What to watch when UW Huskies face Louisville in the Sun Bowl
Washington (6-6) vs. Louisville (8-4)
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Tuesday
Where: The Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
TV: CBS
Latest Line (via ESPN Bet): Louisville -4.5, Total 50.5
All-time series: First meeting between Washington and Louisville
UW key players
QB Demond Williams Jr.: 76.7% completions, 570 pass yards, 56 completions, 73 attempts, 4 pass TD, 63 carries, 234 rush yards, 1 rush TD
RB Jonah Coleman: 184 carries, 1,011 rush yards, 10 rush TD, 22 catches, 170 receiving yards
LB Carson Bruener: 93 tackles, 2 TFL, 3 INT, 5 PBU, 1 forced fumble
CB Thaddeus Dixon: 40 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 10 PBU, 1 forced fumble
Louisville key players
RB Isaac Brown: 147 carries, 1,074 rush yards, 11 TD, 30 catches, 152 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
RB Duke Watson: 57 carries, 514 rush yards, 7 rush TD
LB TJ Quinn: 79 tackles, 4 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT, 4 PBU, 1 blocked kick
S Tamarion McDonald: 52 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 blocked kick
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.
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.
Protect the kicker
No FBS team in America blocked as many kicks as the Cardinals during the regular season. Louisville has blocked six kicks this season, tied with No. 5 Notre Dame for the most in the country. The Cardinals have blocked multiple kicks in a game twice, including during Louisville’s 33-21 upset win against No. 16 Clemson.
Washington sits on the opposite end of the spectrum. UW has been blocked four times this season — against Michigan, Iowa and two versus Eastern Michigan. Washington ranks No. 126 nationally in blocked kicks allowed, tied with James Madison, UCF and UTEP, and better than only Nebraska, No. 21 Syracuse, Northern Illinois and Clemson.
Essentially, watch out if this game comes down to a UW field goal.
Andy Yamashita’s prediction
Louisville, as an eight-win team, should come into this game with momentum after winning four of its past five games including the upset against Clemson and a 41-14 beatdown against in-state rivals Kentucky. Three of its losses have been against ranked teams: No. 10 SMU, Notre Dame and No. 13 Miami.
Losing Shough and Brooks, however, seems like too much for the Cardinals offense to overcome. 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.
Prediction: Huskies 27, Cardinals 21