Boise State vs University of Washington- Las Vegas Bowl

**BOWL EDITION**

#19 Boise State University (+3.5) vs University of Washington 

Date: Saturday, December 21th, 2019 

Time: 5:30pmMT 

Stadium: Sam Boyd Stadium (40,000)

TV:ABC

Know Thy Enemy

If Bryan Harsin is Daniel LaRusso, than Chris Petersen is Mr. Miyagi. It will be an end of an era and a script only Hollywood could compose, as Chris Petersen coaches in his final game, against his former team. The Huskies of the Emerald City and the Broncos from the City of Trees converge on Sin City to see who takes home the hardware in the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday afternoon! 

As everyone knows by now, Coach Petersen is stepping away from college football and has planned to retire following the game on Saturday. Coach Petersen left Boise State to coach the Huskies in 2014, and in those six seasons as head coach, has led Washington to two Pac-12 conference titles, one CFP semi-finals appearance and three top-11 finishes. However,

the Huskies 2019 season could be defined by the phrase, “missed opportunities.” The University of Washington have lost 5 games this season, all by 10 points or less. Four of those losses were by less than a touchdown and three times they had a lead going into the fourth quarter. A play here or a play there, a missed tackle or an incomplete pass makes all the difference and they were just a few plays away from potentially being 11-1 or 10-2. 

The Huskies will feature a balanced attack of both running and passing. Their Quarterback Jacob Eason has thrown for 22 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions this season. Their running back, Salvon Ahmed has rushed for an even 1,000 yards and 9 touchdowns. Ahmed is the linchpin to this Washington offense. If he is productive than their offense will be productive. 

On defense, the Huskies had a ton of shoes to fill in 2019. Acting Defensive Coordinator and future Head coach, Jimmy Lake had the pleasure of replacing three All-Americans on his defense this season. The Huskies defense had a hard time staying consistent throughout the season, but ended up being a top-4 defense in the conference. The M.O. for the Huskies is to disrupt the quarterback and cause turnovers. Washington has 29 sacks on the season and have forced 19 turnovers. 

• Boise State and "Udub"   have faced off four times in school history with each school winning two games. This will also be the second time the two teams have met in the Las Vegas Bowl. 

What Happened Last YearTime (2015)

Chris Petersen opened his second season at the Huskies helm on the Blue of Albertsons Stadium. He was outfoxed by the exploits of 1st year offensive coordinator (and future Head Coach of Missouri) Eliah Drinkwitz and a shut down defense coordinated by Marcel Yates (currently at Arizona). In a highly anticipated matchup, Boise State used timely defense and just enough offense to get the job done. Boise State’s running back Jeremy McNichols rushed for 89 yards and two first-half touchdowns, as the Broncos took a dominating 16-0 lead at halftime. 

The second half was all about Washington’s defense and the Broncos making three special teams mistakes-including a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by Dante Petits. 

Washington’s freshman quarterback Jake Browning nearly pulled off a late game-wining rally. With just under 2:00 left, Browning drove the Huskies into field goal range. With 21 seconds left, kicker Cameron Van Winkle lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt to send the game to overtime, “To tie the game and to potentially send it over time...and he pushed it right!” 

Boise State was relieved to squeak out a win in their opening game in a season that the Broncos ended up finishing 9-4. 

Players to Watch 

WASHINGTON

Rs.JR., Jacob Eason, QB #10

Eason, a junior out of Lake Stevens, WA transferred from the University of Georgia in 2018 and has started all 12 games so far this season for the Huskies. Eason, has been rumored to be leaving school early to enter the NFL draft, and has been a 2nd round pick on many of the mock drafts that have come out. Eason has the ability to torch a defensive secondary, but also can try too hard and sometimes tries to fit the ball in too tight of windows. Hopefully the Broncos can get in Eason’s face and make him force some throws on Saturday. 

JR., Salvon Ahmed, RB #26

Ahmed is the key to the offensive success for the Huskies. In the seven wins this season, Ahmed has averaged over 105 yards rushing. In their five losses this year Ahmed only averages close to 70. Ahmed also has the ability to “hit the home run” breaking runs of 42, 60, and 89 yards this season. If the Broncos want to win this game they will need to key on #26 and make sure he does not run wild. 

JR., Elijah Molden, DB #3 

Molden could cause plenty of problems for the Bronco quarterbacks on Saturday. Molden leads the Huskies in just about ever defensive category. Molden leads the team in tackles with 70 and has three interceptions to go along with two forced fumbles, five tackles for loss and 13 pass breakups. Whoever plays quarterback for the Broncos on Saturday will have to keep an eye out for #3 and perhaps throw the ball in the opposite direction.  

