Friday, December 2
Santa Clara, Calif.
6:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Pac-12 Championship: Colorado vs. Washington
No. 4 Dawgs Preparing To Face Buffs In Pac-12 Title Game
November 28, 2016 | Football
Huskies and Colorado to face off Friday night at 6:00 p.m. PT.
THE GAME: The Washington football team (11-1 overall, 8-1 Pac-12) heads to the Pac-12 Championship game to take on Colorado (10-2, 8-1) Friday night at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Both teams are competing in their first title game in the sixth year of the event's existence. Kickoff is 6:00 p.m. and the game will air on FOX television.
QUICK SLANTS: Washington has won 11 games for just the fourth time in school history (12-0 in 1991; 11-1 in 1984 and 2001) ... the Huskies have broken school records for total points scored (537) and touchdowns (71) and are on pace to break the 25-year old record for points per game (44.8; record is 41.9 in 1991) ... UW leads the FBS in turnover margin (+1.50 per game) and takeaways (30), and is second in team pass efficiency (184.4) and third in fumble recoveries (14) ... UW is also No. 3 in scoring offense and 10th in scoring defense, leading the Pac-12 in both ... Jake Browning, who is No. 4 the FBS in pass efficiency (181.6), broke the school record with six TD passes at Oregon and then tied that with six more at Cal ... with at least two games left to play, he's broken the UW single-season record with 40 TD passes (third-most in Pac-12 history; three behind the record of 43) ... Browning is third the nation in TDs and No. 6 in yards per attempt ... Dante Pettis broke the UW record vs. Utah with his 5th career punt return for a TD ... he's one of just six players in the FBS with multiple punt return TDs this season ... the Dawgs have allowed just 21 points after turnovers this season while they've turned 30 takeaways into 106 points ... of the 12 times the Huskies have turned it over, they've gotten a takeaway on the ensuing drive six times ... Keishawn Bierria leads the FBS with five fumble recoveries this season, tying the UW record ... the Huskies had a kick return for a TD (Ross, 92 yds.) and a punt return for a TD (Pettis, 68 yds.) in the win over Rutgers ... only twice before in recorded history have the Huskies done that: 1940 vs. WSU (Ernie Steele had an 87-yd. KOR and an 83-yd. PR) and 2001 vs. Idaho (Roc Alexander, 95-yd. KOR; Charles Frederick, 87-yd. PR) ... Ross now has five scoring plays of 90 or more yards in his UW career – four kickoff returns and a 91-yard TD reception ... Ross (16 rec. TDs, No. 2 in the FBS) and Pettis (14 rec. TDs; No. 6 in the FBS) are the first teammates in UW history to have double-digit TD catches in the same season ... they currently rank third (Ross) and ninth (Pettis) in Pac-12 history (record is 18, by UW's Mario Bailey in 1991).
TELEVISION: The Pac-12 Championship Game will air live to a national audience on FOX with Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brady Quinn (color) and Jenny Taft (sidelines) providing the commentary.
RADIO: The Washington IMG Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 17 Northwest stations. Longtime play-by-play man Bob Rondeau and analyst Damon Huard are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. ESPN Radio (Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Ian Fitzsimmons) will also carry a national broadcast.
THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: Washington was one of the country's youngest teams in 2015, as the UW roster included 52 freshman (both true and redshirt freshmen) and 24 sophomores, as compared to just 13 seniors. Not surprisingly, the Huskies returned a great deal of experience in 2016. In fact, not counting specialists (kickers, punters, long snappers, returners), a total of 33 different Huskies have started at least one game in a Washington uniform, 18 on offense and 15 on defense. However, the 2016 roster still includes just 13 seniors to go along with 41 freshmen and redshirt freshmen, as well as 28 sophomores.
