The Good, The Bad & The Unknown: Boise State

The Good

Fightin back (any way, any how) - I truly thought that Huskies were buried early in the third quarter, but clearly they didn't. The team showed a lot of heart by not packing it up on the road in a game no one expected  them to win anyways and even thought they didn't get the win, I feel like it really helps them going forward. Also have to give the players and staff credit for finding any way to score when their offense could do almost nothing.

Special teams - The Huskies damn near did the unthinkable.. win a game almost completely with special teams. Pettis' return, Micken's punt block and a couple of made field goals from Van Winkle before the final miss really carried the Huskies in a tough game.

2nd half defense - They were a scary unit in the first half, but came together in the second to lock down a limited offense the way they should and just about everything possible to win despite having a ton of starters and players all over the field.

Azeem Victor - Victor looked every bit the big, menacing linebacker in the middle this team has needed for a long, long time. He put together a huge start to finish performance and was crucial in keeping Boise State from breaking away in the first half when the rest of the front seven was struggling.

Budda Baker - Baker was a lot more noticeable than he was last year and regularly showed the unreal range he has for a safety. He seemed to be in the area to make a play every time Boise State tried to throw down field.

Cory Littleton - It took a while, but Littleton looked like he might be able to fill a little bit of that pass rusher role the Huskies desperately need with Hau'oli Kikaha and Andrew Hudson gone.

The Bad

Slow start/first half - It was a bit of deja vu when the Huskies came out slow again and didn't seem to settle in at all until the second half. One of the ugliest first halves I have seen from a Husky team, the first half of the game reminded me a lot of the Cactus Bowl.

The entire offense and everything about it - I simply don't see this team competing in the Pac-12 if their offense is going to be that limited in every aspect. Give credit to Boise State defense, but the offense looked soft up front and completely devoid of playmakers pretty much the entire game.

Tackling - I was reminded of a comparison that I think I heard during the Cactus Bowl... You saw more missed tackles in one half of Husky football right there than you will see in the entire Seahawks season. Enough said.

The Unknown

Boise State? How good was that Boise State team? I really don't know. They seemed to have a good offensive line, but it probably wouldn't be in the top half of the Pac-12 and their defense was good, but was also playing an entirely new offensive line and true freshman quarterback in his first start at home, so the deck was stacked for them. I hope that nearly beating a ranked team on the road means the Huskies will be better than expected in 2015, but I really don't know if it does based on how average Boise State seemed to me.

Mindset going forward? The Huskies did better on paper than I thought they would, but also looked even worse on offense than I thought they would and still are 0-1 at the end of the day. Did their second half performance create some momentum going into the rest of the season?

Jake Browning? Browning looked solid at time and managed the game enough to keep the Huskies in it, but let's not get too excited. With offenses these days, a lot more is expected of even true freshmen starters in their first game. Did Browning do enough to solidify himself as the permanent starter? I don't know.

Dwayne Washington? Washington was actually the team's most proven returning player on offense, but he just didn't look like the long-term answer at running back. His line wasn't stellar and Boise State has a very good defense, but the experienced player didn't seem to hit holes hard, fumbled early and never seemed to grind out extra yards. Will he be able to bounce back against softer competition?