Who are the Washington Huskies? What to know about Boise State’s bowl opponent
The Boise State football program made a name for itself in the late 2000s and early 2010s as the little team from Idaho with the blue turf that could take on giants.
From beating the mighty Oklahoma Sooners in overtime in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl to waltzing deep into SEC country and defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the Georgia Dome, the Broncos rarely shied away from a challenge.
However, that spark and grit against the best of the best has dimmed in recent years. The Broncos’ last win over a ranked opponent came in 2021, when they defeated No. 10 BYU 26-17 on the road. Their most recent win over a team that was in a Power Four conference at the time of the game was in 2019, when the Broncos defeated the ACC’s Florida State, 36-31, on the road.
Boise State has had its chances since then to shock the nation. Just last year, the Broncos narrowly lost 37-34 to No. 7 Oregon thanks to a field goal as time expired, then lost to No. 4 Penn State 31-14 in the College Football Playoff. The Broncos also traveled to No. 21 Notre Dame in October of this season, but lost yet again, 28-17.
The Broncos will have another chance to set the record straight on Saturday, and this one feels much more achievable than recent past games: Boise State (9-4, 6-2 Mountain West) will take on the Big Ten’s Washington Huskies (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) on Saturday at SoFi Stadium in the LA Bowl.
“We have very, very high expectations here, and as we should,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said earlier this week. “And so playing a team like Washington, we don’t go into these games to try our best, we’re working our tail off to find a way to go win this football game.”
It’s only been a little over two years since Boise State has faced off against Washington; on that occasion, the No. 10-ranked Huskies stomped the Broncos 56-19 in the 2023 season opener.
As is the case with modern-day college football, though, both teams have changed drastically since that meeting, to the point in which both teams have different head coaches.
Here’s what to know about the Huskies ahead of Saturday evening’s season finale in Los Angeles.
Who are the Washington Huskies in 2025?
The last time Boise State faced Washington, the Huskies were led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and head coach Kalen DeBoer. Less than a year later, Penix would head to the NFL as a 2024 first-round pick, and DeBoer would take on the unthinkable task of replacing Nick Saban at Alabama.
Fast forward two years, and things aren’t so rosy for the Huskies. They finished 5-4 in Big Ten play this season and lost all three of their games against ranked opponents. However, two of those losses were against Ohio State (24-6) and Oregon (26-14), both of which are in the College Football Playoff.
The Huskies are now led by 49-year-old head coach Jedd Fisch, who replaced DeBoer in 2024. Fisch has spent time on multiple NFL coaching staffs, and Danielson described Fisch’s team as “pro style” and similar to what the Broncos run.
“They can fit every run scheme, from mid zone to gap schemes to whatever. You’re not going to see them short,” Danielson said. “And they’re very, very athletic at linebacker and safety, and they fit fast.”
Fisch typically runs a pass-first offense, demanding high efficiency from his quarterbacks in a balanced spread offense.
What does Washington offer on offense?
The Huskies are led by sophomore Demond Williams Jr., a 5-foot-11 quarterback capable of causing damage both with his arm and legs.
Williams has thrown for 2,850 yards on a 70% completion clip this season, good for 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. However, he also has 595 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, causing Danielson to call him “one of the best offensive weapons in the country.”
“He’s got that ability where, even if people are in the right position, he can just flat out run people,” Boise State defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said. “So it’s going to have to be a game where we’re going to have to have eyes on him. We’ll have to have a good plan in the run game and the pass game.”
When Williams does release the ball, his favorite targets are wide receivers Denzel Boston and Dezmen Roebuck, who have combined for 97 catches and 1,309 yards.
Williams is the teams’ second-highest leading rusher, but when he does hand the ball off to a running back, it’ll typically be to leading rusher Jonah Coleman or Adam Mohammad. Coleman has 673 yards on 144 carries, while Mohammad ranks behind Williams with 517 yards on 104 carries.
For comparison to Boise State, sophomore Dylan Riley leads all Bronco players with 1,091 yards on 185 carries, while redshirt freshman Sire Gaines comes in behind with 795 yards on 153 attempts.
Can the Huskies run defense stop Boise State?
The Washington defense ranks 22nd in the nation, giving up an average of just 20.1 points per game. The Huskies hang their hats on their run defense, which is allowing just 103.6 yards per game to rank 17th in the nation.
This season the Huskies have limited Ohio State to 149 rushing yards and Oregon to 106, both of which are below average for both teams.
That stat goes at odds with the Broncos’ run offense, which averages 188.4 yards per game and is 32nd in the country.
“Their front plays really, really good. I think two of their edge guys are two of the better edge guys we’ve seen,” Danielson said. “Their D tackles play really well with their technique. Linebackers are very smart.”
The Huskies’ defensive front is led by linebackers Deven Bryant and Xe’ree Alexander, who have combined this season for 125 tackles.
“Their line is very good. Their linebackers, safeties, they fit very well, and they fly around,” Riley said earlier this week. “And we’ve just got to go out there and play to our strengths and be able to dominate and do what we do.”
However, Washington doesn’t do a good job of getting to the quarterback. The Huskies have just 21 sacks on the season, ranking 92nd in the nation, and their leading sacker, junior edge rusher Jacob Line, has just 3.5 sacks on the season.
That spells good news for Boise State redshirt junior quarterback Maddux Madsen, who often looks at his best when given time in the pocket.
Boise State vs. Washington
- When: 6 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
- Where: SoFi Stadium (70,240, turf), Inglewood, California
- TV: ABC (Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek)
- Radio: KBOI 670 AM / 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
- Records: Boise State 9-4, 6-2 Mountain West; Washington 8-4, 5-4 Big Ten
- Series: Washington leads the series 4-2
- Betting line: Washington by 9.5
- Weather: 68 degrees, cloudy, 14% chance of rain
