Saturday, December 31
Atlanta, Ga.
12:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Washington vs. Alabama
No. 4 Huskies Set For CFP Semifinal Clash Vs. No. 1 Bama
December 30, 2016 | Football
THE GAME: The Washington football team (12-1 overall, 8-1), champion of the Pac-12 Conference, makes its first appearance in the College Football Playoff as the 4th-ranked Huskies take on No. 1 and Southeastern Conference champ Alabama (13-0, 8-0 SEC) in a CFP semifinal at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Sat., Dec. 31, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The game will air on ESPN and will kick off at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT. The winner will face off with either No. 2 Clemson or No. 3 Ohio State (who play in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31) on Jan. 9 in Tampa, Fla.
HUSKIES' BOWL HISTORY: Washington will be making its 37th bowl game appearance in Atlanta. The Huskies enter the game with an 18-17-1 overall record in bowl games, dating back to the 1924 Rose Bowl, where the UW tied Navy, 14-14. This game vs. Alabama marks the Huskies' first trip to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Here's a rundown of the UW's all-time bowl results:
1924 -- Rose -- Navy -- T, 14-14
1926 -- Rose -- Alabama -- L, 19-20
1937 -- Rose -- Pittsburgh -- L, 0-21
1938 -- Pineapple -- Hawaii -- W, 53-13
1944 -- Rose -- USC -- L, 0-29
1960 -- Rose -- Wisconsin -- W, 44-8
1961 -- Rose -- Minnesota -- W, 17-7
1964 -- Rose -- Illinois -- L, 7-17
1978 -- Rose -- Michigan -- W, 27-20
1979 -- Sun -- Texas -- W, 14-7
1981 -- Rose -- Michigan -- L, 6-23
1982 -- Rose -- Iowa -- W, 28-0
1982 -- Aloha -- Maryland -- W, 21-20
1983 -- Aloha -- Penn State -- L, 10-13
1985 -- Orange -- Oklahoma -- W, 28-17
1985 -- Freedom -- Colorado -- W, 20-17
1986 -- Sun -- Alabama -- L, 6-28
1987 -- Independence -- Tulane -- W, 24-12
1989 -- Freedom -- Florida -- W, 34-7
1991 -- Rose -- Iowa -- W, 46-34
1992 -- Rose -- Michigan -- W, 34-14
1993 -- Rose -- Michigan -- L, 31-38
1995 -- Sun -- Iowa -- L, 18-38
1996 -- Holiday -- Colorado -- L, 21-33
1997 -- Aloha -- Michigan St. -- W, 51-23
1998 -- Oahu -- Air Force -- L, 25-45
1999 -- Holiday -- Kansas St. -- L, 20-24
2001 -- Rose -- Purdue -- W, 34-24
2001 -- Holiday -- Texas -- L, 43-47
2002 -- Sun -- Purdue -- L, 24-34
2010 -- Holiday -- Nebraska -- W, 19-7
2011 -- Alamo -- Baylor -- L, 56-67
2012 -- Las Vegas -- Boise State -- L, 26-28
2013 -- Fight Hunger -- BYU -- W, 31-16
2015 -- Cactus -- Oklahoma St. -- L, 22-30
2016 -- Heart of Dallas -- Southern Miss -- W, 44-31
TELEVISION: The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl will air nationally on ESPN television, with Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe providing the commentary. You can also watch the game online at espn.com and via the Watch ESPN mobile app.
RADIO: The Washington IMG College Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 18 Northwest radio stations. Longtime play-by-play man Bob Rondeau and color analyst Damon Huard are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. ESPN Radio and Sirius/XM channel 80 will also air a national broadcast of the game.
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.
UW-ALABAMA HISTORY: Washington and Alabama have met on the gridiron four times spanning the last 91 seasons, with the Crimson Tide winning all four. Here's a recap of each:
Alabama 20, Washington 19
Jan. 1, 1926 • Rose Bowl – Pasadena, Calif.
Coach Enoch Bagshaw's Huskies, 10-0-1 entering the Rose Bowl game, built a 12-0 lead, dominating the first half, only to lose the lead and the game in 12 frantic minutes of the third quarter as Alabama, 9-0, scored 20 unanswered points – all in the third period. Husky All-America halfback George Wilson, named the bowl's Most Valuable Player, was out of the game with an injury during the scoring binge as 'Bama took a lead Washington could not overcome in front of 45,000 fans at the Rose Bowl. The game is remembered as Wilson's greatest, and is one that is rated a classic in Rose Bowl history. Wilson gained 139 yards on 15 carries and passed for two scores on the day. He played 38 minutes and was out with injury for 22. During the 38 he played, Washington scored three touchdowns and gained 300 yards. During the 22 minutes Wilson was on the sideline, Washington gained a total of 14 yards and Alabama notched three scores and two conversions.
