UW gets the Sun Bowl

[Pharmabro]

I have talked about getting UTEP and the beautiful venue for the PAC X.

But congrats to the Dawgs and their match-up vs Louisville. That is a good football team they lost by 7 to Notre Dame, SMU, and Miami, and by 3 to Stanford. 8-4.

But, that freshman QB Williams looks like he could follow Penix to the NFL. The Huskies could be a force as soon as next year.

[Walla Walla Dawg II]

I fully expect Louisville to either have a bunch of hold-outs for the bowl (and have a close game) or nobody sits out and they totally motorboat our Dawgs. Either way, I have to fly my colors.

Go DAWGS!!

[Michael K.]

and they totally motorboat our Dawgs.

Go DAWGS!!

Am I the only one that pictured Vince Vaugh in Wedding Crashers here?

https://tenor.com/view/motorboat-vince- ... if-5730631

[Walla Walla Dawg II]

By the way....

I WILL BE AT THE GAME.

[DavidGee24]

If Louisville plays all their guys the Dawgs will probably get routed off the field again. Their only bad loss was to Stanford.

[Walla Walla Dawg II]

GO DAWGS!!!!

[Michael K.]

If Louisville plays all their guys the Dawgs will probably get routed off the field again. Their only bad loss was to Stanford.

Their starting QB opted out and his two backups have transferred. They have one QB left!

Who is Harrison Bailey?

Unlike Washington, Louisville’s seen a couple of its most important players declare for the NFL draft and opt out of the Sun Bowl — including starting quarterback Tyler Shough.

The seventh-year quarterback might be a familiar name to UW fans. Shough spent the first three seasons of his career at Oregon before transferring to Texas Tech before the 2021 campaign. He spent three more seasons with the Red Raiders, but received a medical redshirt for his 2021 season after a broken collarbone ended his season early.

Shough transferred to Louisville for his final season of eligibility, throwing for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024. He completed 63% of his passes, threw six interceptions and was an All-ACC honorable mention. Then, on Dec. 11, Shough announced he will enter the draft and won’t play in the Sun Bowl

His decision to sit out puts the Cardinals and coach Jeff Brohm in a difficult spot. Louisville also lost two backup quarterbacks, Brady Allen and Pierce Clarkson, to the transfer portal, essentially leaving one option for the Sun Bowl: fifth-year senior Harrison Bailey.

Bailey, a former four-star recruit from Marietta, Ga., is playing at his third school. He started his career at Tennessee and spent the 2022 season at UNLV where he was unable to win the starting job for the 5-7 Rebels. He’s completed all eight passes he’s thrown in 2024 for 63 yards in four games this season.

Washington took advantage of poor quarterback play in wins against Northwestern and Michigan this season and entered the postseason boasting the country’s No. 5 pass defense.

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw- ... gn=6029210

They are still 4.5 point favorites. Probably because we can't stop the run.

Stop the run

Shough isn’t the only Cardinal star absent in El Paso. First-team All-ACC wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks declared for the draft on Dec. 10, and is expected to opt out of the Sun Bowl.

Brooks, a former Alabama receiver, caught 61 passes and nine touchdowns in 2024. His 1,013 yards accounted for nearly a third of Louisville’s entire receiving yardage. No other Cardinal reached 700 receiving yards.

Without Shough and Brooks, Louisville will be forced to lean on its run game, specifically running backs Isaac Brown and Duke Watson.

The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Brown and the 6-0, 180-pound Watson have combined for 1,588 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns as true freshmen this season. Louisville also has three All-ACC honorable mention offensive linemen: left tackle Monroe Mills, left guard Michael Gonzalez and center Pete Nygra.

The Huskies ranked 84th nationally in run defense entering the postseason. Washington’s inability to contain a dynamic rushing attack against No. 8 Indiana, for example, prevented the UW secondary from taking advantage of IU’s inexperienced reserve quarterback Tayven Jackson when Hoosier starter Kurtis Rourke missed the game because of a thumb injury.

[Michael K.]

GO DAWGS!!!!

Have fun WWD II. I hope you are having great weather. It's actually sunny and pretty warm here today. I mean, warm for Eastern WA in December. LOL

[Michael K.]

I finally kept reading. Louisville really did get hit hard with opt outs.

Additionally, starting edge rusher Ashton Gillotte, Louisville’s sack leader, opted out of the Sun Bowl after declaring for the NFL draft. With those departures in mind, Washington has a good chance to end Jedd Fisch’s first season on a high note.

I'm sure there are Cardinal fans that are upset, but it is just how the game is now. It's all about the $. Adding more teams to the playoffs helps, but I imagine it also hurts. It further removes any importance of the teams outside the playoffs. I wonder how many won't play for Bama?

[D-train]

So weird having a game on a Tuesday Morning.