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The Washington Huskies put up a fight and had a legitimate shot at an upset of No. 19 Boise State, but the Huskies faltered down the stretch and let the Broncos sneak away with a 28-26 victory in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The teams spent most of the first quarter knotted at 3-3, until Broncos quarterback Joe Southwick connected with junior wide receiver Geraldo Boldewijn for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds to play in the opening frame.
The Broncos extended their lead to 15 early in the second quarter after a field goal by Michael Frisina and trick play that saw wide receiver Chris Potter throw a 34-yard touchdown strike to tight end Holden Huff. But Washington roared back to close out the first half on a 26-yard touchdown run by running back Bishop Sankey and a 7-yard scamper by quarterback Keith Price to make the score 18-17 in favor of Boise State. Sankey finished the game with 205 yards on 30 carries.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter and entered the final frame with Boise State ahead, 25-23.
Washington snagged its first lead of the game when Travis Coons nailed a 38-yard field goal to put the Huskies up 26-25, but the lead was short-lived, as Frisina hit a 26-yard field goal to claim a 28-26 lead.
The Huskies had one final shot at pulling off the upset on their final drive, but Price's pass intercepted by Jeremy Ioane sealed a victory for the Broncos.