Boise State Football: 10 Things We Learned from the Broncos' Loss to the Huskies
Boise State Football: 10 Things We Learned from the Broncos' Loss to the Huskies
The Broncos finally know what it is like to receive a beat down in the Chris Petersen era.
Boise State rolled into a newly renovated Husky Stadium and made it a special night—for the Huskies.
From the beginning of the contest, it just looked like Boise State was being outmatched and out played by Washington. The Huskies had all cylinders clicking as they passed and ran their way to dominance.
UW running back Bishop Sankey ran for 161 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. However, it was the arm of Keith Price that did the most damage.
Price completed 23 passes on 31 attempts for 324 yards, two touchdowns and a single interception.
The 38-6 rolling of the Broncos will either be a life lesson that propels them forward in a quest for an outright Mountain West Conference title, or it is going to get into their heads and make them doubt.
Time will tell as Boise State has never experienced anything like this with Chris Petersen at the helm.
Let's look at the top 10 lessons learned in this game, and try to discern what it all means for the Broncos and the Huskies.
Keith Price Looks Great
As mentioned in the introduction, Keith Price played lights out.
He looked in control, had time to throw and made great decisions. He had an early interception, but he answered that in a big way.
Keith Price was the x-factor in Seattle, and if he can play like that all season, the Huskies will be in contention for the Pac-12 title.
Boise State Can't Stop Bishop Sankey
Bishop Sankey has the Broncos number.
He rolled up over 200 yards in the Las Vegas Bowl, and added 161 more yards tonight.
The Boise State defense didn't have an answer for Sankey either time, and his legs did a lot of damage to the Broncos.
The Broncos Can Get Dominated
No one has ever dominated a Boise State team with Chris Petersen at the helm.
However, it has now happened.
It had to be a shock to every Broncos fan, but don't expect it to become a habit.
It will be interesting to see how Petersen responds personally, and it will be equally interesting to see how his players respond.
Washington Is Way Underrated
If you watched the game between the Huskies and the Broncos, it wasn't as if Boise State looked horrible.
It was however, an amazing display of how good the Huskies can be.
They were not ranked to start the season, but after this thumping of Boise State, expect them to land somewhere in the teens when new rankings come out.
Boise State Has at Least Two Really Good Running Backs
A bright spot on the night, if there was one for Boise State, was that it looks like the Broncos have a solid run game.
Jay Ajayi looked great, and true freshman Aaron Baltazar certainly looked impressive.
Ajayi carried 23 times for 93 yards and Baltazar carried 10 times for 49 yards himself. It wasn't a dominating performance by either player, but they did look very good at times.
That should bode well for Boise State.
Boise States' Pass Rush Looked Weak
Boise States' pass rush, wait; what pass rush?
The Broncos didn't pressure quarterback Keith Price very much at all Saturday night. It was a curious display by a Boise State defense to not see that kind of action.
You have to believe the Boise State coaching staff will do everything it can to figure out why.
Broncos Young Secondary Needs Improvement
It started off great for Boise State. Early in the first quarter sophomore Donte Deayon intercepted a Keith Price pass.
However, it was all down hill from there.
The Broncos' secondary had serious holes in his game on Saturday. They must figure that out quick, as Fresno State is just around the corner.
The Bulldogs have an even better passing attack than the Huskies.
The Boise State Defense Couldn't Handle the Hurry Up Offense
The hurry up offense tired out the Broncos' defense.
From the first quarter it was easy to see that Boise State was going to have a hard time keeping up with the Huskies offense.
By the second half, the Broncos were exhausted, and it showed in the way of 28 second-half points for Washington.
The Broncos Won't Bust the BCS in the Last Year of the Current System
Boise State fans have to be very disappointed knowing that the Broncos won't bust the BCS in the last year of the system.
It would have seemed appropriate for them to finish it out with another BCS run, but it just wasn't meant to be.
However, Bronco Nation can be proud of what their team has done over the last seven seasons.
The Fans of Boise State Will Be Tested
When Boise State lost to Michigan State in the opening game last season, many Broncos fan leveled harsh criticism at their beloved team.
Joe Southwick took the brunt of it, but offensive coordinator Robert Prince shared the wealth.
Fast forward one year, and it may be that the same kind of comments that come flying. However, the defense may get the load of them this time around.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the fanbase responds.
The biggest question might be whether or not the fans will still show up in great numbers to support the Broncos, even after a loss like this.
Only time will tell, but it will certainly show the level of loyalty they have.