Match Recap: Boise State University at UW

On Saturday, the Dawgs faced off against Boise. It looked like it was going to be a tight game against a strong opponent when BSU took their first shot at points at 27 minutes with a penalty kick. Having held them to 0-0 for a third of the game, it felt within reach. A halftime score of 0-13 did not discourage the Huskies, we'd come back from greater deficits - the kickoff did not go as planned, but we regained possession and fought our way into the try zone, with open-side flanker Brian Cain dotting down. UW 5 - 13 BSU.

Unfortunately at this point, we had a number of issues - basic errors in kicking and ball handling handicapped us over the next stretch of the game. Our defensive shape faltered and missed tackling due to fatigue had put us on the back foot and it's clear that the team's conditioning remains a major problem, despite adding more conditioning at training. A number of penalties, a yellow card, and losing two players to injury all contributed to BSU scoring five unanswered tries. The game was out of reach.

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Big positives were much improved ball handling in open field, lineouts, and many new players beginning to grasp the big picture and finer details. The first 50 minutes of the game was a well-contested battle, and as a coach, I take most responsibility for where we fell off, but recognize that player leadership off the field, and group conditioning outside of training is also missing the mark.

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The Dawgs fought hard to earn the last try in the game, with wing Zach Marlesena scoring in the corner, but it wasn't nearly enough. The final score UW 10 - 48 BSU.

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