 1997.

Washington has scored 40-plus points in all four games this season, marking the first time that UW has scored 40 or more in four straight within a single season since 1944, when UW opened with two lopsided wins each over Willamette and Whitman. In 2015, the Huskies finished the year with three straight 40-point games and in 2016, they opened with three more, meaning the school record is six games, though those six spanned two seasons.

The scores of those first four games of 1944: UW 71, Willamette 0; UW 65, Whitman 6; UW 40, Willamette 6; and UW 71, Whitman 0. UW was the only major college program in the Pacific Northwest to field a team in ’44, due to World War II.

Prior to the start of this season, Washington had had just eight games in its history with two players finishing with 100 or more receiving yards (including two such games last year). So far this season, Washington has had two players with 100 receiving yards in all four games:

vs. Boise State: Rome Oduzne (132) & Ja’Lynn Polk (101) vs. Tulsa: Jalen McMillan (120) & Odunze (107)
at Michigan State: Odunze (180) & Polk (118)
vs. California: Odunze (127) & Polk (125)

Sixth-year senior Edefuan Ulofoshio notched his first career interception, which he returned for a touchdown on the game’s first possession. It was the first defensive score of the year for the Huskies. It was also the first interception returns for a score since Byron Murphy’s in the 2018 Pac-12 Championship game win over Utah.

Odunze’s 83-yard punt return for a touchdown was his first, and the first by a Husky since an 88- yarder by Aaron Fuller at BYU in 1999. Odunze’s tied for the 11th-longest in Husky history.

Washington led 14-0 prior its offensive unit ever taking the field.

Senior safety Dominique Hampton also notched his first career interception, late in the first quarter.

Washington’s three interceptions in the game given them seven for the year, matching their total from all of the 2022 season.

UW has converted its 7 takeaways this season into 6 TDs and 1 FG. By contrast, opponents have scored after just one of the four turnovers that UW has committed.

Penix has thrown multiple touchdowns (two or more) in 14 of his 17 games as a Husky. He also passed for 300 or more yards in 14 of 17.

Washington hasn’t allowed a quarterback sack since the first pass play of the season, on the first offensive possession in the opener vs. Boise State.

Washington scored 40 or more points for the 10th time in the 17-game UW tenure of head coach Kalen DeBoer. The Huskies also scored 37, 38, and 39 points in games last year, falling just shy of 40 on those three occasions.

UW head coach Kalen DeBoer is now 94-11 as a head coach.

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