NEW ORLEANS — After Dillon Johnson towed Texas defensive end Ethan Burke and free safety Michael Taaffe into the end zone to give Washington a 7-0 lead, the junior running back made a beeline for ESPN's camera. As Johnson roared, right tackle Roger Rosengarten draped an arm around his teammate's shoulder and held a single finger to his lips.
The intention, it seems, was to silence a burnt orange supernova inside the Superdome.
As well as a continuously doubting country of college football fans.
In a 37-31 Sugar Bowl win over No. 3 Texas (12-2), UW did just that — proving it's more than a Pac-12 mirage, or a finesse offensive fairy-tale, or anything in between. Michael Penix Jr. proved his Heisman Trophy candidacy was — to quote Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who Penix repeatedly defeated — rooted in substance. His wide receivers proved they're worth the mounting mock draft mentions.
"It feels like we don't play basketball on grass," said UW wide receiver Jalen McMillan, referencing ESPN analyst Booger McFarland's previous comment questioning the Huskies' physicality.
Washington did not waste time.
On UW's third play from scrimmage, Penix lofted a looper that sophomore wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk snagged behind cornerback Terrence Brooks. Polk spun out of a Jerrin Thompson tackle, before being dragged down by Brooks for a 77-yard gain. Johnson broke through on the next play to start the scoring.
But Penix wasn't done.
In another display of dominant precision, Penix dissected Texas' secondary — adding 52- and 24-yard completions to Rome Odunze, a 29-yarder to Germie Bernard and a 29-yard touchdown to Polk. The sixth-year senior from Tampa completed 11 of 14 passes, throwing for 255 yards and a touchdown ... in the first half alone.
"The guy was on a mission," UW coach Kalen DeBoer said after the win.
But Penix also had help. Take DeBoer — who made the daring, dangerous decision to go for it on fourth-and-one from the Huskies' 33-yard line. Tied 14-14 with 4:15 left in the second quarter, Johnson barreled forward for a 5-yard gain and Rosengarten pumped his fist.
Five plays later, the Huskies made it hurt — as Penix eluded a Longhorn rusher, stepped up and slung a dime past diving cornerback Malik Muhammad. The pigskin hit Polk's hands and bounced into the air, before the sophomore receiver collected it for a circus 29-yard score.
And apologies for the repetition ... but Penix wasn't done.
After receiving the ball to start the second half, the Husky offense overwhelmed — mounting an eight-play, 70-yard touchdown march to take a 28-21 lead. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound Penix completed all six of his passes along the way, splitting defenders for a 19-yard touchdown to the persevering McMillan.
McMillan — who missed four games this fall with a sprained MCL — was stretched and worked out by a Husky trainer in the end zone during halftime.
He returned to that same end zone eight plays later.
"We came in here with a clear mind and played the game we've been playing since we were kids," said McMillan, who added he was feeling hamstring tightness in the opening half. "We didn't let the moment get too big."
And UW's defense did its part. On Texas' first play of the following drive, tenacious edge Bralen Trice stripped freshman running back C.J. Baxter, and safety Asa Turner fell on the ball. Sophomore placekicker Grady Gross added a pair of field goals on UW's next two possessions to gradually extend the lead.
Indeed, a UW defense that recovered just two fumbles in 13 games this fall defied that stat Saturday. Trailing 34-21 with 12:47 left in the fourth quarter, Texas running back Jaydon Blue took a Quinn Ewers pass for a 21-yard gain, then inexplicably lost the ball. It was recovered by cornerback Thaddeus Dixon for a second Husky takeaway.
Which isn't to say Washington played a perfect game. But the Huskies overcame.
They overcame a muffed punt by Bernard, which Texas recovered and converted into a 1-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 in the second quarter. They overcame a potentially damning decision, as Johnson was stuffed on fourth-and-one from Texas' 14-yard line on the following drive. They overcame a run defense that surrendered 150 yards, 6.3 yards per carry and a trio of touchdowns. They even overcame a late Longhorn rally, as Ewers found wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for a leaping 1-yard score to narrow the deficit to 34-28 with 7:23 left.
But needing to salt away a win, UW delivered another drive. On third-and-two, Penix found Westover over the middle to move the chains. Then he dropped a dart over Odunze's shoulder for a 32-yard gain, setting up another Gross field goal to make it a two-score game. After Texas added a quick field goal, tight end Josh Cuevas fell on an onside kick to regain possession.
Even so, UW couldn't diffuse the drama. The Huskies failed to gain a yard and went three-and-out in just 24 seconds, as an injury to Johnson on a third-and-five run unintentionally stopped the clock.
Following a UW punt, Texas' desperation drive died at the Husky 11-yard line, when Ewers' jump ball for Mitchell was batted away by cornerback Elijah Jackson as time expired. The Longhorns gained 124 yards in the final 2:34 ... and fell short anyway.
"My heart was going [on the final play], just because we had played as a team such a good game," said UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. "To have a situation like that where you can't run the clock out because of an injury ... you think of all the situations where people cheat the clock and fake injuries and things like that. D.J. is legitimately hurt. We're trying to figure out what's going on with him right now.
"We get penalized on that type of situation, and it hurt to see that and force our defense to be back out there. It was unfortunate. We thought we played the clock really well and they were going to get it back with only eight seconds left. It didn't obviously work out that way."
In all, Penix completed 29 of 38 passes and threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns, a bayou battering. Odunze (six catches, 125 yards), Polk (5 catches, 122 yards, 1 TD) and McMillan (5 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD) mercilessly delivered. Johnson rushed for two touchdowns, while Trice turned in three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
"Our bond," Penix told ESPN, when asked why UW continues to deliver when it matters most. "The love we have for one another, man. Everything we've been through. All the offseason stuff we've been through. We just found ways to overcome it, always battle to find a way to win. That's what it was about today. We played a great team, and finding a way to win, that's what we've been doing all year."
Together, these heart-racing Huskies earned an extension of an already historic season — and a national championship berth against Rose Bowl winner Michigan in Houston on Jan. 8.
They silenced a supernova ... and lifted a finger to their lips.
