No. 7 Washington beats No. 8 Oregon as game-tying field goal swerves wide right (2024)

It appeared the Huskies had given Oregon QB Bo Nix just a bit too much time, marching 50 yards in just 90 seconds without using a single timeout to set up a game-tying field goal attempt.

Ducks kicker Camden Lewis executed his usual walk-up, staring down a straightaway 43-yard field goal, but a perfect snap and a perfect hold produced an end-over-end kick that took a late rightward swerve just outside the uprights. Washington wins 36-33 in an all-time Cascadia Classic

THE HUSKIES SURVIVE 🔥

Oregon missed the field goal to send the Pac-12 showdown to overtime.

The Ducks failed to convert on three different fourth down situations.

No. 7 Washington wins 36-33.

🎥 @CFBONFOXpic.twitter.com/0xW0hodmsd

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 14, 2023

Washington's high-powered offense only knows one speed: as fast as possible. Taking over at midfield after a crucial fourth-down stop with two minutes remaining, star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. inched closer to 300 yards passing with a 18-yard hookup to pull the Huskies into the red zone.

Trailing by five, Penix opted not to bleed any time off the clock, instead delivering an immaculate back-shoulder ball to Rome Odunze, who hauled in the contested catch to give himself a pair of touchdowns on the afternoon and the Huskies a late lead.

ROME ODUNZE IS UNGUARDABLE

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See Also

Here's How Nation's 13th Hardest Schedule Will Pan Out for UWNo. 5 UW Clinches Pac-12 Championship Berth With 22-20 Victory Over No. 10 OSU - University of Washington AthleticsHuskies Finally Finish Off WSU, Perfect Regular SeasonNo. 3 UW Beats No. 5 UO, 34-31, To Win Pac-12 Championship - University of Washington Athletics

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 14, 2023

UW knocked through the subsequent extra point, pushing its lead to 36-33 with less than two minutes remaining.

A mounting storyline through three quarters was Oregon's misfortune on fourth-and-goal, where the Ducks had shied away from a pair of field goals to instead fire two back-breaking incompletions. But with Washington needing three yards of its own on fourth down, Oregon's defense seized the opportunity to reclaim the narrative.

Tybo Rogers ran right from the Oregon three-yard line, taking maybe a step before quickly succumbing to a gang of Ducks tacklers well short of the goal line. Oregon retakes possession leading 33-29 with six minutes remaining.

SHUT DOWN

The @Oregonfootball defense comes up with a massive goal line stand 🔒🦆 pic.twitter.com/01CzerSQKJ

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023

With his backfield mate Bucky Irving carving up 109 yards on the ground thus far Saturday, Oregon's Jordan James offered an aggrieved reminder of what exactly he can do carrying the ball. Taking an initial hit at the five-yard line, James' domineering lower body kept churning, ultimately shrugging off four would-be tacklers and powering into the end zone for a 10-yard, go-ahead score.

Jordan James would not be denied 😤@OregonFootball takes back the lead 🦆🙌 pic.twitter.com/H6Gc8aupu9

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023

Trailing by as much as 11, the Ducks now lead 33-29 early in the fourth quarter. Follow along here for live updates to a thrilling finish.

After faltering on fourth down and sending its tiring defense back on the field down 11, Oregon seemed to steer into dire straits near the end of the third quarter.

However, the Ducks quickly silenced a once stirring Husky Stadium crowd, forcing Michael Penix and co. into their first three-and-out of the afternoon and carving into their two-score deficit. After finding Tez Johnson for a meager gain, Oregon QB Bo Nix turned toward receiver Troy Franklin to conquer the short field, connecting for a first down gain before somehow finding him wide open on the very next play along the left sideline for a 30-yard touchdown hookup.

THERE'S TROY FRANKLIN🦆

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— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 14, 2023

Another three-and-out for Washington returns possession to the Oregon offense, trailing just 29-26 as we begin the fourth quarter.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning had no regrets when asked about spurning a short field goal in favor of a fruitless fourth down attempt before half, instead underscoring his program's "bold identity." So when Oregon faced another 4th-and-3 at the Washington eight-yard line, while a field goal would narrow the deficit within one possession, it was hardly a surprise to see Ducks QB Bo Nix line up in his familiar shotgun stance.

