Las Vegas Bowl 2012: Boise State vs Washington TV Info, Predictions and More

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The Maaco Las Vegas Bowl pits the winner of the Mountain West Conference against the fifth-place Pac-12 finisher and will be held on Dec. 22.

This year's matchup features Boise State, which finished in a three-way tie for the Mountain West, and Washington, which was chosen ahead of fellow 7-5 Pac-12 finishers ASU (Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl) and Arizona (New Mexico Bowl) but behind the USC  Trojans—who will go to the Sun Bowl.

Interestinly, the current defensive coordinator for the Huskies is Justin Wilcox, who was Boise State's DC from 2006-2009.

Washington will be playing in the state of Nevada for the first time in school history.

Boise State finished the season ranked 15th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, while Washington is ranked 23rd in the same poll. The Huskies won four straight games late in the season to crack the Top 25 and including victories over No. 6 Stanford and No. 13 Oregon State.

Game-Day Info

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Where:  Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada

When: December 22, 2012, 12:30 p.m. PT

TV: ESPN (regionally only)

Radio: ESPN Radio and XM satellite radio

Live Streaming: TBD

Betting Line: TBD

Key Storylines

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The Broncos from Boise State, kings of the smurf turf, will make their third straight appearance in the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 22 when they face off against the Pac-12’s Washington Huskies.

Boise State heads into this game 10-2 with their sole losses coming by a field goal or less against Michigan State and San Diego State.

Washington heads into this game 7-5, with losses to LSU, Oregon, USC, Arizona and Washington State.

Boise State will be playing in its 11th straight postseason bowl game. The Broncos have a three-game winning streak in bowl games and an overall record of 8-4 as a member of the FBS division.

This will be just the second time the Broncos have faced the Huskies on the football field. Previously the two teams met in 2007 at Washington with the Huskies posting a 24-10 victory.

The two schools will meet in back-to-back games: The bowl on Dec. 22, then in the season opener for the 2013 season at Washington in Seattle.

Presumably, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott will have his eyes on this game as NBC Sports reported on Dec. 1 that he could be keeping an eye on Boise State and SDSU for potential inclusion in an expanded Pac-12

Boise State Depth Chart and Injury Report

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Offense

X position wide receiver: 2--Matt Miller; 18--Aaron Burks

Z  receiver: 3--Chris Potter; 81--Dallas Burroughs

H  receiver: 34--Kirby Moore; 17--Geraldo Boldewijn

LT: 78--Charles Leno, Jr.; 75--Faraji Wright

LG: 61--Joe Kellogg; 77--Spencer Gerke

C: 65--Matt Paradis; 77--Spencer Gerke

RG: 54--Michael Ames; 76--Jake Broyles

RT: 64--Brenel Myers; 67--Rees Odhiambo

TE: 88--Chandler Koch; 85--Holden Huff

QB: 16--Joe Southwick; 9--Grant Hedrick; 14--Jimmy Laughrea

RB: 7--D.J. Harper; 27--Jay Ajayi

FB: 47--Dan Paul; 89--Connor Peters

 

Defense

E: 8--Demarcus Lawrence; 53--Beau Martin

T: 95--Darren Koontz; 69—Tyler Horn; 40--Armand Nance

N: 43--Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe; 91--Greg Grimes

SE: 82--Sam Ukwuachu; 41--Kharyee Marshall

LB: 33--Tommy Smith;  13--Blake Renaud

LB: 48--J.C. Percy; 36--Tyler Gray

S: 10--Jeremy Ioane; 24--Hazen Moss

S: 35--Darian Thompson; 28--Dillon Lukehart

N: 6--Dextrell Simmons; 38--Corey Bell; 32--Jonathan Brown

CB: 5--Jamar Taylor; 37--Ebo Makinde

CB: 4--Jerrell Gavins; 30--Donte Deayon; 16--Deon'tae Florence

 

Special Teams

PK: 84--Michael Frisina; 41--Dan Goodale

KO: 14--Trevor Harman

Washington Depth Chart and Injury Report

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Offense

Wide Receiver: Kasen Williams (Cody Bruns)

Left Tackle: Micah Hatchie (Dexter Charles)

Left Guard: Dexter Charles (Siosifia Tufunga)

Center: Drew Schaefer (Siosifia Tufunga)

Right Guard: James Atoe OR Shane Brostek

Right Tackle: Mike Criste OR Ben Riva

Tight End: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Michael Hartvigson)

Wide Receiver: Jaydon Mickens OR Kevin Smith

Wide Receiver: DiAndre Campbell (Marvin Hall)

Quarterback: Keith Price (Derrick Brown)

Running Back: Bishop Sankey (Kendyl Taylor)

 

Defense

Defensive End: Talia Crichton (Pio Vatuvei)

Nose Tackle: Danny Shelton (Semisi Tokolahi)

Defensive End: Andrew Hudson (Josh Banks)

Outside Linebacker: Travis Feeney (Princeton Fuimaono)

Inside Linebacker: John Timu (Thomas Tutogi)

Outside Lincebacker: Princeton Fuimaono (Taz Stevenson)

Nickleback: Shaq Thompson (Nate Fellner)

Strong Safety: Will Shamburger OR Justin Glenn

Free Safety: Sean Parker (Anthony Gobern)

Cornerback: Desmond Trufant (Marcus Peters)

Cornerback: Tre Watson (Gregory Ducre)

Boise State Player to Watch

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DE Demarcus Lawrence

DE Demarcus Lawrence should prove to be a key player for the Broncos versus Washington.  This sophomore junior college transfer has the speed and agility to get into the Huskies backfield and break up the Huskies offense.

Washington Player to Watch

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CB Desmond Trufant

Senior cornerback Desmond Trufant has been stifling on the Huskies defense for much of his collegiate career but has come on especially strong in his senior season.

He was named first-team All-Pac-12, started 45 straight games including the first 10 of 2012 before he was sidelined with an injury.

Trufant is a master tackler that is likely to stifle the Boise State offensive attack thoroughly. He is a bright spot on an often maligned Husky defense.

Last week versus Wazzou, Trufant had four tackles, forced a fumble and broke up three passes.

Colorado game, returned to start at Washington State, where he had four tackles, forced a fumble and broke up three passes.

Key Matchups

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Honestly, the key matchup here will be the preview of the 2013 season opener for these two teams.

Though the cast of characters will change some by September with graduation and early NFL draft exits, it will be a good way for these two teams to feel out their next opponent and plan a way to being 2013 with a win.

Boise State Will Win If...

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Boise State will win if it can control the tempo of the game with its defense. The Broncos must come out stifling on defense and prevent Washington’s offense from getting anything going.

Washington Will Win If...

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The Huskies will emerge victorious if they can move the ball on the Bronco defense. Simply put, the teams Washington has faced this year have been stronger and better than those Boise State has faced, making the Huskies better equipped to handle Boise State’s defense.

Prediction

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Washington – 28

Boise State – 21

Steve Sarkisian’s seat may be getting a little hot, while Chris Petersen is perennially sought after by programs much larger than Boise State.

A Huskies win might quell the rumblings in Seattle, while a Broncos loss might make the Boise faithful feel like Petersen has unfinished business to attend to in 2013—namely, beating the Huskies in the scheduled season opener.