Washington snapped its two-game losing streak last week with a 45-38 win at Arizona State and will look to continue building fresh momentum while visiting Cal on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN) in Berkeley, Calif.

Before turning the focus to the Golden Bears (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12), let's first look back on what we learned from the Huskies (5-2, 2-2) last week.

Here were our five most significant takeaways from the win over Arizona.

Though neither of the Huskies’ losses can be pinned on the shoulders of Michael Penix, the Washington quarterback came out determined to win against Arizona, playing four quarters of near-perfect football to put the Wildcats away. As the Huskies defense once again struggled to prevent the opposition from putting up points in bunches, every ounce of Penix’s effort was necessary for Washington to snap that losing streak.

Penix threw for an astounding 516 yards, setting the all-time single-game passing yards record for Washington. He was sensational, completing 81.8% of his passes and throwing 4 touchdowns (and rushing for another) while avoiding a single turnover. Penix was at his best in this one from start to finish, displaying the collection of tools and skills that put him at the level of the nation’s best quarterbacks. His natural accuracy is the most exceptional of those abilities, and it was evident against the Wildcats as Penix completed pass after pass right on the money. No matter the depth of target or the pressure in his face, Penix routinely managed to place his footballs with borderline perfection, keeping the ball where his receivers had the best shot at catching it while minimizing the defender’s opportunity to make a play.

His feel for how to best place his throws to optimize after-the-catch yardage was also uncanny, allowing Penix to create sizable gains even from shorter passes. His arm strength came up big in this contest as well, showcased both on his long bombs down the field and the velocity with which he was able to hit throws on the sideline with consistent ease. His composure in the pocket allowed him to calmly work around the Arizona rush, sliding into open space to adjust to pressure without breaking his natural progressions from inside the pocket. Some of the throws he hit in this game were legitimate NFL-caliber passes, including a gorgeous deep completion he managed down the sideline while on the run.

Penix’s ability to manipulate the middle of the field with his accuracy and timing is among the best in college football. He consistently hit throws over the middle with precision and perfect timing, putting Arizona’s linebackers in high-difficulty situations, severely hampering the defense’s ability to adjust. In a rare occurrence, Penix also contributed with his legs, taking off for a rushing touchdown on an RPO play. This was easily his best game of the year and maybe one of the top quarterback performances in college football so far, yet that didn’t entirely come as a surprise. Penix is legitimately one of the best passers in the nation, and he’s capable of taking this Washington offense to great heights week in and week out. As long as he stays healthy, he'll have a serious shot at winning a job in the NFL next year.