Head Coach Chris Petersen and the Washington Huskies (-3.5) are entering the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl as favorites as they prepare to take on Coach Bryan Harsin and the No. 18 Boise State Broncos. The matchup kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and ABC is scheduled to have the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Washington Huskies vs. Boise State Broncos
In this Saturday game, Washington is projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 3.5 points. The Broncos are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Huskies are -175. If one program can create a bunch of points in the early stages it will create a worthy betting opportunity in-game. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 50 points.
Sharp bettors tend to be siding with the over, as the game’s over/under originally opened at 49.
The surprising Broncos have gained 7.1 units so far and are 8-5 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 6-7.
The Huskies have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 15.1 units. The team is 7-5 ATS and has an even O/U record of 6-6.
The Broncos are 12-1 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Huskies are 7-5 SU.
The Broncos want to keep things rolling following a 31-10 win over Hawaii on December 7. The defense did its part in the win, limiting the Rainbow Warriors to just 241 passing yards and 79 rushing yards. Miles Reed had a productive day for the Rainbow Warriors in that one with 87 rushing yards and a score on 12 attempts. On the offense, Jaylon Henderson completed 20 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. George Holani (67 rushing yards on 16 attempts) and the signal-caller Henderson (51 yards on 14 carries, one TD) led the ground attack. Khalil Shakir (seven receptions, 89 yards, one TD) and John Hightower (three catches, 64 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Washington just earned a 31-13 win over Washington State. The defensive secondary allowed the Cougars to air it out for 308 yards. Max Borghi had a good showing in the defeat, recording 50 rushing yards and a score on 10 attempts, along with 58 yards on 12 catches for Washington State. For Washington, Jacob Eason completed 15-of-22 passes for 244 yards and one touchdown. Salvon Ahmed (85 rushing yards on 16 attempts) spearheaded the running game while Hunter Bryant (six receptions, 96 yards) and Terrell Bynum (three catches, 77 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Breaking down the offensive play-calling, each squad sports a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Boise State’s run the ball on 54.2 percent of its offensive possessions while Washington has a rush percentage of 53.0. Having said that, the Broncos have produced 174.2 rush yards per game and have 27 scores on the ground this year. The Huskies haven’t been quite as productive, as they’re putting up 150.3 rush yards per game and have 21 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Broncos could hold an advantage when it comes to RB efficiency. Their backfield has produced 4.5 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 3.5 to opponents. The Huskies have recorded 4.2 yards per carry and given up 3.8 YPC to opponents.
The Broncos offense has averaged 267.4 yards through the air overall and has 30 passing scores so far. The Huskies have put up 245.1 pass yards per contest and have 22 total pass TDs.
Boise State has let opponents rush for an average of 112.3 yards and throw for 234.4 yards per game. The Washington D has allowed 225.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 130.4 yards per game on the ground. The Huskies are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.95 to opponents, while the Broncos have allowed a 5.74 ANY/A.
Offensively, Henderson has amassed 779 passing yards this year, and has connected on 60 percent of his 97 attempts with nine passing scores and only two interceptions. He’s got an 8.20 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.07 over the last two outings.
Khalil Shakir (731 receiving yards, six receiving touchdowns on the year), George Holani (937 rush yards, seven rush TDs, 162 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and John Hightower (874 receiving yards, eight TDs) have all played significant roles lately.
In the home locker room, Jacob Eason has completed 217-of-339 passes for 2,716 yards, 21 TDs and seven INTs. Eason’s ANY/A stands at 7.78 for the year and 6.27 across his past two games.
We also expect the Washington offense to spread its attack this Saturday. Hunter Bryant (743 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns on the year), Terrell Bynum (260 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Salvon Ahmed (971 rush yards, nine rush TDs) have combined to account for 413 yards from scrimmage over the last two games.
Boise State Broncos at Washington Huskies Bedding Prediction
SU Winner: Washington, ATS Winner: Washington, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- As a team, Boise State has produced 4.4 yards per carry across its last three games and 3.2 over its last two.
- Washington has averaged 3.4 yards per carry over its last three outings and only 2.1 over its past two.
- Washington has lost six fumbles this season while Boise State has let seven get away.
- The Broncos offense has recorded 11 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Huskies have accounted for seven such plays.
- The Boise State defense has allowed 11 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Washington has given up six such plays.
- The Boise State offense has created 16 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Washington has created 12 such runs.
- Both defenses have allowed 12 rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Broncos have given up 53 running plays of 10+ yards while the Huskies have given up 56 such plays.
- The Boise State defense has 37 sacks on the year while Washington has just 30.
