Washington football: Michael Penix Jr. has Heisman moment vs. USC (Video)

The term “Heisman moment” seems a little cliche, but it’s actually a legitimate occurrence every season with a couple of players. This year, there are a handful of stars who could create Heisman moments, including Washington football’s Michael Penix Jr.

Well, on Saturday night against USC, he did just that.

In the first half of a 14-7 game, Penix took a snap near the red zone, avoided pressure, and threw an absolute dime to his receiver for the game-tying touchdown.

It’s actually a thing of beauty. Watch:

Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of memorable Heisman moments from the likes of Joe Burrow, DeVonta Smith, Bryce Young, and Penix’s opponent on Saturday night, Caleb Williams. Well, it was his turn to make a huge play and leave fans’ jaws on the floor.

The fact that Penix avoided pressure so seamlessly in a huge third-and-18 and kept his cool, rolled to his left, and threw a dime to his receiver who was in the middle of traffic was just insane. This was one of the best plays of the year and we’ll probably see this on his Heisman highlight reel next month in New York.

Michael Penix Jr., Washington football have bigger goals

Obviously Penix would love to win the Heisman, but that’s not the ultimate goal for him. He wants to make the playoff and win the national title in a year that seems to be wide open at the top.

A win over USC on Saturday night would go a long way in terms of making the Pac-12 title game as well as that elusive perfect season. This could get Washington back to the playoff for the first time since 2016.

This Heisman moment could go a long way toward beating the Trojans.