A quick look at Chris Petersen’s past success against the Pac-12
By Stu White
The announcement that Boise State’s Chris Petersen will be the new head coach of the Washington Huskies should both excite and worry fans of other Pac-12 programs. On one hand, the addition of Petersen gives the Pac-12 another arrow in the we’re-the-second-best-conference-behind-the-SEC quiver, and all ammo is good ammo when it comes to debating Big XII, ACC, and Big 10 fans. But on the other hand, Petersen’s Boise State teams always performed well against Pac-12 schools despite the discrepancy in talent. Considering Petersen will be inheriting a solid Washington team from Steve Sarkisian, it’s likely the Huskies will make some noise in the Pac-12 North next season.
So, to welcome the conference’s newest coach, here’s a look at how Petersen’s Boise State teams performed against the Pac-12 during his tenure as head coach of the Broncos. (Utah, even though they didn’t join the Pac-12 until 2011, is included for the sake of simplicity.)
All results from Wikipedia.
The Broncos demolished the Oregon State Beavers to the tune of 42-14 in the second game of the season. Later in the year the Broncos would go on the road and beat the Utah Utes by the score of 36-3.
In a rare loss for Petersen, the Broncos lost 24-10 to the Washington Huskies in Seattle. The loss snapped a 14-game winning streak for the Broncos.
Unranked to start the year, Petersen’s Broncos upset the then-No.12 Oregon Ducks 37-32 in Autzen Stadium. Quarterback Kellen Moore threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns.
Ahhh, Chip Kelly’s first game as the Oregon head coach. Yeah, that game was ugly. The Broncos won 19-8, and Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout.
Petersen’s Broncos not only beat the Oregon State Beavers 37-24, but they also beat the Utah Utes 26-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Another year, another victory over a Pac-12 team in the Las Vegas Bowl (the Broncos trounced the Arizona State Sun Devils 56-24).
The Broncos played a Pac-12 team (Washington) in the Las Vegas Bowl. Can you guess the outcome?
The Huskies avenged their loss to the Broncos in the Las Vegas Bowl thanks to a 38-6 win at Husky Stadium.
Now do these numbers mean Petersen’s Huskies will dominate the Pac-12 in 2014? Hardly. It’s a small sample size after all, and only playing one (or two) Pac-12 teams in a year is nowhere near as difficult as playing Pac-12 teams every week. But still, Washington fans should be thrilled to have Petersen at the helm, and fans of other Pac-12 programs should be a tad nervous.
Man, can the 2014 season start already?