Whether Chris Petersen wants it to be about him or not, the Las Vegas Bowl will be all about him. Petersen after coaching Washington for six seasons made the shocking announcement that he would be stepping down after the bowl game.
”It’s like a combination between a funeral and a weeding. But it’s more like a wedding,” Petersen said at a joint press conference that introduced Jimmy Lake as UW’s new head man.
Since taking over for Chris Petersen at Boise State in 2014, Bryan Harsin has picked up right where Petersen left off. At Boise State, Petersen left with a 92-12 record from 2006-2013. Harsin has a 64-16 record.
”Obviously personally speaking, there’s a lot of other teams I’d probably like to be playing for this last time,” Petersen said in respect to his former team.”But it is what it is.”
This season, the Broncos finished 12-1 with a Mountain West Conference Championship. Boise State beat Hawaii 31-10 in the conference title game. The Broncos lone loss this season came at BYU.
The Huskies defense which finished No. 23 in the nation in scoring defense (20.4 ppg) will be tasked with stopping a hot Boise State offense. Jaylon Henderson has started at QB for the Broncos the last four games. In those four games, Boise State is averaging 39.7 points per game. Henderson has thrown for 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The 6-foot-1 QB isn’t scared to run, having at least seven rushing attempts in each start.
The story for the Huskies this season has been their struggling offense. Washington is tied for 47th in the nation in scoring offense (31.5 ppg). Washington’s lack of consistency has hampered their season. Four times this season, UW has failed to score over 20 points. Washington will be facing a Broncos defense that allows just 20.6 points per game.
Last Meeting in Vegas Bowl
Washington lost to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2012, 28-26. UW running back Bishop Sankey despite being on the losing team, won MVP honors. Sankey had 279 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. At the time, Petersen was the head coach at Boise State – finishing with a 12-1 record.
Two Huskies to skip bowl game
Starting tight end Hunter Bryant and starting left tackle Trey Adams will skip UW’s bowl game to prepare for the NFL. Bryant a Second Team AP All-American declared for the draft shortly after the season ended. Adams was a preseason All-American candidate.
Prediction
It’s hard to know what Washington team will show up in Las Vegas this Saturday. Will it be the team that dominated Washington State or the team that didn’t get off the bus in road losses to Stanford and Colorado? I can’t imagine the Huskies losing Petersen’s last game though. This is a game that could come down to the final possession. With that said, the Huskies get it done for coach Petersen.
Washington 28 Boise State 21
