“We didn’t write back,” Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. channels inner Geno Smith after defeating Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game

Penix answered back to all the critics who did not believe that Washington could beat Oregon.

“We didn’t write back,” Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. channels inner Geno Smith after defeating Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game

Washington's Michael Penix Jr. after winning the Pac 12 championship (Image via Screengrab ESPN)

Friday night quite possibly witnessed the last ever game in PAC-12, which is due to resolve after this season. Michael Penix Jr. led the Washington Huskies to a thrilling 34-31 victory over Bo Nix‘s Oregon Ducks at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The victory meant Washington went unbeaten (winning all 13 games) in the college football season for the first time in their history. Moreover, it will be their second-ever appearance in the college football playoffs since Jake Brownings‘ 2016 Huskies.

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Penix finished the game with 319 yards and a touchdown. Running back Dillon Johnson ran for 152 yards and two TDs. Wide receiver duo Jalen McMillan and Biletnikoff finalist Rome Odunze both crossed the 100-yard receiving yard mark. McMillan had nine receptions for 131 yards, while Odunze capped off with eight for 102.

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The Huskies, who were 9.5-point underdogs, came back from behind in the fourth quarter to more or less record an upset against the No. 5-ranked Ducks. After the game, Penix and the entire Washington team, consisting of 100 or so people, gathered around the podium to receive their PAC-12 championship trophy. The young quarterback touched upon the fact that they proved the doubters wrong.

We have such a mature team, you know. We understand that this is a big accomplishment for us, and we are super excited. lot of work to do. We are going to be ready for whenever that time comes, and man, we are just going to continue to enjoy this moment. You know we are just so blessed, man, and I have to say, man, they tried to write us off; we ain't write back.

This statement was a shout-out to Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith, who had spent the majority of his NFL career backing up players such as Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Russell Wilson. The veteran journeyman finally got a chance to be a starter this season as No. 1 of the Seahawks.

After beating the Denver Broncos 17-16 on opening day, Smith had said, 

They wrote me off; I ain’t write back though!

What are the odds of Michael Penix Jr. winning the Heisman trophy?

During Penix’s victory speech yesterday night, Washington started chanting and very much advocated for the Heisman committee to give the 23-year-old the MVP award. He certainly put forth a great case for being a legitimate winning candidate.

“We didn’t write back,” Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. channels inner Geno Smith after defeating Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game
Michael Penix Jr. after beating the Oregon Ducks on Friday night (Image via Screengrab ESPN)

Before the game, Ducks QB Nix was ahead of Penix in the race for the trophy. However, Penix leaped over the Oregon man after last night’s victory. Yet he is still behind LSU Tigers QB Jayden Daniels in the race.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Daniels has the best odds to win the Heisman at -1450. Michael Penix Jr. has the second-best odds at +1000, while Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has the third-best odds at +2000. It will be an interesting playoff this season.

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