The Washington Huskies defeated the Oregon Ducks in the last ever Pac-12 championship game in yet another thrilling game between the two teams. It was the exact same scenario in the postseason as it was during the regular season – Washington won by a field goal. But instead of a walk-off, the Huskies were able to run out the clock on offense with Michael Penix Jr. and a strong running game while Heisman Trophy hopeful Bo Nix watched on the sidelines.
And if anything, it may have been even more agonizing to watch for Oregon fans as their hopes slowly evaporated. At least we know it was for Nix as ESPN cameras hovered over him during the final drive. Nix was motionless throughout the series with a towel over his head and looking straight down at the ground.
ABC went all-in on Bo Nix and his towel pic.twitter.com/RY6O12VNdo
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 2, 2023
ESPN cut to Nix multiple times – during the final drive, right as the clock struck zero, and even on slow motion replay!
"There's Bo Nix, the agony of defeat right there." – Kirk Herbstreit pic.twitter.com/lFobMKgizj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 2, 2023
The win for Washington all but assured them a spot in the College Football Playoff after an amazing undefeated season while Oregon’s only two losses both came in heartbreaking fashion to the Huskies.
It was certainly an emotional snapshot as Nix was completely helpless on the sidelines and trying to come to grips with the Ducks’ championship hopes coming crashing down. It shows just how much it meant to him. But it’s fair to ask if it was a little too much, especially as the clock struck zero when viewers could have seen Penix and the Huskies celebrating their victory. And when we couldn’t even see Nix’s face, just the towel over his head. At least Gatorade got plenty of free publicity, though.
