The Washington Huskies face the Boise State Broncos in the LA Bowl on Saturday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. This will be the seventh meeting between the two teams, with the Huskies leading the series (4-2). The Broncos made the LA Bowl after winning the Mountain West conference for the second year in a row, finishing (9-4) for the season. Facing a tough Boise State team, Washington will need to be strong on both sides of the ball to finish the season on a high note.
Huskies seek a fast start on offense by avoiding turnovers
Washington has struggled to score early in games on the road this season. The last time the Huskies scored a touchdown in the first quarter away from home was in week four against Washington State. On Saturday, Washington must find ways to sustain drives early with sharp execution and avoid mistakes. Turnovers have plagued the Huskies’ offense in the first two quarters of road games throughout the year, ruining potential scoring drives.
Settling QB Demond Williams in early is crucial for Washington
This season, Demond Williams has thrown an interception in three of the Huskies’ five games away from Husky Stadium. Williams needs to be careful with the football against an aggressive Boise State defense, which has forced 22 turnovers this season. Washington can simplify the game for Williams by establishing the run early with Jonah Coleman and Adam Mohammed against the Broncos. Giving Williams quick reads and short passes will also help build his confidence. By making the game easier for their quarterback, Washington can avoid turnovers and get off to a better start on offense. The Huskies are averaging 11 more points per half when avoiding first-half turnovers (scoring an average of 21 points in those halves).
The Huskies hope two DBs will return against Boise State
Washington’s defense was burned against Oregon two weeks ago in the passing game. Dante Moore threw for 286 yards, completed 69% of his passes, and had one big passing touchdown. The Huskies’ secondary had a lapse in coverage on a critical third and nine, which led to a 64-yard TD pass to Malik Benson. Playing without starting CB Tacario Davis and S Makell Esteen made facing Moore a tough task for Washington’s secondary. Esteen and Davis are tied for most interceptions in the Huskies’ defensive backfield with S Alex McLaughlin. Having Davis and Esteen back this week would be a big boost to Washington’s secondary.
The Huskies face a rejuvenated Broncos’ QB
Boise State’s junior QB Maddux Madsen returned from injury last week. The Broncos quarterback had been dealing with a lower leg injury, which kept him out for a month. In his return against UNLV, he was 17/31 passing, threw for 289 yards, and had three passing touchdowns. Madsen also ran for a touchdown to finish the game with four total touchdowns. When the Huskies face Madsen on Saturday, they must be able to fluster him. Against another good veteran QB, Luke Altmyer, Washington effectively mixed coverage schemes to force him to throw two interceptions. The Huskies need to have a similar game plan to disrupt Madsen on Saturday.
Washington’s defense must stay aggressive and force turnovers
Winning the turnover battle will be big for the Huskies this weekend. Against Oregon, Washington was unable to force a takeaway. The Huskies lost the turnover battle (2-0) against the Ducks and the game 26-14. Washington has won by winning the turnover battle, posting a (4-1) record this season in those games. S Alex McLaughlin has been a game-changer for the Huskies. He is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two (one of which was a pick-six). McLaughlin also had a fumble return for a touchdown against UCLA. He will be looking to make another impact play on Saturday against Boise State.
The Broncos have played cleaner football in their last four games
Boise State has either tied or won the turnover battle in each of its last four contests. Also, the Broncos have only two giveaways in that stretch of games. Which means the Huskies will need to be more aggressive with their defensive play-calling to get Boise State’s offense out of its rhythm. Expect Washington’s defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters, to mix coverages and blitz more to try to help his defense create takeaways.
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