As boats bobbed in Husky Harbor and purple and crimson coalesced for the final time as Pac-12 partners, No. 4 Washington (12-0) put an undefeated regular season in the hands of its two best players.
They did not disappoint.
With 1:25 left in the 115th Apple Cup on Saturday, UW running back Dillon Johnson was stuffed for no gain on third-and-one. On their own 29-yard line, the Huskies unsurprisingly sent their punt team onto the field ... but called timeout after failing to draw the Cougs offsides.
Which is when, tied at 21-21, their strategy suddenly shifted.
"I figured it was worth a chance," UW coach Kalen DeBoer said after a 24-21 win. "[The timeout] gave us a little more time, too, to talk about what we wanted to do offensively. We were going to go for it."
Granted, a failure to convert would give Washington State the ball in field goal range with barely a minute left.
But with an 18-game winning streak, playoff positioning and WSU's seven-year bowl streak hanging in the balance, DeBoer and Co. adopted a Madden mindset.
"It was definitely kind of a risky call," acknowledged UW wide receiver Rome Odunze. "But every time we go for it, I'm like, 'OK, let's go get the first down.' That's what I think. I'll go for it on fourth-and-25 in Madden sometimes. I don't care. I want to go get the first down."
Which, ultimately, is what Washington did. When UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr. took the snap under center and turned, the sixth-year senior was afforded two immediate options:
Option 1: Hand again to Johnson, who had twice been denied in the fourth quarter on third-and-one.
Option 2: Fake the hand off to Johnson and flip to Odunze, who had already scored two touchdowns and was motioning from right to left.
It was not a difficult decision.
"I was just looking at the guy on the end of the defense, and he squeezed in," Penix said. "It was just a lot of grass out there."
The senior signal caller flipped to his favorite target, who took off into open field. Odunze — who posted seven catches for 143 total yards and two touchdowns — needed a single yard to extend the drive.
He was dragged down after 23.
"[UW offensive coordinator Ryan] Grubb was talking about that play throughout the game. He just kept saying that play is ready," Penix said. "It's a play we've been running all week. We knew that, whenever the time would come, we'd be ready to execute."
Added Odunze: "Man, what a play-call. Got to give kudos to the offensive staff and coach DeBoer for believing in us on that. We just went out and executed. It was perfect."
Then Odunze made an equally important play.
On first-and-10 from the WSU 16-yard line, Penix took a snap, looked right and slung a pass that Coug corner Jamorri Colson nearly intercepted with 20 seconds left. But the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Odunze stepped in to break up the pass and preserve the Huskies' drive.
"Me and Mike just weren't on the same page on that one," Odunze said. "I saw the ball in the air and I felt like the DB was probably in a position to make a play on that. So I couldn't let that happen."
Two plays later, sophomore Grady Gross beat the buzzer with a game-winning 42-yard field goal.
He was put on scholarship in the locker room.
"I just know that our offense and defense had done so many good things all season," said Gross, who had missed a 43-yard attempt earlier Saturday. "For it to be set up for a 42-yard kick for me, I'll take that every day. I'm happy to do a little bit of something for all the big things the rest of the team has done."
Yet again, Penix and Co. did just enough. The Heisman-contender quarterback completed 18 of 33 passes (55%) for 204 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Johnson added 82 rushing yards, 3.9 yards per carry and a one-yard touchdown as well.
But the Huskies also punted six times Saturday and were outgained by Washington State (5-7), 381 to 306.
"We played good complementary football toward the end of the game. But for the offensive side of the ball, we've got to play better ... and we will," Penix said. "I trust and believe in everybody on that side of the ball. Man, we just look forward to the next opportunity. But at the same time, we understand that we have to play better, and it's going to come out."
It came out occasionally. On the final play of the third quarter, Penix found a familiar answer — drilling Odunze with a back-shoulder bullet for the pair's second touchdown of the day. They previously connected for a 40-yard, second-quarter score as well.
On the other side, WSU quarterback Cameron Ward completed 32 of 48 passes for 317 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. But the UW defense also delivered five sacks and forced five false starts and five more holding penalties.
Following the Huskies' second consecutive fourth-quarter three-and-out, Washington State got the ball back tied 21-21 with 4:52 left — seeking bowl eligibility for the eighth straight season. But a holding penalty halted the Cougs' progress. Following a third-and-11 incompletion, they punted from their own 47-yard line.
"I'm really proud of the way they went and executed and got off the field," DeBoer said of his defense, which forced a punt and snared a Makell Esteen interception in another strong fourth quarter. "They've done that many times here the last half of the season. They've got a lot of confidence being in those moments.
"Once we get a team behind the chains at that time of the game, that's where some depth with guys rushing the passer and guys that can get home make life uncomfortable for their quarterback. That's where we thrive."
At the end of the first half, the Huskies had a different outlook. On third-and-19 from the Husky 25, Ward took a shotgun snap, looked left and lofted a pass that Williams corralled through the arm of Husky corner Elijah Jackson — tagging the turf with his right foot with a game-tying touchdown with eight seconds left in the second quarter.
Still, the Huskies had an opportunity to enforce their will to start the second half.
Instead, Penix surrendered his eighth interception.
On third-and-three, he lofted a 50-50 ball toward typically trusty wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk. But it was ripped away 36 yards downfield by WSU strong safety Jaden Hicks.
Missed opportunities were abundant Saturday inside Husky Stadium.
Perfection wasn't pretty.
But as the sunset shifted from crimson to purple to black over Husky Harbor, Penix, Odunze and Gross saved the day.