Alabama 52, Washington 0
Oct. 11, 1975 • Denny Stadium – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Playing the Huskies for the first time since the 1926 Rose Bowl, Alabama rolled up 496 yards of total offense and scored seven touchdowns as the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide rolled to a 52-0 victory. The game was just the fifth with Huskies' legendary coach Don James at the helm, and the 2-2 Huskies were overmatched in front of 58,000 'Bama fans. Alabama jumped to a 24-0 first quarter lead and led 38-0 at halftime. Johnny Davis rushed for three touchdowns, scoring from 31-, 51- and 6-yards out to lead the Crimson Tide.
Alabama 20, Washington 17
Oct. 7, 1978 • Husky Stadium – Seattle, Wash.
The Huskies gave eventual national champion Alabama one of its toughest games of the 1978 season, but the Crimson Tide held on for a 20-17 victory over Washington. Alabama made its furthest trip from Tuscaloosa for a road game in its history and the home team nearly made them pay heavily for travelling out to Seattle. Spider Gaines hauled in a 74-yard touchdown pass from Tom Porras in the first quarter to give UW a 7-0 lead and the Huskies took a 10-7 advantage into the intermission. The wishbone -styleCrimson Tide scored from one yard out in the third quarter to take the lead and added a 36-yard TD reception – one of three pass completions on the day for 'Bama – to take a 20-10 fourth quarter lead. Porras connected with Gaines for a 58-yard TD strike to cut the lead to three with six minutes remaining in the game, but Alabama forced a fumble with Washington driving late in the fourth to end the Huskies' upset bid.
Alabama 28, Washington 6
Dec. 25, 1986 • Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas
A close game at intermission (7-6) turned on its head in the second half as Alabama rolled up 21 unanswered points to record a 22-point victory over Washington in the 53rd Sun Bowl. Alabama scored first on a 64-yard touchdown run by Bobby Humphrey in the second quarter, but 31-yard and 34-yard field goals by Jeff Jaeger kept the Huskies close at halftime. 'Bama quarterback Mike Shula got the Tide's air game into gear with a pair of touchdown passes after the break. He hit Al Richardson from 32 yards out and Humphrey from 18 yards out in the third quarter. Humphrey added a third TD on the ground to cap a 159-yard rushing performance on 28 carries, but it was linebacker Cornelius Bennett that took home game MVP honors. He amassed 11 tackles and harassed UW quarterback Chris Chandler all day.
HUSKIES vs. THE SEC: Washington has had very little interaction with the current membership of the Southeastern Conference over the years. In fact, Washington has played just five of the 14 teams that make up the conference. Along with the four games vs. Alabama, the Huskies have played Florida (UW won the lone meeting, in the 1989 Freedom Bowl), LSU (Huskies have lost all three, in 1983, 2009 and 2012), Mississippi State (Bulldogs won the only meeting, in 1977 in Seattle) and Texas A&M (UW is 1-2; all three were played long before the Aggies were in the SEC). See the final five pages of this guide for UW's all-time series records.
