Washington defends the belt, 34–31, at a neutral site over Oregon.
AP poll, week 14: Oregon No. 5 at Washington No. 3 · No. 1 that week: Georgia. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
Washington came in 384 days into reign #321, which began with a win over Oregon, with 15 defenses already behind it; this was its 16th defense. Washington went on to defend it 1 more time before Michigan took it on January 8, 2024, 422 days after the reign began.
For Oregon this was its 21st shot at the belt; it had held the belt once before.
It was the 6th of 6 belt games between the two; going in, Washington led the belt series 5–0; all-time Washington leads 6–0. Every meeting →
Recap
Washington's defense and ball control proved decisive in this defensive struggle, as the Huskies dominated time of possession 37:08 to 22:52 while converting 10 of 15 third downs. Michael Penix Jr. orchestrated a methodical offensive attack, connecting on key passes to Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan throughout the game, with Washington building a commanding lead by the end of the third quarter. Oregon mounted a furious comeback behind Bo Nix, highlighted by a devastating 63-yard touchdown pass to Traeshon Holden with 2:14 remaining, but it came too late as Washington held on for a 34-31 victory to retain the belt. The game turned on Washington's ability to control the line of scrimmage—the Huskies rushed for 157 yards while holding Oregon to just 124, and their defensive pressure forced turnovers from both teams. Despite Oregon's late heroics, Washington's superior efficiency and field position management in the first three quarters proved insurmountable.
- Penix-to-McMillan 45-yard strike in Q2 that set up a short touchdown run and exemplified Washington's vertical passing attack
- Dillon Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run in Q4 that extended Washington's lead to two scores when Oregon was still threatening
- Bo Nix's 63-yard bomb to Traeshon Holden with 2:14 left that nearly completed Oregon's comeback but arrived too late
- Washington's 10-for-15 third-down conversion rate that sustained drives and controlled the clock throughout the game
Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.
Team stats
CFBD box scoreFull team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.
Key plays
CFBD play-by-play| When | Team | Yards | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 7:34 | Washington | +38 yd | Grady Gross 38 Yd Field Goal |
| Q1 7:09 | Oregon | +32 yd | Ross James punt for 57 yds , Germie Bernard returns for 32 yds to the 50 yard line |
| Q1 3:46 | Washington | +5 yd | Dillon Johnson 5 Yd Run (Grady Gross Kick) |
| Q2 8:46 | Oregon | +36 yd | Camden Lewis 36 Yd Field Goal |
| Q2 8:40 | Washington | +22 yd | Michael Penix Jr. pass complete to Rome Odunze for 22 yds to the WASH 47 for a 1ST down |
| Q2 7:11 | Washington | +45 yd | Michael Penix Jr. pass complete to Jalen McMillan for 45 yds to the ORE 4 for a 1ST down |
| Q2 6:48 | Washington | +4 yd | Germie Bernard 4 Yd pass from Dillon Johnson (Grady Gross Kick) |
| Q2 4:25 | Washington | +34 yd | Michael Penix Jr. pass complete to Rome Odunze for 34 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down |
| Q2 1:39 | Washington | +37 yd | Grady Gross 37 Yd Field Goal |
| Q2 1:27 | Oregon | +39 yd | Bo Nix pass complete to Tez Johnson for 39 yds to the WASH 36 for a 1ST down |
| Q2 0:09 | Oregon | +2 yd | Terrance Ferguson 2 Yd pass from Bo Nix (Camden Lewis Kick) |
| Q3 12:37 | Oregon | +30 yd | Bo Nix pass complete to Jordan James for 30 yds to the WASH 16 for a 1ST down |
| Q3 9:39 | Oregon | +2 yd | Terrance Ferguson 2 Yd pass from Bo Nix (Camden Lewis Kick) |
| Q3 7:22 | Washington | +0 yd | Michael Penix Jr. pass intercepted Khyree Jackson return for no gain to the ORE 41 |
| Q3 6:40 | Oregon | +3 yd | Bo Nix pass intercepted Mishael Powell return for 3 yds to the WASH 41 |
| Q3 2:46 | Oregon | +44 yd | Bo Nix run for 44 yds to the WASH 11 for a 1ST down |
| Q3 1:51 | Oregon | +6 yd | Jordan James 6 Yd Run (Camden Lewis Kick) |
| Q3 0:18 | Washington | +31 yd | Michael Penix Jr. pass complete to Jalen McMillan for 31 yds to the ORE 20 for a 1ST down |
| Q4 12:23 | Washington | +1 yd | Dillon Johnson 1 Yd Run (Grady Gross Kick) |
| Q4 8:54 | Washington | +25 yd | Michael Penix Jr. pass complete to Ja'Lynn Polk for 25 yds to the WASH 43 for a 1ST down |
| Q4 2:44 | Washington | +2 yd | Quentin Moore 2 Yd pass from Michael Penix Jr. (Grady Gross Kick) |
| Q4 2:14 | Oregon | +63 yd | Traeshon Holden 63 Yd pass from Bo Nix (Camden Lewis Kick) |
Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).