HUSKIES vs. BUFFALOES HISTORY: Washington and Colorado have squared off 15 times in their history and the Huskies hold the edge with nine wins, five losses and one tie. Washington has won six straight games vs. the Buffaloes. The series began way back in 1915 when a Gil Dobie-coached UW team wrapped up a 7-0 season with a 46-0 win over the Buffs at Washington's Denny Field. Nearly 40 years later, the Huskies opened the 1953 season with a narrow 21-20 loss at Husky Stadium. Jim Owens' first game as Husky head coach, on Sept. 21, 1957, came against Colorado and that game ended in a 6-6 tie in Seattle. Two seasons later, the Huskies made their first trip to Boulder for yet another season-opener and beat the Buffaloes, 21-12. The next meeting didn't come until 1976 in Seattle when Colorado beat Don James' second Husky squad, 21-7. The two teams next met in the 1985 Freedom Bowl in Anaheim. The Huskies won, 20-17, behind sophomore QB Chris Chandler. In 1989, shortly after the death of their former quarterback Sal Aunese, the Buffs handed the Huskies a 45-28 loss at Husky Stadium. Colorado rushed for 420 yards despite not having a single back over 100 yards. Colorado made it two wins in as many seasons the following year at Folsom Field, handing a 12th-ranked UW team a 20-14 loss. Eric Bieniemy ran for 143 yards and Darian Hagan scored a pair of TDs in the win. Colorado picked up a third straight win over the Huskies in the 1996 Holiday Bowl, winning 33-21. Corey Dillon rushed for 140 yards and two TDs, but CU quarterback Koy Detmer passed for 371 yards and three sco in the win. In 1999, first-year UW head coach Rick Neuheisel, who'd left Colorado for Seattle during the offseason, got his first win at Washington in week three of the season. Marques Tuiasosopo hit Chris Juergens with a nine-yard TD pass with 3:17 remaining to break a tie and forge a 31-24 win. The following year in Boulder, a Rose Bowl-bound Husky team won, 17-14. Washington scored 14 in the final quarter on a TD run from Willie Hurst and a pass from Tuiasosopo to Wilbur Hooks. In 2011, in the two teams' first meeting as Pac-12 rivals, the Huskies won 52-24 in Seattle. Keith Price led the way for the UW, completing 21-of-28 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns. In 2012, Price had another big game in a 38-3 win in Boulder, throwing for a school-record-tying five TDs. Price was 22-for-29 for 248 yards and the five scores while Bishop Sankey rushed for 139 yards in a game the UW led just 7-0 at half. The UW held Colorado to just 141 yards in total offense. In 2013 in Seattle, the Huskies won their fifth in a row in the series as the Dawgs, coming off of a bye, rolled up 628 yards of total offense in a 59-7 victory. Price completed 22-of-29 for 312 and two scores while rushing for two more. Sankey gained 143 yards and scored once on 23 carries while defensive backs Marcus Peters and Tre Watson each scored defensive TDs in the fourth quarter. In the teams' most recent meeting, in 2014 in Boulder, erstwhile linebacker Shaq Thompson starred on offense for the Huskies, rushing for 174 yards on just 15 carries in 38-23 Husky win. Sefo Liufau passed for 314 yards and two TDs for Colorado.
RECORD COLLECTION: The Huskies have broken or tied a few school records over this season. The UW scored 40 points or more in six straight games (dating back to the 2015 Oregon State game). Never before had they scored 40 in more than four straight (1944). Against Rutgers, John Ross' fourth career kickoff return for a touchdown broke Jim Krieg's old mark of three while Dante Pettis tied Beno Bryant's career punt return TD record of four. At Utah, Pettis posted his fifth career punt return TD to take over the school record by himself. He's now just one shy of former Cal star DeSean Jackson's Pac-12 record of six. Against Idaho, the Huskies tied the school record for passing touchdowns (6; tied record set vs. UCLA in 1970) and Jake Browning tied the Husky record for individual passing TDs in a game, with five (shared with Keith Price, 2012 vs. Colorado; Jake Locker, 2010 vs. Oregon State; and Chris Rowland, 1973 vs. California). Browning broke that record with six TD passes at Oregon, taking sole possession of the mark. He also rushed for two TDs, giving him eight total, also a school record. Additionally in that 70-21 Oregon win, the UW set modern (post-1945) records for points, touchdowns (10) and PATs (10) while linebacker Keishawn Bierria tied the Husky record for single-season fumble recoveries with his fifth. Browning tied his own school record for passing TDs with six more at Cal. The Huskies also broke the team record with seven total scoring passes vs. the Bears while Browning took over the school record for single-season touchdown passes with his 34th, breaking Keith Price's school standard of 33, set in 2011. With 40 through the end of the regular season, Browning is just three short of the Pac-12 record of 43 (Jared Goff, Cal, 2015). Also in the Cal game, Ross and Pettis each caught three TD passes, giving them 14 and 11 for the season, respectively, at the time. They're the first pair of teammates in UW history to reach double-digit TD receptions in the same season (they're just the fifth and sixth Huskies ever to reach double digits altogether). With 16 (Ross) and 14 (Pettis) receiving TDs, both are among the top-10 in Pac-12 history. As a team, the Huskies have broken the school records for scoring (539) and total touchdowns (71) and are on pace to break the 25-year old points-per-game record of 41.9, set in 1991. The Huskies enter the Pac-12 championship game averaging 44.8 points per game.
