CFB: BOISE STATE (0-0) AT #10 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (0-0) (-14)

 

Boise State University (+14.) at  #10 University of Washington

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2022

Time: 1:30pm MT

Stadium: Husky Stadium (Capacity 70,083)

TV: ABC

TV Commentators: Bob Wischusen and Robert Griffin III

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Commentators: Bob Behler and Pete Cavender

 Know Thy Enemy

Harry the Husky hopes to blaring the siren as the University of Washington opens up their 2023 season by hosting the Broncos of Boise State. The atmosphere at Husky Stadium will be palpable as 70,000-plus purple and gold clad "U-Dub" faithful descend on Union Bay. 

Both the Broncos and the Huskies have high hopes for this season. The Huskies, coming off an impressive 11-2 season, are eyeing a conference title and CFP-birth after missing out on both a season ago. The Broncos, who finished 10-4 a year ago, are also hoping to crash the New Years Six party as the top Group of Five team this year! 

Washington returns a lot from a team that was the nation’s second-best offense and the best passing attack in 2022. The headliner of this high octane attack is none other than southpaw quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The Indiana transfer has excelled at his new home in Seattle and looks to take the Huskies to even higher heights in 2023. He’ll be aided by one of the best offensive lines in the country as well. Last season Washington ranked No.1 in tackles for loss allowed and sacks allowed. Simply put, they keep their quarterback upright and their running backs moving forward. They return both their tackles Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten who are All-Pac-12 good. To make matters worse for the Broncos, the Huskies have a trio of pass catchers in Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillian and  Ja’Lynn Polk that combined for close to 3,000 yards and caught 22 of Penix’s 31 touchdowns last season.  The only consolation for Boise State might be the fact that the Huskies RB1 Cameron Davis is out for the season. 

The Husky defense is nothing to shake a stick at either. The linebacking corps, according to some analysts “might be a terror.” With Edefuan Ulofoshio coming back from injury, Alphonso Tuputala coming off a big season, and the addition of USC transfer Ralen Goforth, this group should dominate behind a big defense line that is what nightmares are made of. 

Speaking of the defensive line, this just might be the best unit on the team. Both Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui are NFL edge rushers who’ll make life miserable for opposing offenses. The two combined for 13.5 sacks a year ago and Tupuola-Fetui was sharing snaps. The secondary might be the weak link, if there is one, as the Huskies surrendered over 250 yards per game through the air a year ago. 

Washington is coached by Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer is in his second season as head coach of the Huskies. Last season he led UW to an 11-2 record and has an overall coaching record of 90-11. Before coming to Washington DeBoer was the head coach at Fresno State for two seasons. DeBoer has never lost more than 3 games in a season as a head coach. 

Washington and Boise State have faced one another only five times in the two schools' history, with those meetings coming in the second game of the 2007 season, the 2012 Las Vegas Bowl, the 2013 and 2015 season openers, and the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl. It's odd because the two campuses are located only about 500 miles from one another. The only other Division I-FBS colleges located inside a 500-mile radius of the UW are Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State.  Washington leads the series 3-2. 

What Happened Last Time

The last time these two teams met was at Sam Boyd Stadium in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl. It was Chris Petersen’s last game as head coach of the Huskies and he led his team to a 31-point victory over his former team. Cornerback Elijah Molden earned MVP honors thanks to an interception and a forced fumble. The Huskies held the Broncos to just 266 yards of total offense. Washington built a 17-0 halftime lead and extended that lead to 24-0 early in the third. Quarterback Jaylen Henderson, who had come off the bench earlier in the season and led the Broncos to a conference title, came off the bench again in the second half and led the Broncos on their only scoring drive with a 10-yard screen pass to George Holani.  Hank Bachmeier, who was starting his first game in six games, went 10 of 19 for 87 yards and two interceptions in the first half. 

Players to Watch 

WASHINGTON

SR., MICHAEL PENIX JR., QB #9

This southpaw out of Tampa, FL has flourished in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve all seen the stats and the highlights. He’s a great arm talent with the agility to make people miss and keep the play alive. It doesn’t hurt that he has a plethora of weapons to his disposal but he still has to do his part to make things go. Penix threw for 31 TDs and just 8 INTs a season ago and averaged over 350 yards per game through the air. If Boise State wants to slow this passing attack down they will have to get some assemblance of pressure on Penix Jr.

JR., BRALEN TRICE, EDGE #8

Everyone that knows and covers UW football will tell you that Bralen Trice will be playing football on Sundays. This edge rusher from Phoenix, AZ led the team with nine sacks a year ago. Trice will be standing up most of the game and uses his speed and strength to beat whatever the opposing offense tries to throw at him. He tosses would-be blockers aside like rag dolls and eats quarterbacks for lunch. 

SR., ZION TUPUOLA-FETUI, EDGE #4

You read that right. Not only do the Huskies have one edge rusher to worry about, they have two! Opposite of Trice is Zion Tupuola-Fetui from Pearl City, HI. This senior had to split time last year, but is poised to have an even bigger year this year. “ZTF” is “out to prove something” this year as one half of arguably the best pass rushing duo in all of college football. 

