LA Bowl: Washington cruises to win over Boise State

INGLEWOOD — A purple haze hovered like a metaphorical halo over SoFi Stadium. How many times could Jedd Fisch set the record straight?

Washington’s head coach had already addressed Friday that he was planning on remaining with the Huskies beyond the Bucked Up LA Bowl on Saturday night.

Fisch had been linked to jobs across the nation as openings appeared — UCLA and Florida in particular — and the question arrived once again after Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham committed himself to the Sun Devils, denying Michigan, which fired former head coach Sherrone Moore on Wednesday following an investigation that found Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

Saturday was either Fisch’s final Washington (9-4) hurrah, or a high note heading into the offseason in a never-in-doubt 38-10 victory over Boise State in the LA Bowl.

Fisch, just 30 minutes after celebrating with LA Bowl wrestling-style title belts, faced questions about roster retention, younger players stepping up on Saturday night, and ultimately, if fans should read into his remarks about the future with coinciding coaching openings across the nation.

“I’m fully focused on our team,” said Fisch, who served as an assistant at Michigan from 2015 to 2016. “Our team worked really hard this whole week. We all gave everything we had, and we played at a very high level because of that. And that’s all I would say on that.”

Washington’s offense barrage came in bunches. Tied at three in the second quarter, after multiple empty possessions, Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. found wideout Denzel Boston alone downfield. Steeped in their own territory, the Huskies’ 78-yard touchdown opened up a 10-point lead that would only further build.

“We knew that they were gonna play on defense, so it was just a matter of execution,” said Williams, who recorded three second-quarter touchdowns.

Execute, the standout dual-threat quarterback did.

Williams put a cap on his stellar sophomore campaign, recording a 214 passing yard performance – along with four touchdowns – to eclipse 3,000 passing yards in 2025. Washington’s signal caller earned LA Bowl offensive most valuable player honors.

Huskies linebacker Xe’ree Alexander (defensive most valuable player), who secured an interception in the first quarter, contributed to Washington’s second-quarter defensive stand following Williams’ deep ball. The junior, by way of Central Florida and Idaho, stuffed Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen one yard short of the line to gain on fourth-and-2 from the Washington 44-yard line.

“It was amazing to end it this way,” said Alexander, who surged from second-string to backbone of Washington’s defense by the season’s end.

Alexander’s stop turned into a 6-yard Williams touchdown pass to Dezmen Roebuck, and after Madsen’s second interception, an errant, off-balance throw into the waiting hands of defensive back Rahashawn Clark, Williams found wideout Raiden Vines-Bright for a 3-yard touchdown pass.

The Broncos (9-5), Mountain West champions, failed to get much going against Big Ten opposition, outside of a stellar 41-yard kick return from running back Malik Sherrod to begin the game. Boise State’s first drive stalled and the Broncos settled for a 52-yard field goal off the boot of Colton Boomer.

One lead for the Broncos, the only one it’d have at the LA Bowl, as their quarterbacks — Madsen and Max Cutforth — combined for five interceptions.

“It was a struggle,” said Boise State tight end Matt Lauter, “and it sucks to see our defense go back on the field, have to stop them again and again and again.”

Said Alexander, who recorded a team-high seven tackles, along with a sack, two pass deflections and an interception for the Huskies: “Defense dominated. We did our job.”

When the Boise State fans had the opportunity to cheer – for which about 60 percent of the sparse 23,269 fans in the crowd favored the Broncos – it was for their retiring kickoff tee-retrieving dog Blitz.

During a third-quarter television timeout, the black labrador defeated LA Bowl host Rob Gronkowski in a race to the 50-yard line and back to the end zone.

Two years ago, when UCLA beat Boise State in the LA Bowl, Gronkowski won the race.

On Saturday, Blitz was the closest the Broncos had to a touchdown – until a last-gasp screen pass score to Lauter just before the game expired – and a bowl-game triumph.

“Obviously, it didn’t go well tonight, and I take full responsibility to look at why,” said Boise State coach Spencer Danielson, who will now coach the Broncos into the new-look Pac-12 next season.