Final: Washington 38, Boise State 7; Petersen’s Huskies beat Broncos in his final game
The Boise State football team had gone unbeaten in four previous appearances in the Las Vegas Bowl. But a fifth straight win wasn’t in the cards.
Washington scored the first 24 points of the game to upend the No. 18 Broncos 38-7 on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The Broncos (12-2) were trying for the fourth 13-win season in their FBS history, and the first under coach Bryan Harsin. They previously went 13-1 in 2003, 13-0 in 2006 and 14-0 in 2009.
[Related: Emotional loss for Boise State; Broncos’ big loss was all about coaching; Chris Petersen leaves with another big win; Instant Analysis: Washington exposes Boise State flaws; Boise State extends nation-best streak]
Boise State was 4-0 in the Las Vegas Bowl, winning in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017 — all against current members of the Pac-12, including the Huskies in 2012.
Washington coach Chris Petersen was Boise State’s coach for those first three Las Vegas Bowl wins. But Petersen was coaching his last game with the Huskies in this one.
Washington quarterback Jacob Eason was 22-for-32 for 210 yards and a touchdown. Running back Richard Newton added 69 rushing yards, a touchdown and a touchdown pass out of the wildcat formation. Defensive back Elijah Molden was named the MVP with nine tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. The Huskies defense collected three turnovers.
Boise State true freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who hadn’t played in seven weeks, was 15-for-26 for 119 yards with two interceptions. Senior Jaylon Henderson replaced him in the third quarter and was 5-for-10 for 48 yards and a touchdown.
The Huskies (8-5) had lost three straight bowl games before earning a trophy this season.
Follow the action with our scoring summary, news and notes and tweets below:
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
UW — Andre Baccellia 17 pass from Jacob Eason (Peyton Henry kick), 5:32. Key plays: Myles Bryant intercepted Boise State’s Hank Bachmeier to give the Huskies excellent field position, and Eason gained a first down on a fourth-and-1 sneak. Richard Newton gained 5 yards on third-and-4 and the TD came on third-and-6. Drive: 12 plays, 52 yards, 6:07. Washington 7, Boise State 0
Second quarter
UW — Salvon Ahmed 8 run (Henry kick), 6:46. Key plays: Newton gained 4 yards on third-and-2, Eason found Aaron Fuller to convert third-and-5 and Newton gained 8 yards on third-and-8. Chico McClatcher added an 18-yard run on an end-around. Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards, 5:53. Washington 14, Boise State 0
UW — Henry 32 field goal, :00. Key plays: Joel Whitford pinned Boise State at the 1-yard line with an excellent punt, which allowed Washington to get the ball back for a late scoring try. Eason hit Marquis Spiker for 26 yards to get into field-goal range. Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, :23. Washington 17, Boise State 0
Third quarter
UW — Newton 2 run (Henry kick), 10:22. Key plays: Elijah Molden intercepted Bachmeier on an attempted screen pass and added a 31-yard return to the Boise State 24. Terrell Bynum added a 22-yard catch. Drive: 3 plays, 24 yards, :49. Washington 24, Boise State 0
BSU — George Holani 10 pass from Jaylon Henderson (Eric Sachse kick), 4:44. Key plays: Henderson came off the bench to hit wide receiver Khalil Shakir for 21 yards. On fourth-and-3, Henderson threw a lateral to wide receiver CT Thomas, who fired to Octavius Evans for 21 yards. Henderson added a 10-yard run. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 5:30. Washington 24, Boise State 7
Fourth quarter
UW — Bynum 13 pass from Newton (Henry kick), 10:44. Key plays: Eason hit Bynum for 18 yards and Ahmed for 23. Newton, a running back, took the wildcat snap and threw a surprise pass for the TD. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 3:27. Washington 31, Boise State 7
UW — Ahmed 12 run (Henry kick), 2:29. Key play: Eason kept the Huskies’ drive alive with a QB sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Boise State 14. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 7:39. Washington 38, Boise State 7
NEWS AND NOTES
Holani extends Boise State’s 1,000-yard streak
Boise State true freshman tailback George Holani extended the Broncos’ national-best streak of seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. Holani broke a 14-yard run on the Broncos’ first play of the second half to go over the 1,000-yard mark.
Holani, who developed into the starter during the season, entered the bowl with 979 yards. He had 11 carries for 35 yards to finish with 1,014.
Boise State is tied for second in college football history at 11 straight seasons with Texas (1995-2005). North Carolina holds the record at 12 (1973-84).
Defensive tackle out for Boise State vs. Washington
Boise State senior defensive tackle Sonatane Lui didn’t make the team trip for the Las Vegas Bowl for personal reasons, the Broncos announced before the game. He did arrive for game day but wasn’t in uniform.
Lui came into the game with 49 tackles, six for loss, and 4.5 sacks. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown. Lui had played in every game.
Boise State also didn’t have safety DeAndre Pierce, who had been out for more than a month. There was some chance he could return for a bowl game. Pierce did travel with the team.
QB Hank Bachmeier returns for Boise State
True freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier made his return to Boise State’s starting lineup for the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday against Washington. He threw an interception on the opening drive.
Bachmeier started the first six games of the season, and Boise State won all seven of his starts. But Bachmeier hasn’t played since suffering what appeared to be a shoulder injury on Nov. 2 at San Jose State.
Senior Jaylon Henderson started the Broncos’ past four games, including the Mountain West championship game against Hawaii. He made the first start of his Boise State career Nov. 16 in a 42-9 win over New Mexico.
Henderson was moved to the top of the depth chart before the conference title game and remained there heading into the bowl, but an illness kept him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday in Las Vegas. He came on for a running play on the Broncos’ second drive of the game.
Sophomore Chase Cord started the Broncos’ loss at BYU and their overtime win against Wyoming on Nov. 9, but he hasn’t played since.
Schools team up to honor Chris Petersen
Boise State University and the University of Washington combined on a full-page ad to salute Chris Petersen in Saturday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“Huskies and Broncos can agree on one thing this weekend: your inspiring leadership. You’ve motivated thousands of student-athletes to be ‘Built for Life’ — both on and off the field. Thank you for making an impact that goes far beyond football,” the message read.
Quick hits
Boise State was the visiting team. … The Broncos wore blue pants, white jerseys and white helmets. Washington wore gold pants and helmets with purple jerseys. ... WR Octavius Evans carried the Hammer. ... WR Khalil Shakir was Boise State’s single-game captain. ... Washington won the coin toss and deferred. ... Boise State senior WR Akilian Butler’s college career ended on an injury on the first drive of the game. ... Boise State trailed in 10 of its 14 games this season. ... Washington led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, the lowest-scoring first quarter in the Las Vegas Bowl since Utah led Boise State 3-0 in 2010. Boise State won that game 26-3. ... Boise State was shut out in the first half for the first time since Sept. 27, 2014, at Air Force.
THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE
Three keys and three score predictions
Former Boise State players cringe at bowl matchup
QB Jaylon Henderson misses practices
Boise State to face architect of its O-line
Boise State’s NFL prospects will play
Avery Williams relishes special teams role
Zak Hill leaves for Pac-12 job
Harsin wants more support from school, conference
Dinwiddie gets head coaching job
Boise State names award winners
Five things to know about Washington
Boise State regular-season report card
Why Memphis got Cotton Bowl over Boise State
Broncos to face Chris Petersen in bowl game
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 4:55 PM.
