By Raul A. Flores / Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — Michael Penix, Jr. threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns and No. 12 Washington held off No. 21 Texas 27-20 on Thursday night in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Texas scored 10 late points, pulling within seven on Bert Auburn’s 26-yard field goal with 1:40 remaining, then failed on an onside kick try. The Longhorns (8-5) stopped the Huskies (11-2) on the ensuing possession and took over on their own 16 with 32 seconds and got to the Washington 40 on the final play of the game.
Penix finished the season with 4,641 yards passing to break the 20-year-old Washington season mark of 4,458 set by Cody Pickett.
Penix led back-to-back scoring drives of 75 and 90 yards in the second half to stretch the Huskies’ lead to 17. He was 32 of 55, completed passes to eight receivers, and connected with Taj Davis and Jalen McMillan for scores.
Texas had cut a 10-point halftime deficit to 13-10 on 34-yard pass play from Quinn Ewers to Jonathon Brooks on the opening possession of the second half.
Texas was without star running back Bijon Robinson, and rushed for just 51 yards. Robinson, who led the Longhorns with 1,580 yards and 18 TDs, skipped the game to prepare for the NFL draft.
Washington, which lost out on tiebreakers for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game after a 7-2 league mark, finished on a seven-game winning streak with its second straight bowl victory.
Texas was in its first bowl game under second-year coach Steve Sarkisian.
OPTING OUT
In addition to Robinson, Texas senior running back Roschon Johnson and senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown opted out to prepare for the NFL draft. No Washington players opted out.
REDEMPTION AT THE ALAMO
The Huskies are 1-1 in the Alamo Bowl. In 2011, Washington – coached by current Texas coach Sarkisian — lost to Baylor 67-56 in the highest-scoring edition of the game.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Texas, which traveled 90 miles from Austin, saw its winning streak in San Antonio come to an end. The Longhorns, playing in their third Alamo Bowl in the last four years, beat Colorado 55-23 in 2020 and Utah 38-10 in 2019.
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