Tag: Washington

Washington WR Denzel Boston entering NFL draft

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Considered a potential first-round selection, Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston is passing on his senior season after declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft on Wednesday.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Boston thanked the program’s coaching staff, support staff, teammates and fans for helping him realize his dream of playing for the Huskies.

“Growing up in Washington, I dreamed of wearing purple and gold and playing for my hometown school,” wrote Boston, a native of South Hill, Wash., approximately 40 miles from Washington’s Seattle campus.

“Getting to live out that dream as a Husky is something I’ll never forget.”

Boston, who posted 20 touchdowns over the past two seasons, finished tied for sixth in the country with 11 receiving scores in 2025, along with 62 receptions for 881 yards in 12 games. For his efforts, he was named a third-team All-Big Ten selection.

Boston closes his career with the Huskies on a high note, collecting six receptions for 126 yards, highlighted by a 78-yard score in a 38-10 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl on Dec. 13.

In 43 games over four seasons at Washington, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Boston totaled 132 catches for 1,781 yards and 20 touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Mediocre Cowboys, injury-ravaged Commanders aim for ‘some success’

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The Dallas Cowboys visit the Washington Commanders on Christmas Day wondering what might have been.

With a pair of winnable division road games remaining (Commanders and Giants), the 6-8-1 Cowboys could finish with a .500 record — but there’s no possible path to the playoffs thanks to their recent showings. Since upsetting the Chiefs in Week 13 to improve to 6-5-1, the Cowboys have dropped three straight to the Lions, Vikings and Chargers — the latter two at home.

“We’ve done some things that we’re proud of this year. Certainly not the success in the win-loss column, that’s very evident, we’re disappointed about that,” said first-year Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer. “But I’m fueled by the fact that we get to play an NFC East opponent this week and then next week, and we want to win to sustain some success. We have a chance to go potentially 5-1 in the division.”

Meanwhile, the Commanders (4-11) are probably wondering what else can go wrong.

After oft-injured starting quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) was ruled out for the season after appearing in just seven games, Marcus Mariota led the team to a win against the Giants on Dec. 14 that snapped an eight-game losing streak. Washington then built a 10-7 halftime lead versus the visiting Eagles last Saturday. Mariota left in the third quarter with quad and hand injuries while Philadelphia rolled to a 29-18 victory that clinched the NFC East title.

Backup Josh Johnson finished 5 of 9 for 43 yards and an interception. The 39-year-old Johnson, in his 10th NFL season dating back to his debut in 2009, has played in 48 games with a 1-8 record in nine career starts. That win came in 2018 with Washington.

Mariota did not practice Monday or Tuesday as Johnson got the majority of reps, though the team did not name a starter.

“When you’re coaching (Johnson) and you’re talking through different concepts, he has thoughts on it,” said Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. “He’s been in it before. It may have been called eight different names and different systems he’s played in, but he’s probably repped it in a game at a time or two.”

Jeff Driskel, signed off Arizona’s practice squad on Monday, knows the system and also could step in. The 32-year-old served as Washington’s third-string quarterback last season.

Whoever starts likely will find themselves in a track meet against Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense, which ranks second in the NFL with 393.1 yards per game.

Prescott already has passed for 4,175 yards and leads the NFL in attempts (552) and completions (378). Receiver George Pickens has 88 catches for 1,342 yards and nine touchdowns. Prescott and Pickens are among the five Cowboys named to the Pro Bowl.

Despite the playoffs being out of reach, Prescott has no desire to sit out the final two games.

“I wanna show that every chance I can get out there, I’m trying to play, and to my standard, expectations and, not only that — as we’re just talking about how important it is to stop this losing streak and finish this season off with two wins,” he said.

Prescott threw three touchdown passes in the Cowboys’ 44-22 win against the visiting Commanders on Oct. 19, a game Daniels left with a hamstring injury.