Nix fired his crucial fourth down offering low toward Troy Franklin, and Washington DB Elijah Jackson made an excellent play to dive down and force another turnover on downs. 29-18 Washington still midway through the third quarter.

Rome Odunze jumpstarted the sputtering Washington offense early with a clutch jump-ball grab along the left sideline, and the junior wide receiver is making more magic coming out of the locker room.A devastating stutter step gave Odunze just enough space to beat his defender to the same left boundary, turn around and secure Michael Penix Jr.'s inch perfect pass.

Rome Odunze is a baller😮‍💨

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— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 14, 2023

Odunze's grab gives him seven catches for 110 yards on the afternoon and extends Washington's lead to 29-18 early in the third quarter.

Husky fans have become accustomed to near flawless football from their star quarterback Michael Penix Jr, who entered Saturday's top-10 clash with nearly 2,000 passing yards and just two interceptions, but a pair of crucial mistakes from the UW gunslinger put his squad in a precarious position before half.

Penix would first commit an intentional grounding penalty looking to evade an oncoming pass rush that hamstrung Washington's two-minute drill. Looking to make up for lost time (and downs), he pushed his next pass past his receiver and into the arms of Oregon DB Jahlil Florence.

A 22-yard connection between Bo Nix and Tex Johnson pushed Oregon inside the 10 with a chance to take the lead, but an incompletion on third and goal saw Oregon spurn a short-field to gamble, and ultimately fall short, on a fourth-down try.

Aside from his late-half misfire, Penix has been excellent against the vaunted Ducks secondary, completing 13 of 21 passes for 180 yards and a pair of long touchdown tosses. Dillon Johnson offered a balancing force on the ground, totaling 71 yards on 11 carries and surging in for a 7-yard score to restore Washington's lead late in the half.22-18Washingtonheading into the third quarter.

While Justin Herbert has become a household name slinging touchdowns along the Pacific, his brother Patrick has been scoring 'em Saturday looking out at the same ocean.

After answering Washington's early touchdown with one of their own, the Ducks snapped a two-point conversion attempt straight to Herbert, who surged right and followed his blockers nearly untouched across the goal line to give Oregon an 8-7 advantage.

And with Oregon lurking the red zone again looking to answer another Michael Penix Jr. touchdown dart, Oregon QB Bo Nix evaded pressure to the right and fired across his body to set up a diving TD grab for Herbert. 15-14 Oregon after 20 thrilling minutes in Seattle.

Patrick Herbert scores the two-point conversion to give Oregon the lead 🦆

Justin’s younger brother 👀pic.twitter.com/FwSxnp4vGr

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 14, 2023

Coming off an anemic three-and-out and suffering a thunderous hit to force 2nd-and-13, Oregon's high-powered offense appeared completely smothered by the flying Husky front

But Bo Nix' new-found zen, strong running from Bucky Irving and an untimely unsportsmanlike conduct infraction on Washington dragged the Ducks from the shadow of their own goal line to the red zone and a chance to answer Washington's early TD. A 12-yard dash from Irving led to six, and coach Dan Lanning caught the Huskies napping with a two-point conversion to give Oregon an 8-7 lead.

Patrick Herbert scores the two-point conversion to give Oregon the lead 🦆

Justin’s younger brother 👀pic.twitter.com/FwSxnp4vGr

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 14, 2023

Not to be outdone, Penix used just eight plays to retake Washington's lead, hooking up with Ja'Lynn Polk for the second time on the drive via an inch-perfect 26-yard strike. 14-8 Washington after a quarter of play.

While many expected Saturday's top-ten showdown to be an old-fashioned West Coast shootout — Oregon entered Seattle averaging more than 51 points per game while Heisman frontrunner Michael Penix Jr. leads FBS' second-best passing attack — it was a pair of furious pass rushes that set the tone early to force two early punts.

Struggling to settle in against the Ducks front, Penix took advantage of an offsides flag and opted for a risk-free bomb down the left sideline to Rome Odunze, who freed himself from the Oregon DB and hauled in a 46-yard grab.

MPJ ➡️ Rome Odunze 🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/zxGguNfeWG

— The Cam & Tee Podcast (@TCTPodcast1) October 14, 2023

The Huskies seized the momentum, taking an immediate shot over the middle and finding newly-healthy Giles Jackson in the end zone for his first reception of the season. 7-0 Huskies with 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

WELCOME BACK GILES JACKSON
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— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 14, 2023

It's all hands on deck for No. 7 Washington Saturday, facing their stiffest opposition of the season against the Ducks, and that includes a few players making long-awaited returns to the field.

