Associated Press
PULLMAN — Michael Penix Jr. threw for 484 yards and had five total touchdowns and No. 12 Washington reclaimed the Apple Cup with a wild 51-33 victory over Washington State on Saturday night.
A year after the Huskies watched the Cougars celebrate snapping a seven-game losing streak on the turf of Husky Stadium, Washington kept alive its hopes for a New Year’s Six bowl game thanks to its standout quarterback and a handful of defensive stops in the second half.
Washington (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12, No. 13 CFP) outscored the Cougars (7-5, 4-5) 23-6 in the second half after a dizzying first half that featured 55 combined points, 630 combined yards of offense and a 28-27 lead for the Huskies at the break.
Rome Odunze had a 5-yard touchdown run in the opening moments of the fourth quarter. Peyton Henry kicked a 20-yard field goal with 5:02 left, and Wayne Taulapapa provided the capper with a 40-yard TD run with 1:28 left.
The Huskies finished with 702 yards of offense against a Washington State defense that led the Pac-12 in scoring defense at under 20 points per game. If not for two second-half turnovers by the Huskies, the margin of victory could have been much larger.
The 84 combined points were the most in the 114 matchups between the rivals.
Washington’s victory also sent Utah to the Pac-12 championship game as the opponent for Southern California next week in Las Vegas.
Cameron Ward threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns for Washington State, but the Cougars failed to score on five of their six offensive possessions in the second half.
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