The 2019 Las Vegas Bowl will feature a team from the Mountain West as well as the Pac-12. No. 19 Boise State (12-1) will face the Washington Huskies (7-5). The teams will have a chance to end their seasons with a win. Here is a preview of the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl.
Hank Bachmeier (Image courtesy of The Idaho Press-Tribune).
After yet another winning season, Boise State will get a shot at ending their season with a win over a Power 5 team. They got off to a crazy 1-0 start after coming from behind to beat Florida State 36-31. They went on to win the Mountain West by beating Hawaii 31-10. Some likely considered them an option for the Cotton Bowl.
Boise State has put up a lot of points this season. They ranked 13 in the FBS in points per game with 36.2. This includes three games where they surpassed 50 points in a single game. They’ve used multiple quarterbacks this season. Hank Bachmeier started the season before suffering an injury. Chase Cord then got reps under center, as well as Jaylon Henderson. Henderson took most of the snaps in the Mountain West championship. After some time off, Bachmeier may be eligible to play in the Las Vegas Bowl.
This Boise State defense in no joke either. They rank 35 in the FBS in total defense. Riley Whimpey leads the team with 72 tackles. The Junior Linebacker reached at least 10 total tackles twice this season against Air Force and San Jose State. Another big game from him can really help the Broncos against Washington.
Washington had a down year compared to the past few seasons. They’ll still have a shot at finishing the season with eight wins. They started out the season 4-1 before being upset by Stanford 23-13. They also had a tough couple of weeks when they played No. 6 Oregon and No.11 Utah in back-to-back weeks. They only lost those games by a combined nine points, so they were in it. They ended the regular season by defeating pass-heavy Washington State 31-13 in the Apple Cup.
This team doesn’t necessarily run a high tempo offense such as Oregon or Oklahoma. However, they can be efficient with the ball. They completed 63.5 percent of their passes this year. They also rank 25 in the FBS in red zone offense. Junior quarterback Jacob Eason has been involved in some mock drafts. He has some talent, and it showed this season. He doesn’t get as many passing attempts as some other quarterbacks given their balanced offense, but he could be effective in keeping the defense guessing.
Jacob Eason (Image courtesy of latimes.com).
An example of Eason’s effieciency is when he threw 15-of-22 for 243 yards against Arizona. He then finished agianst Washington State with just one more passing yard (244) as well as going 15-for-22 passing, the same as against Arizona.
Washington held eight of their 12 opponents to 20 points or less this season. This includes 14 points against a USC team that ended the regular season by putting up 52 points against UCLA. The defense could be a big factor in this one.
Washington State finished the season ranked sixth in total offense. Washington held the Cougars to 13 points. This ties their season low in points, the other time coming against Utah.
Washington will be one of the toughest defenses in Boise State’s season. Wyoming is another strong defense that the Broncos have faced, and they only managed 20 points in an overtime win. Washington’s defense can be a factor in this one.
Final Score Prediction: Washington 27 Boise State 20
Feature Image Courtesy of unlvtickets.com
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