Wide receiver Giles Jackson, who has not played the entire 2023 campaign, and safety Asas Turner, who sustained an upper body injury Sept. 9 against Tulsa, are both reported to be healthy for Saturday's affair. Oregon, conversely, continues to enjoy a good collective bill of health with no major injuries entering Seattle.

With Seattle's famous coffee coursing through their veins, Husky fans were loud and proud on campus Saturday for College GameDay.

Beginning their program at 6 a.m., the purple-and-gold early risers on Montlake thunderously answered host Pat McAfee's call-and-response — take a listen below:

"This is one of the most impressive things I've seen humans do!"@PatMcAfeeShow is loving the atmosphere in Seattle 👏#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/iPzLREkGg5

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 14, 2023

Despite the unquestioned pedigree of Washington's program — the high-powered Huskies are on the hunt for their 16th Rose Bowl appearance after a 5-0 start — games like this one only seem to blow through the Puget Sound once in a generation.

No. 7 Washington hosts No. 8 Oregon in a sport-stopping showdown Saturday afternoon, only the fourth time since 1982 that Montlake has hosted a top-10 matchup: the Huskies bested No. 9 UCLA that year in a dogged 10-7 affair, lost to No. 7 Nebraska 27-14 in 1997 and clobbered No. 7 Stanford 44-6 in 2016.But when Michael Penix Jr. steps back into his menacing shotgun stance and surveys a stingy Oregon secondary that has been nearly impervious in recent weeks, the 70,000-strong wall of purple-and-gold may well be witnessing one of the most prolific matchups in Husky Stadium's 103-year history.

The Washington offense currently ranks second in FBS for expected yards added (EPA) per pass, a lofty perch that still likely confounds anyone who has watched the Huskies this year: how could there be a better aerial attack in college football? Penix and his magic left arm have carved up every single opponent, opening the season with a five touchdown, nearly 500-yard performance against Boise State and has eclipsed 350 yards against every opponent except for Cal — Washington's defense and special teams supplied Penix with a 14-0 lead against the Golden Bears before he even touched the ball.

Even beyond Penix's burgeoning Heisman campaign, the Husky stat sheet is populated with near perfection. The best overall offense in America, UW remarkably ranks first in early down EPA while also slotted at sixth in third and fourth down conversion rare. A stunning 68 percent of Washington's drives turn into quality possessions, again tops in FBS, and UW is among the best at finishing drives in the red zone.

This aerial attack is hardly new to Dan Lanning and the Ducks defense, however, having faced off against Shedeur Sanders and a Colorado passing attack that had captivated college football and reached 350 yards in each of its first three games. Sanders would manage just 150 yards against the smothering Oregon secondary with a meager 28.2 quarterback rating, powering a dominant 42-6 UO victory and showcasing its FBS-leading pass defense.

Oregon has only allowed opposing quarterbacks to throw for more than 150 yards just once this season (Texas Tech), and despite yielding 282 yards through the air that game, the Ducks' defensive backs also managed to snag three picks that powered UO to a 38-30 victory in Lubbock. Opposing offense are successful on just a third of passing attempts against an Oregon defense that yield well under a yard per drive, setting up a quintessential immovable object vs. unstoppable force affair on the highest stage Saturday.

College GameDay is coming to the Pacific Northwest this weekend, with Rece, Kirk, Des, Lee, Pat and company kicking off college football Saturday from the University of Washington's stunning campus overlooking the Pacific. However, this terrific celebration has turned into a terrible omen for Husky fans in recent years — UW is 0-2 all-time with the GameDay crew in town, losing by double-digits to USC in 2016 and No. 12 Oregon in 2013.

☔️ @CollegeGameDay is coming to Seattle!

Get ready to paint Montlake purple, Husky Nation!#GoHuskies x #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/wQEwdgdbc9

— Washington Athletics (@UWAthletics) October 7, 2023

Coverage from Montlake begins at 9 a.m ET on ESPN and runs through noon, featuring the program's entire ensemble along with a guest picker. The action from Husky Stadium kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET.