No. 3 Washington scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to strike up a comeback to win the Pac-12 Championship 34-31 over No. 5 Oregon on Friday night.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and running back Dillon Johnson led the Huskies to their first conference championship since 2018, and they’ll very likely advance to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2016.
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Johnson scored the go-ahead rush from 1 yard out with 12:23 left in the fourth quarter, and Penix connected on his first and only touchdown of the game with receiver Quentin Moore from 2 yards.
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix put together a valiant effort of his own to wield off the Huskies after the Ducks entered the final quarter ahead 24-20 for the first time in the game.
Washington wins the likely final Pac-12 game as the conference will shrink down to Oregon State and Washington State after the latest round of conference realignment.
Johnson had 152 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, and he also ran some trickery and threw a 4-yard touchdown to Germie Bernard midway through the second quarter.
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Penix completed 69% of his passes for 319 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He’s likely a Heisman Trophy finalist, which will be unveiled Dec. 9.
Nix went 62% on his passes for 239 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