THREE DAWGS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Three members of the Washington football team earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 team, announced in the first week of November. Quarterback Jake Browning (3.38, pre-arts & sciences), guard Jake Eldrenkamp (3.71, business administration/finance) and linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven (3.71, pre-arts & sciences) were each honored and will be eligible for Academic All-America. The three Huskies were the most named to the All-District team since 1997.
QUICK SLANTS: Washington has won 11 games for just the fourth time in school history (12-0 in 1991; 11-1 in 1984 and 2001) ... the Huskies have broken school records for total points scored (537) and touchdowns (71) and are on pace to break the 25-year old record for points per game (44.8; record is 41.9 in 1991) ... UW leads the FBS in turnover margin (+1.50 per game) and takeaways (30), and is second in team pass efficiency (184.4) and third in fumble recoveries (14) ... UW is also No. 3 in scoring offense and 10th in scoring defense, leading the Pac-12 in both ... Jake Browning, who is No. 4 the FBS in pass efficiency (181.6), broke the school record with six TD passes at Oregon and then tied that with six more at Cal ... with at least two games left to play, he's broken the UW single-season record with 40 TD passes (third-most in Pac-12 history; three behind the record of 43) ... Browning is third the nation in TDs and No. 6 in yards per attempt ... Dante Pettis broke the UW record vs. Utah with his 5th career punt return for a TD ... he's one of just six players in the FBS with multiple punt return TDs this season ... the Dawgs have allowed just 21 points after turnovers this season while they've turned 30 takeaways into 106 points ... of the 12 times the Huskies have turned it over, they've gotten a takeaway on the ensuing drive six times ... Keishawn Bierria leads the FBS with five fumble recoveries this season, tying the UW record ... the Huskies had a kick return for a TD (Ross, 92 yds.) and a punt return for a TD (Pettis, 68 yds.) in the win over Rutgers ... only twice before in recorded history have the Huskies done that: 1940 vs. WSU (Ernie Steele had an 87-yd. KOR and an 83-yd. PR) and 2001 vs. Idaho (Roc Alexander, 95-yd. KOR; Charles Frederick, 87-yd. PR) ... Ross now has five scoring plays of 90 or more yards in his UW career – four kickoff returns and a 91-yard TD reception ... Ross (16 rec. TDs, No. 2 in the FBS) and Pettis (14 rec. TDs; No. 6 in the FBS) are the first teammates in UW history to have double-digit TD catches in the same season ... they currently rank third (Ross) and ninth (Pettis) in Pac-12 history (record is 18, by UW's Mario Bailey in 1991).
TELEVISION: The Pac-12 Championship Game will air live to a national audience on FOX with Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brady Quinn (color) and Jenny Taft (sidelines) providing the commentary.
RADIO: The Washington IMG Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 17 Northwest stations. Longtime play-by-play man Bob Rondeau and analyst Damon Huard are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. ESPN Radio (Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Ian Fitzsimmons) will also carry a national broadcast.
THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: Washington was one of the country's youngest teams in 2015, as the UW roster included 52 freshman (both true and redshirt freshmen) and 24 sophomores, as compared to just 13 seniors. Not surprisingly, the Huskies returned a great deal of experience in 2016. In fact, not counting specialists (kickers, punters, long snappers, returners), a total of 33 different Huskies have started at least one game in a Washington uniform, 18 on offense and 15 on defense. However, the 2016 roster still includes just 13 seniors to go along with 41 freshmen and redshirt freshmen, as well as 28 sophomores.
