Earlier this spring, Michael Penix Jr. was stiting in a steakhouse. He slid his cell phone across the table, avoiding the remnants of an elite burger—medium well, with bacon, no veggies—he had just finished devouring.
On his phone was a video of the 2022 football game between the University of Washington and Oregon. Penix had already cued up the exact play: third-and-7, with a little more than three minutes to go, with the Huskies trailing by a touchdown on their own 38-yard line.
Penix called a play that Washington had already run two times earlier in the game. He had never once—not even in practice—thrown the ball deep on the play. Both times against Oregon he had thrown a quick out pass to the inside slot receiver.
But this time, Penix noticed the…
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Sports Illustrated Kids (Digital) - 1 Issue, July/August 2024