RECORD COLLECTION: Washington has set a nearly unprecedented number of team and individual records this season. Here's a look:
Single-Season Team:
Wins: 12 (tied)
Points: 578
Points Per Game: 44.5
Touchdowns: 76
PATs: 74
PAT Attempts: 76
Rushing Yards Per Attempt: 5.5
Touchdown Passes: 46
Yards Per Completion: 9.46
Fewest Fumbles: 11 (tied)
Fewest Penalties: 70 (in 13 games)
Single-Game Individual:
Touchdown Passes: 6 (Jake Browning, twice)
PATs Made: 10 (Cameron Van Winkle)
PAT Attempted: 10 (Cameron Van Winkle)
Single-Season Individual:
Yards Per Carry: 7.8 (Lavon Coleman)
Yards Per Pass Attempt: 9.26 (Jake Browning)
Touchdown Passes: 42 (Jake Browning)
TD Passes Per Game: 3.23 (Jake Browning)
Pass Efficiency: 176.5 (Jake Browning)
50-Plus-Yard Passes: 8 (Jake Browning)
50-Plus-Yard Receptions: 6 (John Ross)
Total Offense Per Play: 8.16 (Jake Browning)
Points by Kicking: 122 (Cameron Van Winkle)
Points Responsible For: 276 (Jake Browning)
Points Resp. For Per Game: 21.2 (Jake Browning)
Fumble Recoveries: 5 (Keishawn Bierria, tied)
Career Individual:
Punt Return TDs: 5 (Dante Pettis)
Yards Per Carry: 5.8 (Myles Gaskin)
Rush Yards Per Game: 101.6 (Myles Gaskin)
TD Passes Per Game: 2.32 (Jake Browning)
Pass Efficiency: 157.7 (Jake Browning)
50-Plus-Yard Receptions: 11 (John Ross)
Total Offense Per Game: 257.4 (Jake Browning)
Total Offense Per Play: 7.52 (Jake Browning)
PATs Made: 170 (Cameron Van Winkle)
PATs Attempted: 173 (Cameron Van Winkle)
Kickoff Returns: 82 (John Ross)
Kickoff Return Yards: 2,001 (John Ross)
Kick Return TDs: 4 (John Ross)
THE 100-YARD FACTOR: Since the 1947 season, Washington is 207-65-3 (.758when a Husky player rushes for 100 yards in a game. The Huskies were 5-4 in such games in 2015 and went 8-0 this year.
HISTORY LESSON: Successfully rushing the football and winning go hand-in-hand for the Huskies. Since 1990, UW has rushed for 200 yards in a game 108 times. The Huskies' record stands at 91-16-1 (.847) in those contests. Since 1995, UW is 66-13-1 (.831) when rushing for 200 yards.
HUSKIES' BOWL HISTORY: Washington will be making its 37th bowl game appearance in Atlanta. The Huskies enter the game with an 18-17-1 overall record in bowl games, dating back to the 1924 Rose Bowl, where the UW tied Navy, 14-14. This game vs. Alabama marks the Huskies' first trip to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Here's a rundown of the UW's all-time bowl results:
1924 -- Rose -- Navy -- T, 14-14
1926 -- Rose -- Alabama -- L, 19-20
1937 -- Rose -- Pittsburgh -- L, 0-21
1938 -- Pineapple -- Hawaii -- W, 53-13
1944 -- Rose -- USC -- L, 0-29
1960 -- Rose -- Wisconsin -- W, 44-8
1961 -- Rose -- Minnesota -- W, 17-7
1964 -- Rose -- Illinois -- L, 7-17
1978 -- Rose -- Michigan -- W, 27-20
1979 -- Sun -- Texas -- W, 14-7
1981 -- Rose -- Michigan -- L, 6-23
1982 -- Rose -- Iowa -- W, 28-0
1982 -- Aloha -- Maryland -- W, 21-20
1983 -- Aloha -- Penn State -- L, 10-13
1985 -- Orange -- Oklahoma -- W, 28-17
1985 -- Freedom -- Colorado -- W, 20-17
1986 -- Sun -- Alabama -- L, 6-28
1987 -- Independence -- Tulane -- W, 24-12
1989 -- Freedom -- Florida -- W, 34-7
1991 -- Rose -- Iowa -- W, 46-34
1992 -- Rose -- Michigan -- W, 34-14
1993 -- Rose -- Michigan -- L, 31-38
1995 -- Sun -- Iowa -- L, 18-38
1996 -- Holiday -- Colorado -- L, 21-33
1997 -- Aloha -- Michigan St. -- W, 51-23
1998 -- Oahu -- Air Force -- L, 25-45
1999 -- Holiday -- Kansas St. -- L, 20-24
2001 -- Rose -- Purdue -- W, 34-24
2001 -- Holiday -- Texas -- L, 43-47
2002 -- Sun -- Purdue -- L, 24-34
2010 -- Holiday -- Nebraska -- W, 19-7
2011 -- Alamo -- Baylor -- L, 56-67
2012 -- Las Vegas -- Boise State -- L, 26-28
2013 -- Fight Hunger -- BYU -- W, 31-16
2015 -- Cactus -- Oklahoma St. -- L, 22-30
2016 -- Heart of Dallas -- Southern Miss -- W, 44-31
TELEVISION: The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl will air nationally on ESPN television, with Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe providing the commentary. You can also watch the game online at espn.com and via the Watch ESPN mobile app.
