UW heads to the national championship; OSU women’s basketball reaches 12-0; another Beaver transfer
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Monday night, the #2 Huskies won a close one in the Sugar Bowl against the #3 Texas Longhorns. The Huskies were looking to beat the Longhorns in a bowl game for the second year in a row. QB and Heisman runner-up Michael Penix Jr. made an impact.
Penix threw for 430 yards, which is the fourth-most yards in a college football playoff game. He also had two touchdowns, to receivers Ja’lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan.
Although the game seemed to be back and forth in the first half, the Huskies dominated most of the second. Then an injury to Husky running back Dillon Johnson stopped the clock, and gave the Longhorns one last chance to win the game. The Huskies prevailed as Elijah Jackson broke up a 4th and 11 pass from Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers.
"Our team just in general, we want to just go out there and continue to prove that we've got a great football team and that we deserve and we earned it. That's what I'd say about how we played and I love them,” Huskies head coach Kevin Deober said after the game.
The Huskies are looking for their first national championship since 1991 and the first Pac-12 team to win a national title since 2004.The Pac-12 hasn't had a team playing for a title since Oregon in 2014. In the final year of the conference, the Huskies have a chance to finish on top.
The Michigan Wolverines are currently 4 1/2-point favorites. The teams will be conference foes next year, with the Huskies moving to the Big Ten.
Huskies fans heading to the national championship are expected to pay a premium. The cheapest seats for the game right now are more than $1,000.
Meanwhile, the Oregon State women's basketball team is off to an impressive start, at 12-0. The Beavers are still unranked and head down to Southern California to take on the #9 Trojans this Friday.
On Sunday, the Beavers started conference play against the Ducks. After a strong first half from Oregon, the Beavers stormed back. Oregon State was led by sophomore sensation Raegan Beers, who had 24 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. The Beavers shot 60% from the field in the second half and went on to win 62-41.
"I know we're good, and I know we're showing signs of greatness," said head coach Scott Rueck. "You've got an inside presence consistently, no matter who it is, it's tough to stop one on one. Then you've got shooters everywhere and you've got a team committed to the defensive end of the floor with the ability to be elite defensively, and when you have that combination, sky's the limit.”
The Beavers will be tested in conference play, as there are five teams in the Pac-12 ranked in the top 15. The Ducks fall to 9-5 on the season, as they also head south to take on the #2 UCLA Bruins.
After playing in the Sun Bowl, another Beaver football player is in the transfer portal, No. 1 wide receiver Silas Bolden. He had 54 receptions and five touchdowns this season.
In four years, Bolden recorded 80 receptions for 1,076 yards and nine touchdowns. On Tuesday, a TCU player posted "Get him now.” Bolden is from Southern California.
The Beavers only have two offensive starters returning next season, including running back Damien Martinez. OSU has announced that even with seven home games, season ticket prices will stay the same as this year. The transfer portal closes Tuesday and will reopen in May.
