Why Michael Penix is perfect for Washington after career of adversity

Editor’s note: For the latest updates and highlights from Michigan vs. Washington in the national championship game, follow USA TODAY Sports’ live coverage.

The long-suffering Hoosiers have three winning seasons since 1995, with two coming with Penix taking the majority of starting snaps: Indiana won eight games in 2019 and six more during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the latter the program’s most successful year by final ranking since 1967.

But it’s since leaving Bloomington for Washington that Penix has entered a new stratosphere, etching his place among the most successful quarterbacks of the decade with two seasons that stack up against the best in Pac-12 history.

‘He’s different,’ said Washington running back Dillon Johnson.

He’s ‘the reason we’re in the spot that we’re in,’ said offensive lineman Julius Buelow.

‘He’s that guy,’ wide receiver Rome Odunze said.

Penix is special: In his production, in his unorthodox throwing motion, in his place in this record-setting offense and most of all in the way he’s overcome injury, the Huskies’ senior quarterback has built a name for himself that will outlast Monday night, when Washington meets Michigan in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

‘He’s got the ‘it’ factor,’ Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. ‘He’s just got it.’ 

Overcoming injuries and adversity

No potential championship-winning quarterback in memory has needed to fight through more on-field challenges.

‘He’s been through so much different adversity,’ Odunze said. ‘I always say, he was at the bottom, he was at the top, he was at the bottom again and here he is at the top, shining in the biggest moments.’

One season-ending injury is disappointing; two is heartbreaking. Incredibly, Penix had to overcome four in as many years with the Hoosiers, the final two coming just as his college career seemed to be taking flight.

Penix tore his ACL three games into his true freshman season in 2018, with the injury coming as he was splitting time with starter Peyton Ramsey in a close loss to Penn State.

He injured his non-throwing shoulder nine games into the 2019 season, with Indiana sitting at 7-2, matching the Hoosiers’ highest win total since 2007. At the time, Penix was completing 68.8% of his throws on 8.7 yards per attempt.

He put himself on the map during the COVID-19 season, tossing 14 touchdowns through five games before suffering another ACL tear in a win against Maryland. Penix led the Hoosiers to a season-opening win against the Nittany Lions − his dive into the end zone for the game-winning two-point conversion was one of the highlight-reel plays of the year − finished with 342 yards and three touchdowns in a win against Michigan and went for 491 yards and five scores in a shootout loss to Ohio State.

And he suffered another shoulder injury five games into the 2021 season, which saw Penix and Indiana struggle through a winless finish in Big Ten play.

‘Yeah, man, those times were tough, but it just showed that I can get through anything. I can persevere and push through any hardship that comes my way,’ said Penix.

‘But I’m just super blessed to be in this position now. I wouldn’t change anything I’ve been through for anything. I feel like it’s shaped me into the player and the person that I am today.’

Since reuniting with former Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer at Washington, Penix has not only remained healthy but rewrote the program’s record book. After leading the FBS in passing yards with 4,641 last season, he enters Monday night with 4,648 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 66.7% of his attempts.

‘My whole path, I wouldn’t change it for anything,’ Penix said.

An unorthodox throwing motion

Just being a southpaw alone makes Penix unique. Only three lefthanded quarterbacks have won the national championship in the past four decades: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Florida’s Tim Tebow and Southern California’s Matt Leinart.

As a prospect, Penix has come under scrutiny for a sidearm throwing motion without many analogs in recent NFL memory, especially from the left side.

But this unorthodox motion also feeds into a release that allows Penix to sling darts that can often surprise defensive backs. Several of his throws in the Sugar Bowl win against Texas zipped right over shoulders and helmets, leading to a series of eye-opening completions in one of the top big-game performances by a quarterback during the playoff era.

‘The ability to throw the ball with accuracy, he can get rid of it super quick,’ DeBoer said. ‘All those pieces from a skill set standpoint and talent-wise are there.’

No, the delivery isn’t textbook. But the results speak for themselves: Penix threw for a combined 621 yards on 8.2 yards per attempt in wins against Oregon, 430 yards against the Longhorns and has multiple touchdowns in all but three games.

The perfect fit in an almost perfect offense

Penix has been the perfect fit in a near-perfect offense with no discernable flaws or weak links entering Monday night.

The Huskies’ offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the top unit in the FBS. Despite that fact, the group was largely seen as a question mark going up against the Longhorns’ defensive front, widely viewed as the nation’s best. Washington allowed no sacks and just one tackle for loss in the win.

‘I’ve always felt that if your offensive line has got that physical presence to them, your whole team probably has that physical presence as well,’ said DeBoer, ‘because that’s what they’re going against each and every day in practice.’

Washington’s running game heads into the matchup with Michigan ranked 127th nationally in carries per game but tied for 26th in the FBS in rushing touchdowns with 28. The Huskies have been particularly effective when closing wins, averaging 4.5 yards per carry when ahead by a single possession and 4.8 yards per carry when leading by two or more scores.

And the receiver corps is college football’s best. Against Texas, Penix made 20 attempts to his four top receivers − Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillan and Germie Bernard − and completed 19, with the foursome combining for 353 yards and two scores.

But Penix is at the center of all Washington does on offense. His rapport with DeBoer is obvious; so is his ability to run the entire gamut of DeBoer’s pass-heavy playbook.

The result has been a dream season for Washington, and a fitting way to conclude one of the most unique careers by a quarterback in the playoff era.

‘Man, it’s a dream come true,’ Penix said. ‘To be honest, I’m still wrapping my head around it. Just super blessed to be in this position. This is something you dream of as kids, coming to play for the national championship. For us to be here right now, all the hard work and dedication that it took to get here, it’s definitely shown and it’s paid off. But obviously we’ve got to make it happen.’