BOISE STATE 

Rs.JR., Curtis Weaver, STUD #99

While its not official, Curtis Weaver may be playing his final game as a member of the Boise State Broncos. Weaver a potential first round pick in April’s NFL draft has been nothing but a playmaker for the Broncos since coming to campus. Whatever superlative you use, whether it’s game wrecker, fear monger, headache, or pain in the rear, Weaver is a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators to game plan against. If Boise State had a ring of honor at Albertsons Stadium, you better believe #99 would be on it. 

SR., Sonatane Lui, NT #98

Lui is one of the most loved Broncos in the locker room. the 6’1” 283lb nose tackle out of Sandy, UT has been a force in the middle of the Bronco defense this season. Lui has a knack for making big plays during the biggest games. In the season opener against FSU, Lui had 2 tackles for loss and a sack. Against Air Force later in the year Lui had a  career day, making 12 tackles. Finally, in the Mountain West Championship game Lui made his presence felt with two tackles for loss and three sacks including a strip sack. All eyes will be on the Broncos and Huskies this Saturday and look for Lui to shine bright yet again. 

Rs.JR., Ezra Cleveland, LT #76

Offensive linemen usually get all the scrutiny and none of the praise. Cleveland has provided stability at the Left Tackle position for three straight years for the Broncos and has played well. You usually don’t hear his name called much, but that's because he is doing his job of protecting the quarterback. His main job is to protect the quarterback's “blind side” and this week he will be going up against some pretty good defensive line men. If the Broncos want to win this game Cleveland and the rest of the Bronco O-line will have to keep whoever the quarterback is “clean.” 

Focus Position Group: Wide Receiver 

We all know that Boise State’s wide receiver room is full of talent. Guys like Shakir and Hightower are bound to play at the next level. When this duo gets going the Broncos are basically unbeatable. This week they will be going against a talented defense secondary in Washington. This week they will have to work hard getting open and making the one on one plays if the Broncos want to win this game. 

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. Dance With the One Who Brought You

The 1993 Shania Twain song says, “You got to dance with the one that brought you, Stay with the one that wants you,The one who's gonna love you when all of the others go home. Don't let the green grass fool you,Don't let the moon get to you, Dance with the one that brought you and you can't go wrong.” Boise State can’t go wrong with starting Jaylon Henderson and letting him finish his collegiate career on one of the best five game rides of his life. Henderson took over a struggling Boise State team who had lost to BYU and was coming of a less than satisfactory win against the doormat of the Mountain West, San Jose State. But Henderson took his opportunity and ran with it, if you will, and the Broncos are 5-0 with him as a starter and have scored an average of 36 points per game. If the Broncos are smart they will ride with Henderson and let him lead them to victory. 

2. Stay Focused 

Bowl Season can bring a lot of undesired attention. Things like the coaching carousel, bowl week events, and Christmas travel plans, can distract players and coaches alike from the task at hand. Boise State traveled to Vegas on Tuesday of this week and has had a week full of gatherings and events in a place that's known to be a good time.  Not to mention losing one of their “co-offensive coordinators” Zac Hill who left for the same job at Arizona State University. Boise State will need to shut out the “noise” and focus on executing the game plan and taking it one play at a time. 

3. Counterpunch

If the Broncos have a weakness, you better believe Coach Petersen has already found it and havls game planned a way to exploit it. However, as Rocky once said, “It’s not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward... that's how winning is done.” Boise State will have to take the hits, but counter with their own punches. It will be important that the Broncos make good adjustments and keep moving forward. 

Editorial Note: 

This one will go down in history as the “Coach Pete Bowl.” Like it or not, this matchup was hand picked by ESPN so they could pin the narrative of, “retiring coach faces former team in his last game ever.” Coach Petersen helped Boise State become the Boise State that we know and love. He will go down as one of, if not the best coach in Boise State History. No one in Boise will ever forget the "air punch" on the sidelines of Fiesta bowl or the  magical tandem that was Chris Petersen and Kellen Moore. But that was the past and the 2019 Broncos have no connection with coach “Pete”. This game is bigger than just going toe to toe against a familiar face. This game is about going 13-1. This game is about beating another Power 5 opponent. This game is about entering the offseason on a high note. 

Both teams should be highly motivated coming into this Saturday’s matchup. The Huskies will be motivated to show they are still relevant and want to send their coach into the sunset with one final win. 

The Broncos, like I stated before, seem to have a lot to play for; 13-1, another P5 win, and building momentum for next season. 

This game has a lot of intrigue with it and should be fun chess match. 

I think Boise State keeps it rolling, but in an instant classic. 

Broncos win with late defensive stand

  Boise State 27, Huskies 24