Houston, Texas - Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is ready to face the challenge of Michigan's formidable defense in the fight for the 2024 national college football title.

The fire has been lit!

Heading into the National Championship showdown this Monday, the Washington Huskies find themselves in familiar territory as the underdogs.

Embracing the role is nothing new for them, as they've been there throughout this season in key matchups. However, their upcoming opponent, Michigan, stands out from the rest.

The Wolverines are the No. 1 team in the nation and on a 14-game win streak, flaunting the best defense in the nation. Washington's quarterback and leading Heisman finalist Michael Penix Jr., is well aware of the battle that awaits him against Michigan.

"That whole defense, they're good. They do a lot of good things on that side of the ball," Penix told TAG24 NEWS ahead of the National Championship game. "I feel like they're very well-coached and they have a lot of good players."

Michigan's defense has put on a show this season, racking up an impressive ten sacks in their last two games at the Big Ten Championships and Rose Bowl CFP Semifinal. The Wolverines defense has held opponents to an average of just 243 offensive yards and 10.2 points per game.

Yet the Wolverines defense will have it tough against Washington's offense, which was recently honored with the Joe Moore Award as the nation's top college offensive line - the same award Michigan won in 2022 and 2023.

Washington receiver Rome Odunze has become a huge playmaker for the Huskies, consistently stepping up in crucial moments to secure big victories for Washington.

Quarterback Penix Jr. said he recognizes Odunze's pivotal role, and that the receiver's reliability has made things flow.

"Man, it makes my job really easy. He does it every day, not just on game day but in practice," Penix Jr. said of Odunze.

"He's the guy you're going to see going 100 percent in practice. It doesn't matter if he's running a route, the ball is coming to him, he's blocking. Sometimes I try to tell him to save his legs and say, 'I'm not throwing it to you on this play.'"

Odunze's exceptional skills will undoubtedly draw attention in the championship game, especially from Michigan's secondary, which has successfully defended against some of the top receivers in the nation this season.

"They got a bunch of great guys back there on the secondary that know the scheme," Odunze explained. "Strong, physical guys that can also run and be there competitively on every single pass play,

"So, it's going to take a lot just focusing in on our game plan, making sure we have all our details down, and go out there and execute it."

Odunze will aim to flawlessly execute his routes and outplay Michigan's defense, to thrust Washington to an underdog victory.

Washington will go head-to-head against Michigan on Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship at 7:30 PM ET, airing on ESPN.