Commentary: After NFL debut, Michael Penix Jr. picks side in UW-Indiana ‘Penix Bowl’

SEATTLE – The Penix Bowl is set for Saturday.

Its namesake just picked a side.

But first, Michael Penix Jr. relieved quarterback Kirk Cousins late in Atlanta’s 34-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Penix’s NFL debut comprised seven plays and a single pass, a 14-yard completion to rookie wide receiver Casey Washington. It should have been a blip in a beating, a cameo preceding the closing credits.

Except, it wasn’t.

Not if you know the faith placed in Penix when the Falcons nabbed their future franchise quarterback – despite Cousins’ colossal four-year contract – with the No. 8 overall pick in April’s NFL draft. Not if you followed his fall and rise, from four consecutive season-ending injuries at Indiana to a national championship berth and a Maxwell Award at Washington.

Not if you heard the hope emanating from a half-empty Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 12:51 p.m. Sunday, when the public address announcer uttered: “No. 9, Michael Penix Jr. in at quarterback.”

When the clock expired, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith met Penix at midfield, hugging the Heisman Trophy runner-up – a reunion of Seattle signal callers.

“I was able to meet Michael last year. He’s a special player,” Smith said after throwing for 207 yards and two touchdowns. “I think when he gets his opportunity, he’s going to be ready for it. I really believe in him. Obviously, him and (former UW and current Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan) Grubb have done great things together. It was great to see them have a moment before the game. I’m really rooting for Mike and hoping the best for him.”

He’s not the only one.

Sunday’s moment mattered – for Penix, for Falcons fans picturing the promised land.

For Indiana.

For Washington.

For one more than the other.

“I think you always have a benefit when you have (former) players playing in the NFL,” UW coach Jedd Fisch said Monday. “Because you get the introductions (during NFL broadcasts). You get them talking about it. Rome catches a touchdown pass, and it’s ‘University of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze’ (on the broadcast). You get opportunities there when guys make plays. Trent McDuffie makes a play and it’s ‘University of Washington corner Trent McDuffie.’

“So that’s the benefit. They don’t usually talk about the first school you started at. They talk about the last school you went to. That’s just how life is.”

In this case, correctly so.

Though those two programs shared Penix’s college career, he transcended in Seattle. The 6-foot-2, 216-pounder threw for 4,197 yards with 35 total touchdowns and 15 interceptions in four injury-addled seasons at Indiana, appearing in just 20 of a possible 45 games.

Perceived as a perpetually cursed quarterback, he entered the transfer portal.

The Tampa, Florida, product found a fresh start inside Husky Stadium.

At UW, Penix set a school record and paced the nation in passing yards in back-to-back seasons. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, highest for a Husky.

He went 14-0 at home, 3-0 against Oregon and 2-0 against Washington State. He brought a Pac-12 title, a Sugar Bowl win and endless exposure. He fired an imaginary arrow and felled both odds and foes.

At IU, Penix overcame adversity.

At UW, he overcome WSU, Texas, Oregon and almost everyone else.

So before both schools collide in Bloomington, Indiana, on Saturday, it shouldn’t surprise anyone where Penix’s loyalty lies.

“It’s good, man. It’s crazy. A lot of people ask me who I’m cheering for,” Penix said Sunday.

“I definitely want ‘The Dub’ (UW) to win. At the same time, I am an alum from Indiana, so there’s no bad blood. But I want ‘The Dub’ to win.”

Thanks in part to Penix, Washington keeps winning; his impact transcends two seasons, a Pac-12 title and 74 touchdowns. It also exceeds Fisch’s explanation of ancillary benefits.

When he located Taj Davis down the left sideline to stagger Oregon in 2022, when he baffled the Longhorns in the 2024 Sugar Bowl, when he printed the names of his teammates on the lining of his Heisman suit, when he twisted the fingers on his lucrative left hand into a “W,” Penix provided a priceless and lasting pitch. He made future five-stars – one, two or 10 years from now – want to wear purple and gold.

None of which will help Washington (4-3) win this weekend. Post-Penix, both programs are blessed with dependable quarterback play, thanks to No. 13 Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke and UW’s Will Rogers. But Rourke’s absence Saturday (thanks to a thumb injury) could allow an opportunity against the undefeated Hoosiers (7-0).

At his best, Penix set a nearly impossible bar for Rourke and Rogers to reach.

Six days before the Penix Bowl, its namesake stood in the bowels of Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 2:10 p.m. Sunday, lingering more than an hour after his NFL debut.

One of the few Falcons left, Penix sported a teal sweatsuit and spoke with a few friends, before waving goodbye to passersby and granting an interview.

“It’s been good. It’s been fun, just learning from Kirk,” Penix said of his rookie season. “He’s obviously one of the best in the league. I’m just taking it all in and embracing every opportunity I get and making sure I’m ready for that moment.

“To get in today and operate at a high level, it was good.”