CFP National Championship:
Washington vs Michigan
Monday, January 8, 2024
Houston, Texas, USA
NRG Stadium
Washington Huskies
Coach Kalen DeBoer
Edefuan Ulofoshio
Michael Penix Jr.
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.
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