Washington, QB Jake Browning Playing for National Respect in Fiesta Bowl
Both Penn State and Washington enter the Fiesta Bowl seeking to avenge defeat and win a NY6 bowl game for the first time in the playoff era.
The Nittany Lions (10-2, 7-2) saw their two-touchdown third quarter lead swindle away to USC, a 52-49 defeat in the Rose Bowl. UW, one of four teams to play in last years College Football Playoffs, led briefly against top-ranked Alabama before losing 24-7 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
With the Huskies (10-2, 7-2) ranked two spots lower in the final CFP rankings, ranking No. 11 behind No. 9 PSU. It took Chris Petersen only three seasons as head coach to get UW to its first 10-win season in over a decade.
He did it again in 2017, but still, UW quarterback Jake Browning doesn’t see the Huskies having the same national recognition as their Fiesta Bowl opponent.
“Penn State’s been a team and a program that’s been good for a lot of years and has a lot of national respect, and I don’t necessarily think we have that,” Browning said Tuesday during the Huskies media session.
Prior to arriving in Phoenix, Arizona on Christmas Eve, the Huskies signal-caller noted that UW has not won a major bowl game in his time in Seattle. Adding “no disrespect to the Heart of Dallas Bowl,” Browning emphasized that simply getting to a bowl game isn’t enough for the program.
Nevertheless. the Huskies sound motivated to face a like-minded, physical PSU defense that ranks seventh-best in the country allowing 15.5 points per game. UW has allowed just one point less per game, at 14.5, and the offense has seen it in practice dating back to fall camp in August.
With Petersen known for dialing up a few tricks in his two previous Fiesta Bowl appearances – both times coming away victorious as Boise State’s head coach – the Huskies will have to get creative to stifle the Nittany Lions.
Enter: UW co-offensive coordinator / wide receivers coach Matt Lubick.
Following the departure of former assistant Jonathan Smith, who handled play calling duties as OC and quarterbacks coach, Lubick has assumed the play calling duties for the Huskies in the bowl game.
With Lubick already in the system Browning said he doesn’t expect any major changes to the UW offense compared to the regular season. But adding a Fiesta Bowl wrinkle, that’s never out of the question.
“I think everybody’s going to have a little big of their signature on stuff,” Browning said on the impact of having Lubick calling plays. “But it’s not like we’re changing the whole offense or anything like that.
"We’re going to do what was a success for us and have a couple shot plays, red zone ideas that we think are going to work against who we’re going against. But, as far as the play calling and all that, I think it’s never going to be the exact same but I don’t think it’s going to be really different either."
When asked if Lubick, who has also spent time as an assistant at Arizona State, Baylor, Duke, Ole Miss, Oregon and several other FBS schools, has put any signature touch on the bowl preparations, Browning wasn't keen on tipping the Huskies hand.
"I mean yeah. You guys will have to wait until Saturday to see," Browning said.
Much of his focus, however, has been on the PSU secondary which features four senior starters: Christian Campbell and Grant Haley at cornerback; Marcus Allen and Troy Apke at safety.
Behind Haley at the "field" CB position is Amani Ourwariye, a 6'1, 209-pound redshirt junior who leads the Nittany Lions defense with four interceptions. The next closest is Haley with two -- Allen and Apke each have one while also being two of the four leading tacklers on defense.
"I’ll look at the DBs a little bit more," Browning said, when asked if any one particular player stood out on PSU's defense. "I’m not really going against the linebackers as much far as personnel. Really like the safety. I think he comes down – plays physical. I think both corners play a lot of football, and the other safety plays a lot of football.
With senior WR Dante Pettis the main target for UW when passing, freshman tight end Hunter Bryant practiced Tuesday morning and has been making significant progress in recent weeks recovering from a knee injury suffered in October.