What We Learned: LA Bowl

It was a dominant win for the Huskies in SoFi on Saturday night, as they demolished the Boise State Broncos 38-10, capping the season with a 9-4 record and some positive momentum headed into next year. For the final time this season, let’s get to what we learned!

Eruption

It was a slow start for the Husky offense, as they only managed 3 points in the first quarter, and had 2 drives end on punts in the second. Then…it happened.

Demond took the snap from under center, evaded the rush, and fired a bomb downfield to Denzel Boston. Of course, Boston, surehanded as he is, caught the ball and took a leisurely stroll 78 yards to the endzone. This might’ve been the easiest touchdown I’ve ever seen. And from there, the floodgates opened. This offense basically could do no wrong, as the next 3 drives featured a 6 yard touchdown pass to Dezmen Roebuck, a 3 yard TD pass to Raiden Vines-Bright, and the end of the half.

Do you think they’d let up? No. Their first drive in the 3rd saw Quentin Moore (in his final college game) get wide open for a 32 yard score, and a spike that would’ve made the LA Bowl’s presenter, Gronk, proud!

Overall, this was probably the best representation for the ‘25 Husky offense. A slow start engenders nervousness, but once we get rolling, it’s impossible to slow this train down. The conductor of said train, the sophomore Demond Williams, put on a show, going 15/24 for 215 yards and 4 touchdowns, winning offensive MVP in his most complete performance in a Husky uniform since the Illinois game! If this is how the offense is heading into this next season, then I am very excited. But I would be remiss if I didn’t shout out our seniors, and those who are headed to the draft. Jonah Coleman (12 carries, 85 yards, 1 touchdown), OL Carver Willis, and Denzel Boston (6 catches, 126 yards, 1 touchdown) all delivered a fitting curtain call to their college careers, and I will remember all of them, including Quentin Moore, incredibly fondly! Well done by all of our seniors, and Jedd for calling a great game!

Xe’Ree, Foxtrot Tango Whiskey

The LA Bowl’s defensive MVP, Xe’Ree Alexander, was everywhere on defense for the Dawgs. He racked up 7 tackles in total, 1 sack, 2 pass deflections, an interception returned for 29 yards, and even a kickoff return for 22 yards. His stock has risen incredibly fast throughout the year, as since the Maryland game, he had 5 tackles in every game save for the Oregon game. His PFF grades have also risen dramatically, as his 84.2 total grade is the second highest of his season.

His rise has mirrored the rise in consistency of play in the defense as a whole, as Boise State’s 2 QBs combined to throw 5 picks, which led to 14 of the Huskies’ 38 points. It seems as though this unit peaked at the right time, and if Walters sticks around, it’ll be exciting to see how big of a leap this defense can take! This defense has athletes everywhere, even 300 pound Deshawn Lynch. The big man rumbled for 57 yards, but the turf monster brought him down. He’s got to work on holding the football though!

Migratory Fisch

Of course, the good vibes had a cloud hanging over them, as the carousel never ceases turning. Speculation picked up about Jedd Fisch potentially being next in line for the Michigan head coaching job. If the players were concerned about Fisch migrating east to Ann Arbor, they certainly didn’t show it on the field. The job is done, and now we wait. We as fans have been through this before, and it was harder to take last time, but with this, I just have to remind myself of one thing: My fandom is bigger than one player or coach. As I have written about before, I’ve lived through the 0-12 season, nothing can kill me! What I will appreciate about this year is the showing of improvement, and if Fisch sticks around, this team is a bona fide playoff contender, but if not, I’ll appreciate the players that he brought, like Jonah and Demond, and the big plays that they both made! Overall, it was a season that was plenty fun to watch, and I eagerly await bringing you this very column next August! In the interim, I have plans for more long form stuff and updating my history articles, and I can’t wait to see what August brings us, with Jedd or without! If it happens, I’ll have more thoughts, but until then, it was a great season with a few bumps, but I got to continue with this column so it’s all a win in my book!

Extra Things

• Kicker Grady Gross went 5/5 on extra points, bringing his season total to 59-59 and his career total to 152-152. If this is it for him it’s a pretty good way to go out, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!
• Denzel Boston has 20 career receiving touchdowns, good for 8th in Husky history.
• Demond Williams’ 4 TD passes ties a UW bowl record, with himself last year and Keith Price in 2011.

We have the offseason, and then an unseasonably early Apple Cup in week 1 of 2026. Thank you all so much for continuing to read this column, and as always, Go Dawgs!