{"id":71154,"date":"2024-12-30T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T14:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=71154"},"modified":"2024-12-29T21:32:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T02:32:30","slug":"getting-you-set-washingtons-sun-bowl-prediction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/12\/30\/getting-you-set-washingtons-sun-bowl-prediction\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting You Set: Washington’s Sun Bowl Prediction"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a season that began with uncertainty in personnel and questions about how such a new team would look, an invitation to college football\u2019s second-oldest bowl game is an immense destination. Washington\u2019s 6-6 season will be capped off by a trip to the Sun Bowl<\/a> against 8-4 Louisville out of the ACC. Though there are a handful of transfers and opt-outs for both programs, the contest on New Year\u2019s Eve figures to draw intrigue on either side of the football.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting You Set: Washington’s Sun Bowl Prediction<\/h2>\n

Cardinal Run Game for Sun Bowl<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Louisville backfield was one of the top running back rooms in college football this season, and it was headed up by two true freshmen. Isaac Brown<\/a> and Duke Watson<\/a> totaled 1,588 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground this season. Brown took the majority of the attempts with 147 on the season, while Watson had 57 touches with nine yards per rush.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both players will be playing in the Sun Bowl against Washington. But the offense will be without starting quarterback Tyler Shough and leading wide receiver Ja\u2019Corey Brooks<\/a> who have both opted out to prepare for the next level. As such, this running back duo will get a lot of work on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff Brohm’s Scheme<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Disciplined defense is a necessity when playing Jeff Brohm\u2019s offense. That\u2019s because he is going to spread the field with wide splits, utilize wide receiver choice routes and mesh concepts, and hit plays over the top when the defense begins to over-anticipate. On top of that, the spread attack can create significant openings in the run game. It\u2019s an air raid, and it\u2019s going to be the most strenuous offense the Husky defense has seen this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cardinal Passing Options<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Brohm is going to get the football to his primary receiver. That had been Brooks all season. But with him opting out, look for Caullin Lacy<\/a> to be the most targeted pass catcher. Louisville’s wide receiver routes are drawn up to get the primary open. One way will be with the mesh concept where receivers cross over the middle, creating congestion and a trailing defender. The receiver gets a step and can haul the football in on the run.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another way is by utilizing the defender’s anticipation against him. Repetitive quick hook routes and sideline patterns for short gains can pull the coverage defender in. When this happens, look for the Louisville offense to dial up a vertical receiver choice route or a stop-and-go. When coverage anticipation begins to seep in, Brohm will hit routes over the top for large gains. Even without Shough, Brohm will use Harrison Bailey<\/a> in a similar way. The question is whether or not his arm strength can take the top off.<\/span><\/p>\n

Husky Pass Defense<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Huskies finished the regular season with a top-five passing defense statistically. It allowed just 166 passing yards per game and a success rate of just 37.3% (20th nationally). Against USC earlier this season<\/a>, Washington allowed its most passing yards in a single game with 293. The Trojans passed the ball 50 times, but the Huskies allowed just two throws of more than 20 yards and pulled down three interceptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Against Louisville, the Washington defense will be tested similarly. Brohm throws the ball an average of 33 times per game. Outside of USC, that\u2019s the most a Husky opponent has averaged this season. Washington\u2019s defensive success in the Sun Bowl will be predicated on whether or not it can remain disciplined in the back end as to limit the over-the-top plays caused by over-anticipation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ground Attack<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The other way the Cardinals beat opposing defenses is on the ground. The Cardinals\u2019 running game was one of the most effective on a per-carry basis this season. Brown averaged over seven yards per carry and Watson\u2019s nine yards per carry was the most in the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

This works because of the spread formation of Brohm\u2019s offense. With all parts of the field occupied by the passing game, look for Brohm to call delayed handoffs out of the shotgun formation. With defensive fronts attempting to set the edge, it\u2019s common for the Cardinals\u2019 offense to sell the pass to set up the run. This creates large openings at the point of attack for the run game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Husky Run Defense<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Washington rates outside the top 100 in defensive success rate against the run. It\u2019s allowing 43.8% success and an average of 158 rush yards per game with 4.5 yards per carry. In the Huskies’ most recent matchup, Oregon carried the football six yards per attempt with over 200 yards. The Ducks don\u2019t run the same offense as Louisville. But it spreads the field in a similar fashion and was able to find a lot of success on the ground. Washington has to be disciplined at setting the edge up front and not over-penetrating the outside to allow for gaps in the formation that Louisville can carve up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams’ Sun Bowl Opportunity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Demond Williams Jr.<\/a> will be the starting quarterback in the Sun Bowl for Washington. Jedd Fisch made this clear in the weeks leading up to the bowl game. The Cardinals have seen a handful of mobile quarterbacks this season in the ACC. Riley Leonard<\/a>, Haynes King<\/a>, and Kevin Jennings<\/a> are a few of them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Leonard rushed on 11 designed runs for 53 yards and a touchdown against Louisville. King had 12 designed runs for 58 yards and a score on the Cardinals. Jennings had six designed carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled three times for 41 yards in that game for a season-high 109 rushing yards. <\/span>But Williams isn’t a “mobile quarterback.” He’s a true dual threat. The true freshman brings a different kind of athleticism to the quarterback position than what the Cardinals have seen this season. There will be plenty of times that Williams will use his explosiveness to keep drives alive and find large areas of open field.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cardinals will also be without their top havoc-creating player on defense. Ashton Gillotte<\/a> has opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. He led the team in tackles for loss (10), quarterback hurries (10), and sacks (4.5). Washington\u2019s situation at left tackle is fluid as well. Kahlee Tafai<\/a> started each of the last four games for the Huskies but has transferred to Minnesota and will not play. Maximus McCree<\/a> is now out of his thumb cast and will start at the position. He started four games this season and allowed three sacks. The remainder of the offensive line should look the same as it did against Oregon in the Sun Bowl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Washington – 31<\/span><\/p>\n

Louisville – 30<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a season that began with uncertainty in personnel and questions about how such a new team would look, an invitation to college football\u2019s second-oldest bowl game is an immense destination. Washington\u2019s 6-6 season will be capped off by a trip to the Sun Bowl against 8-4 Louisville out of the ACC. Though there are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3944,"featured_media":71172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,5],"tags":[34691,33155,1666,1235,90,5709,4441,509],"class_list":["post-71154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-acc","category-bigten","tag-caullin-lacy","tag-demond-williams-jr","tag-jedd-fisch","tag-jeff-brohm","tag-louisville-cardinals","tag-louisville-football","tag-sun-bowl","tag-washington-huskies"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71154"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71173,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71154\/revisions\/71173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}