No Huskies in the Bowl Games? Don't Be So Sure

For the second consecutive year, the University of Washington football team won't play in a bowl game.

The pandemic erased that opportunity 12 months ago and an underachieving group of Huskies caught up in the in-season coaching firing of Jimmy Lake fell way short this time.

UW recruiters used to tell prospective players come to Montlake and participate in a bowl game every season you're there.

Well, offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland just left after five years and he played in exactly one postseason contest — the 2019 Rose Bowl against Ohio State.

He missed out on the aforementioned bowl opportunities with his teammates, sat out the 2019 Vegas Bowl with an injury and watched the 2017 Fiesta Bowl against Penn State as a redshirt freshman.

Sixty-seven players currently on the Husky roster have never gone to a bowl game with the Huskies.

All-Pac-12 cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Trent McDuffie soon will leave the UW for the NFL having each having played only in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Considering the postseason disconnect this month and next, we've scoured the qualifying teams for past Husky connections and there are several.

Former Husky quarterback Jake Haener, now that he's decided to stay put at Fresno State (9-3) and not rejoin the idle guys at the UW, and wide receiver Ty Jones will play in the New Mexico Bowl against UTEP (7-5) on Dec. 18 in Albuquerque.

That same day, former UW wide receiver Puka Nacua, now a starter for BYU (10-2), will play in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against UAB (8-4) in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Has it really been 34 years since the Huskies spent the holiday season at the Independence, prompting then-UW linebacker and now the late Jay Roberts to blurt out while coming off a Shreveport high school practice field, "We're playing in a s----- bowl!"

Also on Dec. 18, Oregon State coach and former UW offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith will lead his Beavers (7-5) into the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl to face Mountain West champion Utah State (10-3) as Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Wyoming (6-6) and Kent State (7-6) will square off in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 21 in Boise, Idaho. Former Huskies offensive guard Pete Kaligis, a member of the 1991 national championship team, coaches the defensive line for the Mountain West team. Kent State? New UW coach Kalen DeBoer opens his career in Montlake against the Golden Flashes, who just lost the MAC championship game to the Northern Illinois Huskies, next year on Sept. 3 at Husky Stadium. Of course, Kent State is where the legendary Don James coached before the UW.

On Dec. 22, Missouri (6-6) and Army (8-3) are combatants in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. For the Big 12 team, former Husky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan is the Tigers wide receivers and quarterbacks coach. Also, Missouri freshman tight end Gavin McKay is the son of former UW wide receiver Orlando McKay, another member of the 1991 national championship team.

On Dec. 28, UCLA (8-4) and North Carolina State (9-3) will do battle in the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park in San Diego. The Bruins will take the field with a pair of former Huskies in quarterback Ethan Garbers and wide receiver Colson Yankoff, and a one-time scholarship recipient in linebacker Ale Kaho, all reserves.

Also on Dec. 28, Louisville (6-6) and Air Force (9-3) face off in the Servpro First Responder Bowl in Dallas. There's no Husky connection here. However, former UW linebacker Cort Dennison was on the Cardinals coaching staff for 7 of the past 8 years, most recently as co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach, until he was fired by the school in November.

In one of the best bowl games, Michigan State (10-2) and Pittsburgh (11-2) will play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 in Atlanta. The UW connection? The Spartans, led by former Colorado coach Mel Tucker, come to Husky Stadium next Sept. 17 to give Kalen DeBoer his first high-profile UW matchup.

On New Year's Eve, Boise State (7-5) will meet Central Michigan (8-4) in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl in Tucson. The Broncos' co-defensive coordinator Kane Ioane, the Big Sky's all-time leading tackler as a Montana State safety, served as a UW offensive analyst in 2017 and 2018 before moving to Boise. As for the Chippewas, ex-Husky quarterback Jacob Sirmon would have been involved had he not just entered the transfer portal for the third time.

Finally on New Year's Day, Utah (10-3) will represent the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena against Ohio State (10-2). The Utes got there by starting former Husky Brandon McKinney 11 times at safety. Ex-UW inside linebacker Josh Calvert is on the Utah roster, too. McKinney started this game for the UW in 2019.

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