Washington’s defense has not improved since. They rank 31st as they allow 382.7 yards per game. Dallas sits just one notch ahead with 380.1 yards surrendered per game. The Cowboys are allowing 30.3 points per game compared to 26.9 for the Commanders.

In addition to Mariota, Washington linebacker Nick Bellore (concussion), defensive tackle Daron Payne (back) and tackle Laremy Tunsil (oblique) were held out of practice Tuesday. Veteran defensive lineman Eddie Goldman (concussion) and rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane (ankle) were placed on injured reserve.

For Dallas, wide receiver Ryan Flournoy (knee), starting left tackle Tyler Guyton (ankle) and starting linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (concussion) did not practice Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

Commanders place WR Noah Brown on season-ending IR

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The Washington Commanders placed wide receiver Noah Brown on injured reserve Tuesday, ending his season.

Brown, who turns 30 next month, sustained a rib injury in Sunday’s 29-21 win against the New York Giants.

He missed Weeks 3-13 with an ankle injury and finishes the season with five catches for 83 yards and no scores in four starts.

Brown has 155 receptions for 2,083 yards and six touchdowns in 91 career games (38 starts) with the Dallas Cowboys (2017-18, 2020-22), Houston Texans (2023) and Washington.

The Commanders (4-10) signed veteran wideout Chris Moore to the 53-man roster from the practice squad in a corresponding transaction.

Moore, 32, has 10 catches for 192 yards and one TD in 11 games (five starts) this season.

–Field Level Media

Washington racks up 5 picks in rout of Boise State in LA Bowl

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Demond Williams Jr. passed for 214 yards and four touchdowns and Washington racked up five interceptions while rolling to an easy 38-10 victory over Boise State in the LA Bowl on Saturday night in Inglewood, Calif.

Denzel Boston had six receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown for the Huskies (9-4), who won for the third time in the past four games. Dezmen Roebuck, Raiden Vines-Bright and Quentin Moore also had scoring catches for Washington.

Jonah Coleman rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries for the Huskies. Leroy Bryant had two interceptions and Xe’ree Alexander, Rahshawn Clark and Deshawn Lynch each registered one for Washington.

Boise State’s Maddux Madsen completed 7 of 16 passes for 51 yards and was intercepted twice before aggravating a right foot injury near the end of the first half. He watched the second half with a boot on the foot. Madsen sustained an injury to the same foot on Nov. 1 against Fresno State and missed the next three games.

Max Cutforth played the second half for the Broncos (9-5) and completed 15 of 27 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Matt Lauter had the scoring catch for Boise State, which had a three-game winning streak halted.

Washington improved to 5-2 all-time against Boise State, and its five victories have come by an average of 28.4 points.

Colton Boomer kicked a 52-yard field goal on Boise State’s first possession before the Huskies dominated the rest of the game.

Grady Gross booted a 33-yard field goal to tie the contest with 4:20 left in the first quarter before Washington tacked on three touchdowns in the second quarter.

Boston got open long and Williams hit him inside the Boise State 35-yard line and Boston finished off the 78-yard play to put the Huskies ahead with 10:06 left in the first half.

Washington increased the lead to 17-3 when Williams tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Roebuck with 1:56 remaining. Clark then picked off Madsen, which set up a 3-yard scoring pass to Vines-Bright with 1:17 left in the half.

The Huskies boosted their lead to 31-3 early in the third quarter when Williams (15-of-24 passing) threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Moore.

Boise State had first-and-goal at the Washington 6 early in the fourth quarter, but Cutforth was pressured out of the pocket and threw the ball into a pack of players in the end zone and Bryant made the interception.

On the Broncos’ next possession, Cutforth was picked off by Hand, who returned it 57 yards to the Boise State 9. Three plays later, Coleman scored from the 6.

The next time Boise State had the ball, Bryant made his second interception of the game at the Washington 40 with 9:10 left.

