Washington Will Face Michigan In The National Championship After Beating Texas In A Wild Sugar Bowl Shootout

New Year’s Day brought a pair of highly anticipated 2024 College Football Playoff semifinals, with the first game featuring a thrilling Michigan victory over Alabama in overtime. In the nightcap, the Washington Huskies and Texas Longhorns squared off in a Sugar Bowl tilt in New Orleans, and the game was riveting from start to finish. Though the Huskies never trailed, the game was close-fought throughout, including a 21-21 score at halftime and a one-possession margin for large swaths of the second half. In the end, however, standout quarterback Michael Penix and Washington’s offense did enough to secure a 37-31 victory and a meeting with Michigan for the national title.

In the first half, Penix connected on 11-of-14 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown, illustrating his efficient brilliance for all to see. Still, Texas managed to stay stride-for-stride with Washington, with the two teams effectively trading touchdowns all the way to the end of the second quarter.

Coming out of halftime, Washington asserted control with a touchdown drive. Penix found Jalen McMillan with a pinpoint strike from 19 yards out to put the Huskies in front by a 28-21 margin.

Texas then fumbled on the first play of the ensuing possession, setting up Washington for a field goal to give the Huskies a two-score advantage at 31-21. By the first minute of the fourth quarter, the Huskies were tacking on another field goal to take a 34-21 lead that they would never relinquish, though more fireworks did transpire.

After the two teams exchanged empty offensive possessions, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers found Adonai Mitchell for a touchdown with 7:23 remaining. That brought the Longhorns within six and put the pressure back on Washington.

Up to the task as usual, Penix engineered a methodical drive that proved to be pivotal. The Huskies covered 65 yards on 10 plays and, while Washington did ultimately settle for a field goal, that put Washington up by nine points with fewer than three minutes remaining.

Texas zoomed into the red zone in a hurry, though, picking up a field goal to set up an onside kick attempt that was the team’s final gasp. When Washington secured it, the game was all but over. The Huskies could not simply kneel the game out, with Texas still possessing two timeouts, and Washington faced potential disaster after an injury when running back Dillon Johnson went down after a third down carry.

Not only was that an unfortunate injury for Johnson and the Huskies, but it also gave the Longhorns more time for a last-second comeback bid. Washington did not execute its clock management in flawless fashion before the ensuing punt, and the Huskies also committed kick catch interference to gift 15 free yards to the Longhorns. That allowed Texas to take over at the 31-yard line with 45 seconds remaining, and the Longhorns threatened in a real way.

First, Ewers connected with Jordan Whittington on third down for a 41-yard gain to move Texas into striking distance.

Texas running back Jaydon Blue also made an impressive sideline catch to accrue 16 more yards and set up another first down at the 12-yard line with 15 seconds remaining. However, the Longhorns stalled from there, failing to score on the next four downs, including a throw into the end zone that got batted away as time expired.

Throughout the season, Washington’s passing game has been heavily responsible for its success and what is now a 14-0 record. That continued on this night, with Penix racking up 430 yards on 38 attempts (11.3 per attempt) without committing a turnover. That was nothing new for the quarterback who was the runner-up in 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, but Washington also has top-flight pass-catchers. Five players had at least 48 receiving yards for Washington in the game, headlined by projected first round pick Rome Odunze, who had six receptions for 125 yards in the game. Though the ending was a bit of a mess for Washington, in part due to mismanagement from head coach Kalen DeBoer, the Huskies played a fantastic offensive game and, as they have all season, made a few defensive plays to form the winning recipe.

Washington and Michigan will now meet at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8 with a national title in the balance. Both teams will enter with perfect 14-0 records and each program will be seeking its first national championship in more than 25 years. That matchup will be appetizing, especially with Michigan’s vaunted defense attempting to slow Washington’s potent offense, but both teams can celebrate impressive semifinal victories as they face a relatively quick week of preparation for the sport’s biggest night.