CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: WASHINGTON VS MICHIGAN

January 8, 2024

Kalen DeBoer

Edefuan Ulofoshio

Michael Penix Jr.

NRG Stadium

Washington Huskies

Postgame Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Kalen DeBoer, Michael Penix and Edefuan Ulofoshio.

KALEN DEBOER: First of all, just congrats to Coach Harbaugh and Michigan on a great season and a well-played game tonight. Obviously a very good football team.

And on our end I'm just proud of these guys. It starts with these two that are up here and everyone in the locker room. It wasn't what we were expecting. We came out, and I know our mentality and mindset was to come in and win the football game. But sometimes things don't always go the way that you want.

And I'm proud of what these guys have done this year and over the last two years. And we got a lot of great things happening within our program and a lot to build off of.

Q. Michael, basically how are you feeling? And I know there's a lot of emotions going through, but just what's that locker room like and what are some of those emotions you're feeling right now?

MICHAEL PENIX JR.: Hurt. I mean, like Coach said, we came here, we wanted to win. That's been our goal since day one. I said this since day one.

But, man, it sucks. We played a good team. They did some good things. I feel like on the offensive side of the ball, we just missed a lot of opportunities, opportunities where we needed to execute the most to help our team, put our team in a better position to come out with this win.

But in the locker room, it's just a lot of love. We're just a group that we have been through a lot together, man, and we're not going to point fingers or nothing like that. It's a lot of love in the locker room.

Everybody is just showing their appreciation for each and every person that laid their body on the line, not just during the season but offseason, everything that we've been through. It's okay, though. We're good.

Q. Eddie, Michigan obviously comes in and they're physical every game, always have that approach. What did they do early that you guys struggled with? And how did you adjust to that as you went through the game?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Just missed fits, to be honest with you. They went a couple gap schemes and we had one less guy. They had a really good scheme on the second touchdown because they went tackle over and the DBs were kind of like situated.

So I mean we have to correct it. But at the end of the day in games like this we can't make explosive mistakes like that. And ultimately it cost us. We battled, but at the end of the day we can't give those mistakes at the end. Just cleaning up. Simple fits. But like they did a really good job of being physical, staying on blocks, and that's what happened.

Q. Michael, you got pretty banged up there. I know you got stepped on at one point. Toward the end something on your right side. How are you feeling physically and what happened at the end there?

MICHAEL PENIX JR.: Better than I was three years ago. I'm just happy that I was able to finish it with the guys. I knew that I didn't want them to take me out of that game because I've been through it too much.

And I knew that no matter what, I was going to make sure I finished for the guys. And just give it my all. I'm not healthy, but I'll be there. I'm good. It's nothing major. I know that for sure.

I talked with the doctors and stuff like that. It's nothing major. If I had to play tomorrow, I'll play. I'm good.

Q. Michael, can you reflect on your long career and everything you've accomplished and the decision to come back for another year and being able to do everything you did with this team?

MICHAEL PENIX JR.: In my career, it was a lot. I feel like everything happened for a reason. Everybody knows my story. I've been through a lot. I've had ups and downs.

But I'm thankful for it all. I'm super blessed. Obviously, to me, Coach DeBoer, at Indiana, to lead me here, to be playing for the biggest game in college football, but obviously it didn't come out how we wanted it to. But I know each player on this team, they gave it their all, and it wasn't enough today.

And for me, I'm going to take accountability for the offensive side of the ball. I feel like we could have did better. Too many penalties. And we had a lot of offsides. And I'm going to put that on me because I've got to be louder. I've got to make sure that I'm great with my communication and stuff like that, so my offensive line isn't hearing ghosts.

It's been a long -- but I'm blessed. I'm blessed to be here. I'm blessed to be on this team, and these guys will be my brothers forever.

Q. Mike and Eddie, what are you proudest of your time at UW?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Just resilience. I mean, to be honest, when we went 4-8, I completely lost hope. And I didn't know whether I wanted to like be a part of a rebuilding process. I really wouldn't be here without Coach DeBoer, to be straight and frank with you.

He gave me something to believe in, and even when I tore my ACL, three months later he still believed in me, still pushed me, still wanted me to be a leader. Even though I couldn't understand it, I appreciated it.

And I'm proud that we have people upstairs that truly care about the players. I'm proud of the University of Washington. It was an honor to play here. It was an honor to really wear the purple and gold.