Player stats
CFBD player statsPassing
Washington
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Penix Jr. | 27/39 | 319 | 8.2 | 1 | 1 | 87.8 |
| Dillon Johnson | 2/2 | 5 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 94.7 |
Oregon
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bo Nix | 21/34 | 239 | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 89.0 |
Rushing
Washington
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Johnson | 28 | 152 | 5.4 | 2 | 18 |
| Will Nixon | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Germie Bernard | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Richard Newton | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Team | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | 4 | -4 | -1.0 | 0 | 8 |
Oregon
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bo Nix | 6 | 69 | 11.5 | 0 | 44 |
| Jordan James | 5 | 35 | 7.0 | 1 | 17 |
| Mar'Keise Irving | 9 | 20 | 2.2 | 0 | 6 |
Receiving
Washington
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen McMillan | 9 | 131 | 14.6 | 0 | 45 |
| Rome Odunze | 8 | 102 | 12.8 | 0 | 34 |
| Ja'Lynn Polk | 5 | 57 | 11.4 | 0 | 25 |
| Devin Culp | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 | 13 |
| Dillon Johnson | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Germie Bernard | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 1 | 4 |
| Jack Westover | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Giles Jackson | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Quentin Moore | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oregon
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tez Johnson | 5 | 68 | 13.6 | 0 | 39 |
| Traeshon Holden | 1 | 63 | 63.0 | 1 | 63 |
| Troy Franklin | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 0 | 12 |
| Jordan James | 1 | 30 | 30.0 | 0 | 30 |
| Terrance Ferguson | 4 | 17 | 4.3 | 2 | 8 |
| Mar'Keise Irving | 5 | 16 | 3.2 | 0 | 8 |
| Casey Kelly | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 |
Show more stats (7 more categories)
Defense
Washington
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HUR | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alphonzo Tuputala | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Edefuan Ulofoshio | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominique Hampton | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bralen Trice | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Mishael Powell | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Elijah Jackson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamren Fabiculanan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zion Tupuola-Fetui | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tuli Letuligasenoa | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carson Bruener | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asa Turner | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ralen Goforth | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Voi Tunuufi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Thaddeus Dixon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| M.J. Ale | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jabbar Muhammad | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Oregon
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HUR | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Stephens | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeffrey Bassa | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Tysheem Johnson | 9 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Evan Williams | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jestin Jacobs | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nikko Reed | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Popo Aumavae | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Khyree Jackson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mase Funa | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dontae Manning | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Taimani | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamal Hill | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Traeshon Holden | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Martin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teitum Tuioti | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ross James | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Casey Rogers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Keyon Ware-Hudson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emar'Rion Winston | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matayo Uiagalelei | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fumbles
Washington
| Player | FUM | LOST | REC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome Odunze | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Oregon
No recorded stats in this category.
Interceptions
Washington
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mishael Powell | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Oregon
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khyree Jackson | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kick Returns
Washington
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rome Odunze | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | -1 | 0 |
Oregon
No recorded stats in this category.
Kicking
Washington
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grady Gross | 2/2 | 100.0 | 38 | 4/4 | 10 |
Oregon
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden Lewis | 1/1 | 100.0 | 36 | 4/4 | 7 |
Punt Returns
Washington
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germie Bernard | 1 | 32 | 32.0 | 32 | 0 |
Oregon
No recorded stats in this category.
Punting
Washington
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack McCallister | 1 | 54 | 54.0 | 0 | 1 | 54 |
Oregon
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross James | 4 | 200 | 50.0 | 0 | 2 | 57 |
Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.
Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 401539475) · This game in the downloadable dataset