Washington had to rally at home to remain unbeaten inside Husky Stadium this season, but rally it did.

In a game that featured blistering and unpredictable winds, a 30-minute second-half delay after the lights went out in the stadium, and a rare interception from UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the Washington Huskies still managed to handle their business.

UW took down No. 23 Oregon State 24-21 on a game-winning field goal with eight seconds to play.

The win moved the Huskies to 7-2 on the year and 4-2 in Pac-12 play, keeping the hope alive for a spot in the Pac-12 title game. Oregon State dropped to 6-3 (3-3 Pac-12).

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Michael Penix Jr. seizes the moment

In a season filled with standout moments for the Washington quarterback, he orchestrated another signature one Friday night. Washington’s first lead of the game came with eight seconds remaining on the clock after Penix drove the team 92 yards in 18 plays on the penultimate drive of the ballgame.

Conditions were less than ideal. It wasn’t rainy as was forecasted, but wild winds made things miserable at times for the game’s quarterbacks. Oregon State’s Ben Gulbranson had receiver Anthony Gould on what would have been a double-move touchdown in the second half, then watched the wind take his throw in the air and move the ball from the right sideline back toward the middle of the field, falling incomplete.

Gulbranson only threw it 18 times total, and he only picked up 66 yards on those passes. The Huskies, with an offense that leans on the pass game as much as any in the Pac-12, weren’t going to be able to work around it. Penix was going to have to make it work. He threw 51 passes in the game.

And on the final drive, he was 9-for-13 for 77 yards to move the Huskies all the way down inside the Oregon State 5-yard-line. He converted a third-and-5, then a third-and-7, and then a third-and-6 to keep the Huskies moving along and help bleed more than four minutes off the clock.

When Peyton Henry banged through the game-winning 22-yard field goal, there were all of eight seconds on the clock.

Penix finished with 298 yards and a touchdown. It was the first time this season he’s failed to crack 300 yards passing, and he had an unsightly pick-six in the first half that helped Oregon State to play with a lead for most of the evening. UW didn’t have the super-deep ball that has been available throughout the year, the bomb that uncorks things. But Penix kept things moving otherwise.

Friday night’s contest could prove to be a pretty significant result when it’s all said and done, and when Washington needed its leader to rise up, it got exactly that.

UW defense shuts down the Beavers after halftime

With the one-dimensional nature of the Oregon State offensive attack, you thought Washington might be able to come out of the locker room at halftime with a plan to slow the Beavers down in the second half.

Freshman running back Damien Martinez had 81 rushing yards at the break. On eight second-half carries, he gained a total of 16 yards. As a team, Oregon State had just 100 yards of offense in the game’s final 30 minutes.

Following a game-tying touchdown drive from UW midway through the third, Oregon State answered right back with an 11-play, 79-yard touchdown drive. That score was aided, though, by a facemask penalty on Jeremiah Martin that turned a third-down sack into a first down for the Beavers, who scored three plays later.

The other three second-half possessions Oregon State got (not counting the final play of the game) gained a combined 0 yards.

UW linebacker Cam Bright had one of his best games of the season, making plays all over the field. He finished with a game-high 10 tackles to go with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

For the first time all season, Oregon State was held under 300 yards of offense. Of course, the conditions played a factor, but UW’s defense can and should take some confidence from this performance.

Rome Odunze: still good

The Washington wideout had four straight 100-yard receiving performances before the Cal game. That streak ended with just 63 yards against the Bears, but UW got a seven-point win so you didn’t hear much complaining from Odunze.

With UW switching up its plan of attack — peppering the edges and looking to give Penix some more manageable completions — Odunze was still just as effective as he’s been all season. He finished with seven catches on 11 targets for 107 yards. No other receiver on either side had more than 60 yards receiving. Odunze was the guy and everyone knew it, and he still found ways to keep making plays.

He had receptions of 16, 21, and 27 yards; and he had two catches that helped keep UW on schedule on the game-winning score.