Michael Penix Jr. threw four touchdown passes as Washington defeated No. 11 Michigan State 39-28 Saturday in Seattle, giving the Huskies their first home victory against a ranked nonconference Power Five opponent since 2001.
Three of those TD passes went to Ja’Lynn Polk.
Washington (3-0) scored touchdowns on four of its five first-half possessions, with the other ending on a goal-line stand by Michigan State (2-1), to take a 29-8 lead.
Penix completed 24 of 40 passes for 397 yards despite misfiring on his final five attempts. Polk had six catches for 153 yards.
Michigan State’s Payton Thorne was 30-of-42 passing for 323 yards, with three TDs and one interception. Keon Coleman had nine receptions for 116 yards and two TDs but the Spartans’ usually prolific rushing attack was limited to 42 yards on 29 attempts.
Trailing 22-0, Thorne threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Coleman with 1:30 left in the first half.
But Penix hit Polk from 17 yards with 4 seconds left in the half for a 21-point advantage.
Thorne threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Tre Mosley on the opening drive of the second half.
Just 57 seconds later, Penix hit Polk on a 53-yarder to make it 36-14.
Washington extended the lead on Peyton Henry’s 26-yard field goal early in the fourth.
Michigan State’s Elijah Collins scored on a 1-yard run with 6:51 left and, following a UW three-and-out, Thorne found Coleman from 33 yards and another two-point conversion with 5:17 remaining to pull the Spartans within 11 points.
But the Spartans’ final drive ended on downs.
Penix hit Polk with an 8-yard scoring strike on the game’s opening possession.
Washington marched to Michigan State’s 1-yard line the next time it had the ball before the Spartans responded with a goal-line stand, stopping four runs.
On Michigan State’s next play, running back Jarek Broussard slipped and ran into the back of one of his linemen and went down near the goal line. A video replay determined he never got out of the end zone, giving the Huskies a safety and a 9-0 lead through one quarter.
Washington’s Cameron Davis scored on a 1-yard run and Penix capped the next drive with a 19-yard pass to running back Wayne Taulapapa for a 22-0 lead.
–Field Level Media