INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Demond Williams Jr. threw three of his four touchdown passes in the second quarter, and Washington had five interceptions as the Huskies kicked off bowl season with a 38-10 victory over Boise State in the LA Bowl on Saturday night.
Denzel Boston made a 78-yard TD catch for Washington's first score before Dezmen Roebuck, Raiden Vines-Bright and Quentin Moore caught TD passes for the Huskies (9-4) in the school's fourth victory in its last five bowl games.
Coach Jedd Fisch’s Huskies had no players opt out of bowl participation from their solid Big Ten roster, and it showed in their overwhelming performance against the Mountain West champion Broncos (9-5). Washington scored 38 consecutive points after yielding a field goal on Boise State's opening drive.
“They treated the game as we asked them to, which is a championship game, a championship opportunity,” Fisch said. “As we're sitting here with nine wins, really proud of our players, and tonight was a great football game.”
Jonah Coleman rushed for 86 yards and a TD in his final game at Washington, while Boston had six catches for 125 yards in what might be the junior star’s farewell. Washington scored four touchdowns in a stretch of less than 13 minutes spanning halftime, blowing it open.
“We knew what they were going to play on defense, so that second quarter was just a mentality thing,” Williams said.
Washington dominated its LA Bowl debut in the fifth and possibly final edition of the postseason game created in tandem with SoFi Stadium, which opened in 2020 for the city’s two NFL teams. Bowl officials haven’t confirmed reports the game won’t be played next year.
Maddux Madsen threw two interceptions in a 51-yard first half before sitting down for the Broncos, who dropped to 0-3 in the bowl games following their three straight conference titles under coach Spencer Danielson.
Madsen wore a protective boot while watching the second half of his second game back from a month's absence with a lower leg injury.
“A lesser competitor wouldn't have even tried to play in this game,” Danielson said of Madsen. “That's our quarterback. Do we need to get better? Do we need to improve? Are we going to compete? All yes, but I'm unwavering in the fact that I believe in Maddux Madsen.”
Max Cutforth did little better, throwing three more interceptions — including two on consecutive plays — before finishing with 202 yards passing and a late TD.
Boise State also lost the LA Bowl to UCLA in 2023, but made the College Football Playoff last season.
Williams passed for 214 yards while throwing four TD passes in a bowl game for the second time. Williams also did it last December in the Sun Bowl, and he finished a solid sophomore season with one dynamic throw after another.
The Huskies broke out midway through the second when Boise State’s secondary left their best receiver running alone down the middle. Boston went untouched for his 11th receiving TD and the 20th of his career, the eighth Huskies receiver to hit that mark.
“Once I turned around and I saw there was no safeties and my guy running free, I was just trying to make it as catchable as possible,” Williams said.
Two snaps after Williams hit Roebuck for a 6-yard TD, Madsen threw an atrocious interception to Rahshawn Clark. Williams found Vines-Bright for the freshman's first TD with 1:17 left.
On Washington's first drive after halftime, Moore fought off a defender to catch a 32-yarder for the tight end's second TD in four seasons — although a spoilsport official flagged Moore for unsportsmanlike conduct when he celebrated with a powerful Gronk Spike in a bowl game hosted by tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Cutforth threw an end-zone interception to Leroy Bryant in the fourth quarter, and 295-pound edge rusher Deshawn Lynch returned another interception 57 yards on Boise State's next snap.
Takeaways
Boise State: Neither Madsen nor Cutforth looked good, and their performances probably should raise questions about the Broncos' future under center — but Danielson flatly dismissed those questions afterward. Madsen is expected to return for his senior year.
Washington: The Huskies played superbly under Fisch despite getting one week to prepare for a low-stakes game 1,150 miles from Seattle with 23,269 fans in attendance. Michigan's potential interest in Fisch also clearly wasn't a distraction to a team on the rise.
“I'm fully focused on our team,” Fisch reiterated afterward when asked about the opening at Michigan, where he was an assistant a decade ago.
Up next
Boise State: The Broncos move to the revamped Pac-12 next season with expectations of contending for a title, although their year begins with a nonconference gauntlet against Oregon and Memphis.
Washington: The Big Ten won't get any easier, but the Huskies are a fundamentally sound program. Fisch expects this group to contend for the College Football Playoff in 2026.
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