I'm proud that not only did we bring this university back to where it belongs in terms of being a marquee university, I'm proud of these guys. All of us have been together for a long time. And we truly care about each other. We truly love each other. We eat together. We joke together. We play a bunch of games together and stuff.

So I'm proud of it all. I'm proud of every single moment I've had here. It's been a blessing for sure. I have to thank the man upstairs for all of it.

Q. Mike, there's four drives in the second half where you guys had a chance to tie the game. Was there anything consistent about those, or why it didn't work out? And what did you make of the pressure that Michigan was able to get on you?

MICHAEL PENIX JR.: We knew we had to execute. We didn't execute the moment whenever we needed to. I feel like as far as the whole exotic stuff that they were doing on film and stuff that we saw against Alabama, I don't feel like we were confused or anything like that.

I just feel like it came down to executing. I missed a couple of throws. Just a couple of reads on routes and stuff like that. Just small details within our system that we do great all the time.

If it's shifts and emotions coming out of the huddle. It's small details and stuff like that caused us to be in a position where we didn't want to be in.

But I don't regret it all, but, man, I just know this team and I know the guys that we have under us.

And this team is going to be hungry again next year, and they're going to be competing again next year for a championship. I'm just super proud of this team and how far we've come, always being the underdog.

This is the only time you all were right. But we were able to fight and push through so much adversity and just people doubting us and not believing us and us throughout the season. And to get to this point, it's a blessing. And I know that everybody on this team worked for it.

Q. Michael, your team came into the game averaging 38 points. You only scored 13 tonight. Michigan has the top-rated defense in the country. What was it like facing that defense? And how good are they?

MICHAEL PENIX JR.: They're a good team. We just didn't execute in the moments when we needed to. It's just about executing. I don't feel like they did anything -- I feel like we beat ourselves.

And there were times we definitely had opportunities to make big-time plays, to make the game a lot different. But it comes down to executing. They're a good team, but we had a lot of opportunities.

Q. Along those lines, the fourth down that you missed Rome, was pretty open, was that just a miscommunication where the route was going to go or how did you see that play?

MICHAEL PENIX JR.: It's on me. I just gotta make the throw. That's it.

Q. We could see it's an emotional night. I can see you're getting emotional while Mike's talking, while Eddie's talking. Just how much does this mean to you, and what are you feeling for them in a moment where they won 21 straight but weren't able to kind of finish the job tonight?

KALEN DEBOER: I think it's pretty clear what these guys are made of. These are two of the leaders that have led us all year long and over the last two seasons. When your hardest workers are your best players, you have good things happen.

And these guys led us in a way through great character, and they've just grown as leaders, and they brought a lot of people with them. They held each other accountable to another level.

And when you see players care so much about what's happening on the football field, when you see them love each other, when you see them have expectations and when you fall short like we did tonight, you just -- I'm sorry. I'm sorry that they couldn't realize a championship this year.

Because they made the sacrifices. They made the commitments. The goals that they had, the work supported it. And just tonight we couldn't get over the hump. We couldn't make the plays to tie the score. And sooner or later, when you're playing a good football team like we played tonight, they find a way to get to you in the fourth quarter like they did.

I just feel bad for the guys because they've given so much to each other. They've given me everything, everything they possibly can. And that's why I feel the way I do because I'm going to miss them. But I'm proud of them. Proud of what they've done for our program. I'm proud of what they have brought to our university, our community. And they've restored UW football, given us expectations that are what this program stands for and wants to have each and every year.

Q. This team hasn't been down by double digits all season. But could you talk about how they responded specifically on defense and how they were able to put pressure on Michigan?

KALEN DEBOER: Yeah, I think even just a two-score game, it has happened a couple times over the last two seasons. And I keep telling the game's going to come back to them, and putting one more score on the board is always going to put pressure on the team because they know what we're capable of.

Again, we just couldn't make that one play here and there. And when we did, you know, a penalty, maybe bringing the play back, a holding call, things like that. We just couldn't get over the hump. We couldn't finish the drive the way that we're used to.

That's a credit to Michigan. There's a piece where I agree with Michael, we had some self-inflicted wounds that we did to ourselves. Just some penalties, some plays that we are usually going to be making, and we just didn't quite make them.

And it's not like anyone's not trying. They're giving everything they had. I could see it. And I could tell in the locker room that they left it all out there just by the pain that they're going through.

And that's, again, there's a piece that where Michigan did some things as well. Obviously a very good football team.