HUSKIES vs. BUFFALOES HISTORY: Washington and Colorado have squared off 15 times in their history and the Huskies hold the edge with nine wins, five losses and one tie. Washington has won six straight games vs. the Buffaloes. The series began way back in 1915 when a Gil Dobie-coached UW team wrapped up a 7-0 season with a 46-0 win over the Buffs at Washington's Denny Field. Nearly 40 years later, the Huskies opened the 1953 season with a narrow 21-20 loss at Husky Stadium. Jim Owens' first game as Husky head coach, on Sept. 21, 1957, came against Colorado and that game ended in a 6-6 tie in Seattle. Two seasons later, the Huskies made their first trip to Boulder for yet another season-opener and beat the Buffaloes, 21-12. The next meeting didn't come until 1976 in Seattle when Colorado beat Don James' second Husky squad, 21-7. The two teams next met in the 1985 Freedom Bowl in Anaheim. The Huskies won, 20-17, behind sophomore QB Chris Chandler. In 1989, shortly after the death of their former quarterback Sal Aunese, the Buffs handed the Huskies a 45-28 loss at Husky Stadium. Colorado rushed for 420 yards despite not having a single back over 100 yards. Colorado made it two wins in as many seasons the following year at Folsom Field, handing a 12th-ranked UW team a 20-14 loss. Eric Bieniemy ran for 143 yards and Darian Hagan scored a pair of TDs in the win. Colorado picked up a third straight win over the Huskies in the 1996 Holiday Bowl, winning 33-21. Corey Dillon rushed for 140 yards and two TDs, but CU quarterback Koy Detmer passed for 371 yards and three sco in the win. In 1999, first-year UW head coach Rick Neuheisel, who'd left Colorado for Seattle during the offseason, got his first win at Washington in week three of the season. Marques Tuiasosopo hit Chris Juergens with a nine-yard TD pass with 3:17 remaining to break a tie and forge a 31-24 win. The following year in Boulder, a Rose Bowl-bound Husky team won, 17-14. Washington scored 14 in the final quarter on a TD run from Willie Hurst and a pass from Tuiasosopo to Wilbur Hooks. In 2011, in the two teams' first meeting as Pac-12 rivals, the Huskies won 52-24 in Seattle. Keith Price led the way for the UW, completing 21-of-28 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns. In 2012, Price had another big game in a 38-3 win in Boulder, throwing for a school-record-tying five TDs. Price was 22-for-29 for 248 yards and the five scores while Bishop Sankey rushed for 139 yards in a game the UW led just 7-0 at half. The UW held Colorado to just 141 yards in total offense. In 2013 in Seattle, the Huskies won their fifth in a row in the series as the Dawgs, coming off of a bye, rolled up 628 yards of total offense in a 59-7 victory. Price completed 22-of-29 for 312 and two scores while rushing for two more. Sankey gained 143 yards and scored once on 23 carries while defensive backs Marcus Peters and Tre Watson each scored defensive TDs in the fourth quarter. In the teams' most recent meeting, in 2014 in Boulder, erstwhile linebacker Shaq Thompson starred on offense for the Huskies, rushing for 174 yards on just 15 carries in 38-23 Husky win. Sefo Liufau passed for 314 yards and two TDs for Colorado.
RECORD COLLECTION: The Huskies have broken or tied a few school records over this season. The UW scored 40 points or more in six straight games (dating back to the 2015 Oregon State game). Never before had they scored 40 in more than four straight (1944). Against Rutgers, John Ross' fourth career kickoff return for a touchdown broke Jim Krieg's old mark of three while Dante Pettis tied Beno Bryant's career punt return TD record of four. At Utah, Pettis posted his fifth career punt return TD to take over the school record by himself. He's now just one shy of former Cal star DeSean Jackson's Pac-12 record of six. Against Idaho, the Huskies tied the school record for passing touchdowns (6; tied record set vs. UCLA in 1970) and Jake Browning tied the Husky record for individual passing TDs in a game, with five (shared with Keith Price, 2012 vs. Colorado; Jake Locker, 2010 vs. Oregon State; and Chris Rowland, 1973 vs. California). Browning broke that record with six TD passes at Oregon, taking sole possession of the mark. He also rushed for two TDs, giving him eight total, also a school record. Additionally in that 70-21 Oregon win, the UW set modern (post-1945) records for points, touchdowns (10) and PATs (10) while linebacker Keishawn Bierria tied the Husky record for single-season fumble recoveries with his fifth. Browning tied his own school record for passing TDs with six more at Cal. The Huskies also broke the team record with seven total scoring passes vs. the Bears while Browning took over the school record for single-season touchdown passes with his 34th, breaking Keith Price's school standard of 33, set in 2011. With 40 through the end of the regular season, Browning is just three short of the Pac-12 record of 43 (Jared Goff, Cal, 2015). Also in the Cal game, Ross and Pettis each caught three TD passes, giving them 14 and 11 for the season, respectively, at the time. They're the first pair of teammates in UW history to reach double-digit TD receptions in the same season (they're just the fifth and sixth Huskies ever to reach double digits altogether). With 16 (Ross) and 14 (Pettis) receiving TDs, both are among the top-10 in Pac-12 history. As a team, the Huskies have broken the school records for scoring (539) and total touchdowns (71) and are on pace to break the 25-year old points-per-game record of 41.9, set in 1991. The Huskies enter the Pac-12 championship game averaging 44.8 points per game.
THREE DAWGS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Three members of the Washington football team earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 team, announced in the first week of November. Quarterback Jake Browning (3.38, pre-arts & sciences), guard Jake Eldrenkamp (3.71, business administration/finance) and linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven (3.71, pre-arts & sciences) were each honored and will be eligible for Academic All-America. The three Huskies were the most named to the All-District team since 1997.
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