Cutforth tossed an 8-yard scoring pass to Lauter with 1:18 to go to account for Boise State’s lone touchdown.

–Field Level Media

Everything you need to know about the LA Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Here’s everything you need to know about the LA Bowl:

LA BOWL
Washington Huskies (8-4) vs. Boise State Broncos (9-4)
Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. ET
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
Consensus odds: Washington -9, Total 52.5
Bowl history: Washington’s 44th appearance, 21-21-1 record; Boise State is 13-8 in 21 bowl games

Boise State won the Mountain West championship last week and plays in a bowl game for the 22nd time in the past 27 seasons when it battles Washington on Saturday night in the LA Bowl at Inglewood, Calif.

It marks the second time in three seasons that the Broncos (9-4) are competing in the LA Bowl. Boise State lost 35-22 to UCLA in the 2023 edition.

The Broncos have combined for only 45 total points in their past five games against Washington, but will attempt to extend momentum from their current streak.

The 38-21 victory over UNLV to earn the Mountain West championship was the Broncos’ third consecutive win.

“Obviously, this is a quick turnaround,” Broncos coach Spencer Danielson told reporters. “It’s really no time off. It’s nice that you stay in rhythm, obviously we’re going to have some guys banged up from the championship game that it’s going to be next man up, carry the flag. It is the first bowl game in the country, which is awesome.”

The Huskies did not play last week and are part of a bowl game for the 14th time in the past 16 seasons.

This will be the seventh time Washington has faced Boise State – and third in a bowl matchup – and the Huskies have either won by blowout or lost close while claiming four of the six previous meetings.

Washington’s four victories have come by an average of 28.5 points, while the Broncos two wins have been by an average of 2.5 points.

Huskies coach Jedd Fisch is wrapping up his second season at the school and isn’t concerned about past matchups. He is fully intent on making sure his team doesn’t lose for the fifth time this season.

“We’re out here to win the game,” Fisch told reporters. “We’re out here to play our best football, we’re going to challenge our team to play better than we have and see how good we can play on Saturday, and hope that we can channel all of that energy and enthusiasm up to play our best game.”

Washington’s season included Big Ten losses to Ohio State, longtime rival Oregon and Michigan. The top victory came against Illinois.

–Players to Watch
WASHINGTON
QB Demond Williams Jr. has passed for 2,850 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He added 595 yards and six scores on the ground.

RB Jonah Coleman rushed for 673 yards and 14 touchdowns and was one of six finalists for the Paul Hornung Award given to the nation’s top running back. His versatility was never more obvious than a 104-yard receiving game against Washington State. Coleman had a receiving TD and two rushing scores.

S Alex McLaughlin registered 89 tackles and turned in some of his best work in the Apple Cup with a 47-yard pick-six in a two-INT game. He played big in big games, setting a season-high for the Huskies with 13 tackles against Ohio State.

BOISE STATE
QB Maddux Madsen passed for 2,283 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

RB Dylan Riley emerged to rush for 1,091 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“I feel like it’s a better feeling, knowing I started at the bottom and came to the top to get 1,000 yards and be the lead rusher,” Riley said.

S Ty Benefield racked up 100 tackles and was All-Mountain West First Team in 2025 while playing a team-high 1,070 snaps.

DE Jayden Virgin-Morgan had 10 tackles for loss after posting 15 stops behind the line of scrimmage last season.

–Beyond the bowl
What’s Next for Boise State: Just knowing there is a trustworthy feature running back returning in Dylan Riley is big for the Broncos. Moving on from the Ashton Jeanty era wasn’t easy and Malik Sherrod and Sire Gaines got chances to be the main back before Riley erupted for 171 yards and four touchdowns in a mid-September game against Air Force. A 201-yard game on 15 carries against UNLV a month later solidified that Boise State had a new beast in the backfield.

