By far, the most entertaining bowl game in the opening weekend. The Boise State Broncos (12-1), ranked 19th in the country, take on the Washington Huskies (7-5). Don’t let the records fool you, Boise State may be ranked, but the Huskies are the favorite to win.
How They Got Here: Boise State
There was a bit of a QB carousel throughout the 2019 season in Idaho, but they appear to have found their guy. True freshman Hank Bachmeier started off the season for the Broncos. He threw for 9 TDs and 1,760 yards on a 63% completion percentage. After he was injured in their October game against Hawaii, they turned to Chase Cord. It only took a game, their lone loss to BYU, and they made a third change to Senior Jaylen Henderson. Henderson has thrown 11 TDs for 1,032 yards with a 63% completion percentage. He has also led the Broncos to four straight wins in his first four starts.
Boise State has a dynamic WR duo in John Hightower and Khalil Shakir. Hightower is a deep threat and is averaging 19.2 YPC, which is 22nd best in the nation. Shakir leads the team in receptions and also has six touchdowns on the season. George Holani leads the team in rushing with 989 yards on 5.4 yards per carry.
Defensively, LB Curtis Weaver leads the charge in getting after the QB. He has 13.5 sacks on the season, to go along with 50 tackles. Seven different Boise State players have an interception and Kekoa Nawahine leads the team with three.
The Broncos have a balanced team, for the most part. They’re 2nd in the Mountain West per total yards, and 3rd in yards allowed.
How They Got Here: Washington Huskies
It has not been an ideal season for the Huskies, losing four out of their five games by one possession. Chris Petersen announced this would be his last game as head coach and many Washington fans are hoping that will be the motivation needed to win this bowl game.
Expectations were high and started with starting QB Jacob Eason, a Georgia transfer. He threw just under 3,000 yards and 22 TDs on 64% passing completion. He performed exceptionally well against AP top 25 teams, throwing seven touchdowns and two picks on 63% passing in three games.
NFL prospect Hunter Bryant, led the receiving charge for the Huskies. The senior TE caught 52 passes for 825 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Salvon Ahmed rushed for exactly 1,000 yards and 9 TDs on 5.5 yards per carry.
The Huskies forced 22 total turnovers this past season and posted a +14 turnover differential. The defensive MVP for the Huskies had to be Ryan Bowman. He posted 5.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 interception, and 31 tackles.
Washington doesn’t stand out in one particular area but looks above average in just about every area. They hold teams to just above 20 points per game and score just over 30. Had a few of their close game gone the other way, there’s a real good chance we’re talking about these Huskies as a ranked team.
Player to Watch
Boise State: John Hightower
As I mentioned, Hightower is a deep ball threat. In 9 out of his 13 games played, he’s recorded a catch of 30 yards or longer. He could cause a lot of problems for the Huskies’ secondary and one mistake could lead to a huge play from the Broncos. He also has value as a running back too, rushing 14 times for 147 yards (10.5 yards per carry!). Hightower is good for one or two highlight plays in this bowl game, which could affect the game in a major way.
Washington: Jacob Eason
Eason is not the reason the Huskies are 7-5, but he could have been their reason to be 9-3, or even 10-2. Eason was a highly rated recruit coming out of high school, but he has not seemed to reach his potential yet. If Washington is to win this game, it will be because of Eason’s ability to control the tempo, not make too many mistakes, and put up a lot of points.
Betting Lines: Washington -3.5 O/U 49.5
Cody Goggin put together a fantastic piece on his favorite bets during the bowl season, which you can read here. After reading his thoughts, I agree with him and Boise State +3.5 and the money line is smart, considering what we’ve seen out of the Broncos this year.
I do expect a lot of points to be put up in this one. We’ve talked about the weapons each team has on offense and that should put us into the over with ease.