Washington is NOT a good team. Yes, we beat the @#$@# out of them in their own house. That said . . . Washington is excited to play in the Holiday Bowl. They're angry and embarrassed about the loss to Nebraska back in September. Nebraska has regressed. Entirely too many coaching rumor distractions.
Long story short, I think Nebraska is a far better team than Washington but I am far from confident that we will win.
Allow me to put your fears to rest.
First of all, while the offense is wildly inconsistent and apparently prides itself on playing down to the level of its competition, the Blackshirts are rock steady. I strongly believe that the unit is out for pride every time they take the field and will not let ANYTHING distract them from playing at their best. UW had exactly three TDs this year: One on a blown coverage; a second that was gifted to them when CG fumbled on our own 10 yard line; and a third that was a legitimate, quality TD.
Consider that this was Levonte David's third game quarterbacking the defense. He has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Subbing Courtney Osborne for Ricky Thenarse has made our D a lot better as well. By the time the Holiday Bowl rolls around, Eric Martin will have settled into his new role as a pass rusher. I am sure that Will Compton will be in top form by then as well. In short, the monster D that already smothered Washington will be even better. You can erase at least two of those three TDs. Barring a bad turnover, I honestly don't think UW will score an offensive touchdown.
Yes, our offense sucks a$$. Say what you want about his coaching, but the one thing that Watson does undeniably well is come up with a solid game plan when he has (1) tons of time to prepare, and (2) is confronting a mediocre defense. He has over three weeks to prepare for UW and they are not very strong on D. Also, we should be pretty much completely healthy by the time the game comes around.
I really think the "distractions" are overblown and, in any event, whatever minor distractions might actually linger will not be enough to overcome our superior defense and passable offense. In short, we will pound the piss out of them.
