During a phone conversation last week, Jeff Choate promised his old boss he wouldn't give away any of his secrets. But Choate will say this: If anyone can find a way to beat Alabama, it's Chris Petersen.
"I've seen it done," Choate said.
For eight seasons, Choate worked as an assistant coach on Petersen's staffs, first at Boise State, then the past two seasons at Washington.
Choate just completed his first season as the head coach at Montana State. The Bobcats went 4-7, which meant they missed the FCS playoffs, which he joked gives him ample time to answer reporters' questions about how Petersen got the Huskies into the College Football Playoff just three years after leaving Boise State.
Before fielding questions, Choate called Petersen to make sure it was OK with the Huskies' head coach. Go ahead, Petersen said, with one catch: Don't divulge any details from our big-game playbook.
"I take a lot of pride in being part of what's built there, and I take a lot of pride in the success they're having, but I don't take credit for it," said Choate, UW's defensive-line coach and special-teams coordinator from 2014-15. "That's Chris Petersen's vision, and it's coming to fruition."
So how does Petersen prepare the No. 4 Huskies (12-1) for No. 1 Alabama (13-0) in their Dec. 31 national semifinal in Atlanta? Again, Choate is careful not to reveal any particulars, but he did rattle off some of Boise State's biggest big-game victories during his time on the staff there: Georgia (2011), Virginia Tech (2010), Oregon (2008 and '09) and, most famously, Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl 10 years ago.
"The blueprint has been established," Choate said, "and Chris knows it. He will have them ready to go."
