It took a couple of weeks to catch him in action, but the first exposure to Washington Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. in the 2023 college season was worth the wait. Penix and his Huskies roared into Spartan Stadium and devoured Michigan State, 41-7.
For Penix, who is generally projected in the top 50 overall, it was a sharp performance. The numbers are eye-popping: 27-for-35, 473 yards and four touchdowns in the air. Much of that had to do with a complete lack of pressure from the Michigan State defense, but Penix was also aggressive in attacking them down the field.
The actual quarterbacking evaluation isn’t quite as lofty, though Penix was still pretty impressive. The lefty showed patience, excellent and consistent mechanics from the pocket, and more than enough arm strength to get the ball deep in a hurry.
Ball placement was an area where Penix could have done a little better. Take this early completion to wideout Ja’Lynn Polk:
Polk makes a fantastic catch, and give the defender credit for closing a lot of ground quickly. However, Penix misses an easy touchdown by making Polk fully extend and expose himself to a big hit on a pattern where he should be able to make a routine pitch-and-catch. As routine as a 45-yard throw can be…
When he missed, Penix missed high. The beleaguered Michigan State defense, which was playing in the wake of a sordid scandal surrounding suspended head coach Mel Tucker, just didn’t have the horses or coordination to make him pay.
Two throws should have been picked off, including a touchdown reception by Polk off a deflected pass that was a fantastic play from No. 2. It’s an area where Penix’s fantastic arm strength can get him into trouble against more capable defenses; think Zach Wilson at BYU.
Sometimes it’s nice to see a quarterback perfectly nail the easy ones. Penix did that very well on this red-zone touchdown to his tight end:
The quickness of the delivery and perfect in-stride placement on the shorter field are exactly what scouts want to see from Penix here. He was well in command and poised in the red zone throughout the game.
Penix didn’t run in this game, but he’s shown good in-pocket agility in the past at both Washington and Indiana, where he started over parts of four seasons before transferring in 2022.
Overall, a good game from Penix that should keep him prominent in the NFL draft QB conversations as well as the Heisman trophy discussion.
