The Washington Huskies football squad came to life on Friday as the wind picked up and the sun set over Husky Stadium. The lights went out with 11:36 left in Washington’s eventual 24-21 victory over No. 23 Oregon State. The sudden darkness at first appeared to be a celebration of Husky running back Wayne Taulapapa’s four-yard touchdown run. Which culminated in a nine-play, 66-yard drive.
Power Outage
The lights went out in Husky Stadium and stayed that way for an uncomfortable amount of time, including Peyton Henry’s PAT. After a brief period of misunderstanding, referee Michael Mothershead informed the fans that the game had been postponed because of a lighting problem.
The UW football athletes tried their best to stay warm during the 25-minute break despite the brisk wind coming off Lake Washington. And to remain loose for when the game eventually resumed. The crowd was humming along to the tunes being played over the stadium speakers in an effort to remain warm.
Players started dancing in Husky Stadium
Rome Odunze, a wide receiver, immediately understood what he had to do as soon as Miley Cyrus’ 2009 smash hit Party in the U.S.A. began to play. Man, I was dancing, Odunze remarked. I was dancing while attempting to remain warm, keep my legs, and do other things. They played that song by Miley Cyrus, and I am familiar with the lyrics. Along with the group, I was singing aloud.
We wanted a party following the game because that is how it is done in the USA. So hopefully I succeeded in making it happen. Although quarterback Michael Penix Jr. likewise enjoyed Miley Cyrus’ musical tastes. He had a different strategy for keeping warm during the delay.
With that song, Hannah Montana (Cyrus) was driving the crowd absolutely bonkers, but I was seated on the heater. Penix said I was freezing. The wind began to build up as soon as the lights went out. It was hectic, but I’m not sure whether that had anything to do with it. It becomes chilly at that point. I was sitting on the heater, which may have just been because I was sitting down a lot.
Almost soon after the fourth quarter started, the wind picked up speed and reached 13 miles per hour. The wind may have affected a handful of Penix’s passes and the UW kicking game, according to head coach Kalen DeBoer. But his quarterback declined to attribute any misfires to the brisk breeze.
Penix finished the game with a passer rating of 108.3, and 30 completions on 52 attempts. One touchdown throw, and one interception. I don’t have any justifications, Penix remarked. It’s my fault if I don’t make a throw. To make it blow in the direction I desire, I must make the necessary repairs, feel the wind, and throw the object correctly. Man, what a fantastic game. Men made plays when it was necessary. It was a tough victory, but a tremendous victory.
DeBoer had experienced power outages during football games before. And the weather that day was by no means the worst he had ever experienced. During a game against the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology when he was a player at the University of Sioux Falls. A storm from Rapid City dropped 14 inches of snow on the team’s locker room.
As the offensive coordinator at Fresno State in 2018, DeBoer experienced it once more when a broken circuit breaker caused a 30-minute delay in the Bulldogs’ game against Hawaii.
DeBoer’s major concern was keeping his squad focused on what they had been doing well in the second half. Because the power outage occurred right after his team tied the game. Gaining and maintaining momentum are challenging tasks. In order to get the boys’ heads back on how it felt to leave it on the field for the final 11 or 12 minutes. I think the major issue I was trying to address with them was how hard they had worked to tie the score at 21. Fortunately, they were successful.
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