BOISE STATE 

Rs.SO., TAYLEN GREEN, QB #10

It's no surprise that TG10 is a player to watch. However it’s not because he is going to have a big game or just because he’s the quarterback. I want to see how he looks after a whole offseason of being “the guy.” He took over a bleak situation last year and played remarkably well for a freshman. Yes at times he made some mistakes, but largely he was a key reason why Boise State reached 10-wins last year. I also want to see how he plays in a “big time” game. Last year in the Mountain West Championship, he, at times, looked like the moment was getting a bit too big for him. This game environment won’t be nearly as friendly as the MW Championship game so his ability to lead this team will the the biggest reason for their success or failure.  

Rs.SO., Eric McAlister, WR #80

Eric McAlister came onto the scene once Taylen Green took over as QB1. McAlister had multiple catches in four games last season and posted over 40 yards receiving in four games with a season high 70-yards against Nevada. He has emerged as a deep threat for Taylen with catches of 44, 33, and 35 yards last season. After another full offseason of work with TG10, Eric McAlister could be ready for a huge leap in production. Boise State is going to have to take some shots down the field this week if they want to win and #80 might be just the guy for the job. 

Rs.SO, ANDREW SIMPSON, WLB #10

Andrew Simpson had to fight for playing time last year with the return of Zeke Noa, but Simpson made the best of every opportunity he had last year and is primed to have a breakout year. The six foot sophomore has sideline to sideline athleticism and can make all the plays. He could very well be the next in line of great Boise State linebackers. 

Focus Position Group: Defensive Secondary

The defense as a whole will be under the microscope this season as they recoup the loss of  a lot of impact players from a season ago, but the secondary will face the most scrutiny as they try to find replacements for both JL Skinner and Tyreque Jones. The secondary is a mix of returners and newcomers, but as a whole have not played much. Field Safety, Rodney Robinson is the only returner who started every game last season. Boundary Safety Alexander Teubner played in 13 games last year, but only started five.  Seyi Oladipo at Nickel,  is no stranger to playing, but only started one game last year. At Corner Markel Reed is coming off a season-ending injury in the first game and Jalen Clark only had a sparse roll last season and had his ups and downs. Kaonohi Kaniho played the biggest role, seeing action in 13 games and starting 11. Behind them you have a bunch of guys who also haven’t had much field time. It will be interesting how this group handles the passing attack of the Huskies. 

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. “Unload the Clip” 

Former Boise State offensive Coordinator Mike Sanford said this week that Boise State needs to go into this one “with a loaded weapon and unload the clip.” Boise State has to beat Washington to the punch and play to win. They have to take shots down the field and mix in a trick play or two. They can’t afford to come into a hostile environment and play timidly and expect to compete.

2. All Hands On Deck

Union Bay will be filled with boats Sailgating prior to and during the game on Saturday. Boise State's defense will need to take an “all hands on deck” approach to this one if they want to win, or quite frankly keep things close. With an unproven secondary, both the defense line and linebackers will need to create pressure and chaos upfront and not allow Penix Jr. to sit back and survey the field. As stated before, that might be a tall task as the Huskies only gave up seven sacks all of last season. 

3. Clean As A Whistle

Boise State has to play a near perfect game if they want to win. They have to be buttoned up in all three phases of the game. They can’t miss any scoring opportunities and they certainly can’t afford any self-inflicted wounds. Washington didn’t lose a home game last year and forced opponents to 15 pre snap penalties. No one on this Boise State team has ever played in front of this many people before so the environment could be a factor in this game, however this is what Offensive Coordinator Bush Hamden had to say about it, “It’s an unbelievable environment…as we all know football is football, the question for them is can they stay locked in one play at a time, stay focused,  stick to their keys…the biggest thing for them is the awareness of that and just getting right back into one play at a time…handle the mental side of this game. It's the reason you came to Boise, to play in games like this, but with that being said the crowd noise, the experience, the on the road… can not overtake you.”

Editor Note: 

There’s few things like the start to a brand new football season. We’ve all counted down the days and Saturday will be here in the wink of an eye. This version of Boise State has the potential to get “ back on the map” of college football and it starts game one. The Broncos have an unbelievable opportunity in front of them on Saturday. You don’t get much bigger than on the road, against a top-10 opponent, on ABC, and in the middle of the afternoon. If Boise State can pull this upset the Broncos will be back on a lot of peoples radar. 

Some have said this is a make or break year for coach Avalos and the Broncos. I’m not sure I believe that, but this season's schedule is not for the faint of heart. However, this is the type of schedule that I think a lot of Bronco Nation wants to see. They want to see Boise State play against the best because we believe they can hang with the best. This Boise State team has a lot of the makings of some of the great teams of yesteryear. The question is can they put it all together for a magical run? 

Saturday is a classic game of my heart telling me one thing and my brain telling me another. My heart wants to believe that this Boise State team will be like many others and pull off a classic upset. My brain is telling me that the Huskies are just going to be better than the Broncos. However, I don’t write this from my brain. I write this from my heart! 

Boise State shocks the college football world and gets some of that moxie back! 

Boise State 35, Washington 31