Eye on the 2026 draft: Washington WR Denzel Boston will have a decision to make after continually moving up draft lists in recent months. The 6-foot-4 Boston is now seeing his name among the top 20 selections. Meanwhile, coach Jedd Fisch is trying to sell Boston on one more season at Washington. He had 10 touchdowns catches this season and stands eighth on the Huskies’ all-time list with 19 career scoring grabs. This season, Boston has 56 receptions for 755 yards plus a 78-yard punt return for touchdown.

–Field Level Media

Boise State, Washington kick off bowl season in LA Bowl

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Boise State plays in a bowl game for the 22nd time in the past 27 seasons when it battles Washington on Saturday night in the LA Bowl at Inglewood, Calif.

It marks the second time in three seasons that the Broncos (9-4) are competing in the LA Bowl. Boise State lost 35-22 to UCLA in the 2023 edition.

The Broncos enter the contest with three straight wins, including last weekend’s 38-21 victory over UNLV to earn the Mountain West championship.

Washington (8-4) was resting last weekend while Boise State was winning its third straight conference title.

“Obviously, this is a quick turnaround,” Broncos coach Spencer Danielson told reporters. “It’s really no time off.

“It’s nice that you stay in rhythm, obviously we’re going to have some guys banged up from the championship game that it’s going to be next man up, carry the flag. It is the first bowl game in the country, which is awesome.”

The Huskies are part of a bowl game for the 14th time in the past 16 seasons.

This will be the seventh time Washington has faced Boise State — the third in a bowl — and the Huskies have either won by blowout or lost close while claiming four of the six previous meetings.

Washington’s four victories in that span have come by an average of 28.5 points, while the Broncos two wins have been by an average of 2.5 points.

Huskies coach Jedd Fisch is wrapping up his second season at the school and isn’t concerned about past matchups. He is fully intent on making sure his team doesn’t lose for the fifth time this season.

“We’re out here to win the game,” Fisch told reporters. “We’re out here to play our best football, we’re going to challenge our team to play better than we have and see how good we can play on Saturday, and hope that we can channel all of that energy and enthusiasm up to play our best game.”

Washington’s season included Big Ten losses to Ohio State, longtime rival Oregon and Michigan. The top victory came against Illinois.

Demond Williams Jr. has passed for 2,850 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions for the Huskies. He added 595 yards and six scores on the ground.

Jonah Coleman rushed for 673 yards and 14 touchdowns and Denzel Boston had 56 receptions for 755 yards and a career-high 10 touchdown grabs and also added a punt-return score. Safety Alex McLaughlin registered 89 tackles.

Boise State’s season lacked the pizzazz that came with Ashton Jeanty’s magical 2024 campaign that included a College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Penn State.

The Broncos were derailed by South Florida in the season opener and easily handled by Notre Dame in early October. Their two best wins came against UNLV, both at home on the famed Blue Turf.

Maddux Madsen passed for 2,283 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Dylan Riley emerged to rush for 1,091 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“I feel like it’s a better feeling, knowing I started at the bottom and came to the top to get 1,000 yards and be the lead rusher,” Riley told reporters.

Defensively, safety Ty Benefield racked up 100 tackles, defensive end Jayden Virgin-Morgan had 10 stops for loss, defensive tackle Braxton Fely had 5.5 sacks and cornerbacks Jeremiah Earby and A’Marion McCoy each had four interceptions.

–Field Level Media

No. 6 Oregon fends off Demond Williams Jr., Washington

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Atticus Sappington made all four of his field goals, including a career-long 51-yard kick late in the third quarter, and No. 6 Oregon held on for a 26-14 win over Washington on Saturday afternoon in Seattle.

Dante Moore completed 20 of 29 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score for the Ducks (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten), who finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak. Oregon is in line to host a College Football Playoff opening round game next month.

The decisive moments of the game came in the fourth quarter, when the Huskies faced a fourth-and-8 from the Oregon 13. Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. found Denzel Boston for the second of two touchdown connections between the two, and Washington had new life, down 19-14 with 8:54 to play.

