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Las Vegas Bowl: UW coach Chris Petersen faces former team in final college coaching game

Photos of Washington head coach Chris Petersen, left, and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake are shown on the scoreboard at Husky Stadium after an announcement that Petersen is leaving his position and that Lake is assuming it in early December in Seattle.
Elaine Thompson
/
The Associated Press
Photos of Washington head coach Chris Petersen, left, and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake are shown on the scoreboard at Husky Stadium after an announcement that Petersen is leaving his position and that Lake is assuming it in early December in Seattle.

The Washington Huskies play the Boise State Broncos on Saturday in the Las Vegas Bowl. We get a preview from KNKX sports commentator Art Thiel and Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.

An interesting connection between the two teams is driving the media coverage leading into Saturday, Thiel said. 

"They're calling this the Chris Petersen Bowl," he quipped.

That's because Petersen coached at Boise State for eight years before coming to Washington in 2014. He had great success with both teams. With a lack of playoff significance surrounding the bowl game, Thiel noted, reporters tasked with covering it have been angling for story ideas.

And Petersen quitting at 55 years old, facing his former team in his final game, gave them an easy story line. But Thiel says it's not something Petersen likely wanted. 

"I just think it's about the worst thing that could happen to conclude Petersen's tenure," he said. "He hates media attention. He's like a cat in a bucket of water when you get a microphone in front of him."

That's one of reasons Petersen grew weary of college coaching, Thiel added. Listen to the full conversation above.  

Never miss an episode again. Subscribe to Sports With Art Thiel with iTunes orGoogle Play now. You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.