Boise State tops Washington in Las Vegas Bowl

Associated Press

Las vegas

After last-minute losses in Washington’s last two games, coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t have to look far to find out what ails the Huskies.

Not being able to finish off a game tops the list.

Washington had another lead late, but was unable to hold it Saturday, falling 28-26 to No. 20 Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl on a 27-yard field goal by Michael Frisina with 1:16 left. Combined with a regular-season ending loss to rival Washington State, it was a disappointing end to what had been a promising season for Washington.

“Our inability to finish is pretty blaring,” Sarkisian said. “Obviously, it will be a point of emphasis for us on the offseason.”

Washington (7-6) had taken the lead for the first time on a 38-yard field goal by Travis Coons with 4:09 left when Boise State (11-2) got a big kickoff return by freshman Shane Williams-Rhodes to the Washington 42. Joe Southwick guided the team to the 12 before Frisina hit the winning kick.

It was the kind of game Sarkisian envisioned, just not the kind of ending he liked.

“We knew that it would come down to the last possession or two of the game,” he said. “To their credit, they found a way to win the ball game in the end.”

To do that, the Broncos had to overcome a huge game by Bishop Sankey, who started fall practice No. 3 on the depth chart before developing into an offensive star.

Sankey rushed for 205 yards against the normally stingy Boise State defense. Sankey also had 74 yards receiving, giving him 279 of Washington’s 447 yards from scrimmage.

Despite being on the losing team, he was the game’s MVP.

“There’s a lot of mixed emotions going on,” said Sankey, who rushed 30 times, caught six passes and scored a touchdown. “The MVP doesn’t mean so much when you come out a loser.”

Washington will play Boise State again in its next game when the Huskies open their renovated stadium in August against the Broncos.

It was the third straight Las Vegas Bowl win for Boise State, but the Broncos had to work hard for this one after blowouts in the other two. The win wasn’t sealed until the 5-foot-5 Frisina hit the game winner.