But a few plays later, Moore found Malik Benson open over the middle, and Benson raced upfield for a 64-yard touchdown strike. Oregon went back up by 12 and sealed its 12th straight road victory with Dillon Thieneman’s interception with 1:20 to play.

Washington finishes 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big 10. Williams threw two interceptions and was sacked four times as Oregon’s defense pressured him for much of the afternoon.

Oregon scored first, driving for a 46-yard field goal from Sappington on the Ducks’ first possession of the game.

A personal foul penalty against the Ducks late in the first quarter gave Washington field position inside Oregon territory. The Huskies got the ball to the Oregon 21, but Williams was intercepted by Ducks defensive back Jaden Canady to end the possession.

Oregon drove 80 yards after that turnover for a touchdown with Moore running into the end zone from a yard out. The Ducks took a 13-0 lead moments later on another Sappington field goal.

Washington took some momentum into halftime with a 12-play, 75-yard drive. On third down with no timeouts left and 10 seconds left in the half, Williams got a throw off under heavy pressure and hit Boston for a three-yard touchdown pass.

Oregon opened the second half with a drive for a field goal, going in front 16-7.

–Field Level Media

Report: Florida not waiting on Lane Kiffin

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Florida has gotten vibes that coveted coach Lane Kiffin isn’t planning to accept a job offer in Gainesville and is moving on to other candidates, ESPN reported Friday.

A decision from Kiffin, who has Ole Miss squarely in the hunt for a College Football Playoff berth, is expected to come Saturday. He is believed to have received extremely lucrative offers from Southeastern Conference foes Florida and LSU — offers designed to lure him from the Rebels, who want him to stay.

But, ESPN reported, “irregular communication” with Kiffin’s camp has left Florida officials believing he is interested in a different dance partner.

Despite their strong interest in hiring Kiffin, 50, to replace the dismissed Billy Napier, Florida is believed to have interviewed at least 10 other coaches. ESPN said that among the group of candidates like Jeff Brohm of Louisville, Jon Sumrall of Tulane and Jedd Fisch of Washington have risen to the top.

A separate ESPN report Friday said Sumrall is expected to decide by Sunday whether to stay at Tulane or accept another offer. Like Florida, Auburn also has “significant interest” in Sumrall, 43.

Sumrall is in his second season at Tulane, after two seasons at Troy, and has an 18-7 overall record with the Green Wave. Tulane is 9-2 (6-1 American) and ranked No. 24 in the College Football Playoff.

Brohm, a Louisville alum, is in his third season with the Cardinals. He has a 26-12 record there, including 7-4 (4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) this season. Brohm, 54, previously had successful runs at Western Kentucky and Purdue.

The Gators also are reaching into the Big Ten with their interest in Fisch, 49, a Florida alum. After three seasons at Arizona and two at Washington, Fisch has a 31-32 record. The Huskies are 8-3 (5-3 Big Ten) heading into their regular-season finale Saturday against No. 6 Oregon.

Florida’s season ends Saturday against Florida State. The Gators stand at 3-8 (2-6 SEC).

–Field Level Media

Demond Williams Jr., Washington in control throughout in downing UCLA

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Demond Williams Jr. passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more as Washington cruised past UCLA 48-14 on Saturday night in Pasadena, Calif.

After its first three possessions resulted in two punts and a field goal set up by favorable field position, the Washington offense finally broke through with Williams’ first score of the night. His 25-yard touchdown carry in the second quarter capped an eight-play, 65-yard drive, and set off a deluge from the Huskies (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten Conference).

Washington scored 34 unanswered points and, for the better part of three quarters, looked prime to hand UCLA (3-8, 3-5) its first shutout loss since 2011.

The Huskies defense held the Bruins to just more than 100 yards until deep into the third period. UCLA converted its first third-down attempt earlier in the game, then failed to do so on its next 10 opportunities.

