Michael Penix Jr. has a lot of confidence ahead of Washington's upcoming battle with the Texas defense

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had a phenomenal season. He was the Heisman runner up and passed for 4218 yards and 33 touchdowns on a 13-0 team that finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the country.

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And as a result, he’s confident heading into the Allstate Sugar Bowl where he’ll take on the Texas Longhorns with a spot in the national championship on the line.

Penix Jr. was available to the media on Thursday. Here are a few snippets that reveal his sentiments.

Q. I asked T’Vondre Sweat this morning about your offensive line. He said: They’re just another O-line. You agree with that? Or was he giving you a little bulletin board material there?

MICHAEL PENIX JR: Yeah. Um… Joe Moore (Award).

Q. I said: I watched them win the Joe Moore Award. And he said: They’re just another O-line.

MICHAEL PENIX JR: Yeah, man, I guess so. We’re going to see (laughter).

Below is the exact exchange with Sweat and the reporter.

Q. You’re going up against an elite offensive line. What are you looking forward to the most, testing your mettle?

T’VONDRE SWEAT: It’s just another O-line to me. They’re a great group of guys. And they’re here to win, just like we’re here to win. I mean, like I said, everybody will see Monday at 7:45.

Penix Jr. fielded another few questions about the Texas defense, specifically the star-studded Longhorn D-line that features Sweat and Murphy.

Q. When you watch the Texas defense on film, what stands out?

MICHAEL PENIX JR: I’m not going to lie, their D-line is good. But at the same time, they haven’t played our O-line. So they showed a lot of great things throughout the year. Their whole defense, they do a great job. I feel like their coach (Steve Sarkisian) does a great job with their system.

And they definitely play — what’s the word? They play good ball, man. But I wouldn’t say — we’re not playing, like, the 49er’s D-line or the Eagle’s D-line. So we’ll be good.

Q. Do they look much different from bowl game you guys played against them last year?

MICHAEL PENIX JR: They had some good D-linemen last year. One or two might have left. They were good last year too. They usually have big boys over there on that side that can make plays. But I don’t know, but it’s different seeing them on film and being in the game. You see it on film, but at the same time, you’re watching a game against Texas Tech, K-State, all the teams they play, and I don’t feel like those teams have the offensive line that we have. So it’s like, we’ll have to see when it comes game day.

I’m not going to discredit their talent. They’ve got talent. But it will be different when we play them. It’s always going to be different depending on the team.

It should come as no surprise that Penix Jr. was respectful yet fully confident in his team’s ability ahead of the matchup with the Longhorns. Washington allowed just 11 sacks this season, a mark tied for fourth in the nation. That O-line helped Penix throw for 4200+ yards, two Husky receivers cross the 1000-yard threshold, and Washington running back Dillon Johnson rush for 1113 yards.

But Texas was respectful and confident in its ability, too. Specifically Murphy, who saw what Penix Jr. had to say on Thursday.

January 1st 7:45pm https://t.co/NdU2PMdclS

— MURPH DAWG🦍 (@ByronMurphyII) December 28, 2023

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Both team’s confidence, and ability, will be put to the test on Monday in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.