Q. At the end of the game, Penix comes over around the 20-yard line, you meet him at the side there. Can you share anything from that moment? And then secondly, what does this season and getting to this point do to springboard the program forward next year?

KALEN DEBOER: I just made sure, just asked him if he's all right, because I mean he was obviously hit quite a few times. Making sure he was okay. And it was a brief time we spent together there. Just wanted to make sure he knew how I felt about him.

And this guy came here, and the trust he put in me to put people around him, whether it be offensive staff, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, other players, and he picked up and moved all the way across the country.

And I just can't tell you how much that means to me to have that trust from someone like Michael because this was his last crack at it, a year ago when he made that move, or two years ago when he made that move.

It was a time where we all know his story. It was kind of at that point where it was kind of do or die. And I knew in my mind what he was made of. I knew what he was capable of, and now it's just a matter of bringing it all together. And I can't tell you how much it means that he had that trust in me.

And seeing him grow and develop, and just the mindset he has, the fighter's mentality he has, the leadership. A lot of credit goes to our staff and working with him, Coach Grubb working with him. But, man, just seeing growth, seeing the fight, seeing the passion, the love that he has for everyone here in this program.

I hope Husky Nation just always holds him in the highest regard. I think they will. I expect nothing less than that because I think they understand also what he's given all of us.

Q. You once told us that you only play for championships. Now that this run has come to an end, were you amazed at all that you put this together so quickly in two years, that you got to this point, to challenge for a national championship? Because I think this is like a story that was really unusual for college football in general that this happened so quickly for the Huskies?

KALEN DEBOER: When you have a great quarterback and when you can have an offensive line -- and our defense came a long ways this year from a year ago. And I felt like at the end of last season, the last few games of the year, you could really feel like if everyone kept it together that this could happen.

When you're in the moment, when you're going through it, it's not about all of a sudden going from 4-2, which we were at one point, to saying, hey, we're going to go win a national championship. But I felt like there were some of the makings of being a special football team.

And credit to the guys. They just hung in there with the process and just focused on improving every single day, a year ago and this year. It's just built up to this moment. And it's execution. It's physical toughness. It's all led to a mindset where anything that comes their way, they felt like they could come through and get it done.

I truly feel like five minutes ago, man, there was nothing but belief that we would find a way to win that football game. I really believe that.

Q. The second part, the springboard forward.

KALEN DEBOER: I think you get to this point and been a part of it many times. You always look at the guys. We're losing this guy. We're losing that guy. And some of these guys are just super special players.

But they've raised the standard again back to where it should be in our program. And a lot of guys got a chance to see what it's supposed to look like. Seeing guys like Eddie and Michael do their thing and lead and what the work is that you've got to put in, and how hard it is to win a football game each and every week, how hard it now obviously is to win a championship.

But a lot of guys have seen what it takes. And because of what we've done this year, we'll be very attractive for guys to come in, guys who want to win championships come into this program and believe that it can happen again next year.

It's such a fine line. It's just such a fine line. We've seen it all season between winning and losing. And I feel like I know what the score looks like, but I feel like that fine line was right there again tonight. And we weren't that far off.

There's not a doubt in my mind that we have a good enough football team to go out there and win a national championship. And just gotta make a play here and there, get us over the hump, and it could have been a different outcome.

Q. Tonight's game was the end of an era for your school and the conference it's been in for decades. Any reflection on what this conclusion means, and the history that's coming to an end with Washington and the Pac-12?

KALEN DEBOER: Yeah, I think here at the end it was us just really focused on what we were doing for UW. But I am proud of our representation of Pac-12 football, West Coast football, because I'll say it right now, I think that our conference, what we went through each and every week is as tough as any that any team could have had in the entire country. There's just a lot of really good teams, a lot of really good coaches.

And I'm proud of what we accomplished. Not just the overall record, but each and every week, having to be our best because the teams that we were lining up across from us were extremely strong.

There's multiple teams that could have been knocking on the door of being a conference champion, being even in a final four. I really believe that.

There's some really good football that's been played on the West Coast. I tip my hat to those coaches that have been part of Pac-12.

And obviously our history in Pac-12 and it comes to an end, but all our alumni who have been a part of so many big games and giving us a tradition, I'm going to make sure we always remember those.

It's sad to see the Pac-12 have this time right now that we're coming to an end with. But I just am glad that we represented West Coast football, Pac-12, the way we did this year.