It was not until Luke Duncan — taking over at quarterback after Nico Iamaleava was injured on a sack — completed a 24-yard pass to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala late in the third quarter that UCLA successfully converted a second third-down attempt.

That conversion set up the Bruins’ first score, as Duncan found Mikey Matthews on a short completion the receiver took to the end zone. The 37-yard touchdown was one of a limited number of times the Huskies’ defense gave up anything to UCLA.

One defensive highlight came late in the second quarter when safety Alex McLaughlin ran back a 59-yard scoop-and-score after the Huskies sniffed out a UCLA fake field-goal attempt. McLaughlin’s touchdown shortly before halftime turned a two-possession deficit for the Bruins into a three-score gap, 20-0.

Williams poured it on in the third quarter with an 11-yard touchdown carry and an 18-yard scoring strike to Dezmen Roebuck. Williams added another touchdown pass of 24 yards to Decker DeGraaf in the fourth quarter. J. Coleman’s 1-yard TD run and DeGraaf’s TD bookended UCLA’s second score: Jamir Benjamin’s 13-yard return of a fumbled punt return forced by teammate Kanye Clark.

Williams finished 17-of-26 passing for 213 yards with an interception. He rushed for 56 yards, backing up Adam Mohammed’s 108 yards on 21 carries. Roebuck led the Huskies with seven receptions for 96 yards.

Duncan finished 5-for-11 for 81 yards. Iamaleava went 16 of 26 for 69 yards. Washington outgained UCLA, 426 to 207, including 212-57 on the ground.

–Field Level Media

Inconsistent Washington eyes get-right opportunity vs. struggling UCLA

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Longtime Pac-12 Conference counterparts meet under the Big Ten banner on Saturday when UCLA welcomes Washington to Pasadena, Calif. for the 78th all-time matchup between the programs.

Washington (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) makes its first visit to Rose Bowl Stadium since September 2022, playing the first of two regular-season-ending matchups against former Pac-12 opponents. A Thanksgiving weekend home date against rival Oregon looms on Nov. 29.

With the opportunity to play spoiler against the College Football Playoff hopeful Ducks still to come, the Huskies look to avoid a letdown this week against the sputtering Bruins (3-7, 3-4).

“I’m just excited about going back out there and playing that game in that stadium,” said Washington coach Jedd Fisch, who was previously offensive coordinator at UCLA in 2017 and replaced Jim Mora as interim coach to close out that season.

“We have talked to our team about what it’s like to play in that stadium and how cool it is to pull up in that parking lot.”

Since winning three straight shortly after the firing of head coach DeShaun Foster, UCLA has backslid with three consecutive losses. Sandwiching a 28-21 defeat at home against Nebraska on Nov. 8 were blowout losses on the road against the nation’s top two ranked teams, Indiana and Ohio State.

“We’re focused on finishing the season right,” interim coach Tim Skipper said on Monday. “… Everybody knows you’re measured when you’re dealing with adversity.”

In its last four games, including a 20-17 win over Maryland, UCLA has averaged just 14.3 points per game. Compounding the Bruins’ challenges is the continued uncertainty of quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s availability.

He sustained a concussion in the loss to Nebraska, which sidelined him in last Saturday’s 48-10 loss to Ohio State. Luke Duncan made the start against the Buckeyes, going 16-of-23 passing for 154 yards with an 18-yard touchdown throw to Kwazi Gilmer.

The run game provided little support, however, with UCLA totaling just 68 yards on the ground.

Iamaleava was labeled as day-to-day by Skipper early this week.

Meanwhile, Washington’s offense has ridden a roller coaster in recent weeks, scoring just seven and 10 points in losses to Michigan and Wisconsin but putting up 42 and 49 points in wins over Illinois and Purdue.

Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. combined for six touchdown passes in the two wins, while finishing with just one touchdown pass and four interceptions in those two losses.

–Field Level Media