Kalen DeBoer on Washington offense: 'Aggressiveness is who we are'

Few teams in the country go for it quite like Washington does, even when the game hangs in the balance. Emptying the chamber clearly works for the Huskies, though, as Kalen DeBoer says it’s part of their identity.

DeBoer spoke about his team’s desire to keep slinging it, even in moments where others would go conservative, during his postgame press conference following their win in the Sugar Bowl. In the end, throwing it deep is just what they are as an offense. When it’s clicking for Michael Penix Jr. too, he doesn’t see any reason not to do so.

“Yeah, I think the aggressiveness is just who we are,” said DeBoer.

“I think, time and time again, you just even look at the drives where we kind of stalled? I know, a lot of times, we just kind of look back on it like, ‘Man, we just need to give Michael a chance to have the ball in his hands‘ because he was feeling it, his guys were making plays,” DeBoer explained. “He was putting the ball where it needed to be and making good reads, the O-line was protecting for him.”

Penix Jr. posted one of his season’s best games in the victory in the playoff semifinal over Texas. He had 29 completions at 76.3%, both tied for second-most on his year, for 430 yards and two touchdowns.

Do the math and that’s 11.3 yards per completion for Penix Jr.. It started with a 77-yard completion to Ja’Lynn Polk on his second throw and only continued from there. He also completed a 52-yard pass to Rome Odunze, another 32-yarder to Odunze, and the 29-yard touchdown throw to Polk at the end of the first half to give him six total completions of 20-plus yards on the night.

The Husky’s offensive management nearly bit them at the end of the fourth quarter. The clock turned from friend to enemy very quickly as the Longhorns nearly took advantage and won it down to the last second and on the very final play.

Still, especially since the outcome remained in their favor, DeBoer took no issue with Washington’s finish. They’re going to go down swinging and firing every time because that approach is what makes them the team that’s good enough to play for a national championship next week.

“You always never know how it’s going to go, you’d like to run some time off the clock. But it’s what we’ve done the last two years here. Just stay aggressive, give Michael and the guys a chance to make a play, and, again, pushing the ball down the field,” said DeBoer.

“We’re just trying to put the game away,” DeBoer said. “We don’t want to be reckless but that’s our style. That’s for sure.”