RADIO: The Washington IMG College Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 18 Northwest radio stations. Longtime play-by-play man Bob Rondeau and color analyst Damon Huard are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. ESPN Radio and Sirius/XM channel 80 will also air a national broadcast of the game.
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.
UW-ALABAMA HISTORY: Washington and Alabama have met on the gridiron four times spanning the last 91 seasons, with the Crimson Tide winning all four. Here's a recap of each:
Alabama 20, Washington 19
Jan. 1, 1926 • Rose Bowl – Pasadena, Calif.
Coach Enoch Bagshaw's Huskies, 10-0-1 entering the Rose Bowl game, built a 12-0 lead, dominating the first half, only to lose the lead and the game in 12 frantic minutes of the third quarter as Alabama, 9-0, scored 20 unanswered points – all in the third period. Husky All-America halfback George Wilson, named the bowl's Most Valuable Player, was out of the game with an injury during the scoring binge as 'Bama took a lead Washington could not overcome in front of 45,000 fans at the Rose Bowl. The game is remembered as Wilson's greatest, and is one that is rated a classic in Rose Bowl history. Wilson gained 139 yards on 15 carries and passed for two scores on the day. He played 38 minutes and was out with injury for 22. During the 38 he played, Washington scored three touchdowns and gained 300 yards. During the 22 minutes Wilson was on the sideline, Washington gained a total of 14 yards and Alabama notched three scores and two conversions.
Alabama 52, Washington 0
Oct. 11, 1975 • Denny Stadium – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Playing the Huskies for the first time since the 1926 Rose Bowl, Alabama rolled up 496 yards of total offense and scored seven touchdowns as the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide rolled to a 52-0 victory. The game was just the fifth with Huskies' legendary coach Don James at the helm, and the 2-2 Huskies were overmatched in front of 58,000 'Bama fans. Alabama jumped to a 24-0 first quarter lead and led 38-0 at halftime. Johnny Davis rushed for three touchdowns, scoring from 31-, 51- and 6-yards out to lead the Crimson Tide.
Alabama 20, Washington 17
Oct. 7, 1978 • Husky Stadium – Seattle, Wash.
The Huskies gave eventual national champion Alabama one of its toughest games of the 1978 season, but the Crimson Tide held on for a 20-17 victory over Washington. Alabama made its furthest trip from Tuscaloosa for a road game in its history and the home team nearly made them pay heavily for travelling out to Seattle. Spider Gaines hauled in a 74-yard touchdown pass from Tom Porras in the first quarter to give UW a 7-0 lead and the Huskies took a 10-7 advantage into the intermission. The wishbone -styleCrimson Tide scored from one yard out in the third quarter to take the lead and added a 36-yard TD reception – one of three pass completions on the day for 'Bama – to take a 20-10 fourth quarter lead. Porras connected with Gaines for a 58-yard TD strike to cut the lead to three with six minutes remaining in the game, but Alabama forced a fumble with Washington driving late in the fourth to end the Huskies' upset bid.
Alabama 28, Washington 6
Dec. 25, 1986 • Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas
A close game at intermission (7-6) turned on its head in the second half as Alabama rolled up 21 unanswered points to record a 22-point victory over Washington in the 53rd Sun Bowl. Alabama scored first on a 64-yard touchdown run by Bobby Humphrey in the second quarter, but 31-yard and 34-yard field goals by Jeff Jaeger kept the Huskies close at halftime. 'Bama quarterback Mike Shula got the Tide's air game into gear with a pair of touchdown passes after the break. He hit Al Richardson from 32 yards out and Humphrey from 18 yards out in the third quarter. Humphrey added a third TD on the ground to cap a 159-yard rushing performance on 28 carries, but it was linebacker Cornelius Bennett that took home game MVP honors. He amassed 11 tackles and harassed UW quarterback Chris Chandler all day.
HUSKIES vs. THE SEC: Washington has had very little interaction with the current membership of the Southeastern Conference over the years. In fact, Washington has played just five of the 14 teams that make up the conference. Along with the four games vs. Alabama, the Huskies have played Florida (UW won the lone meeting, in the 1989 Freedom Bowl), LSU (Huskies have lost all three, in 1983, 2009 and 2012), Mississippi State (Bulldogs won the only meeting, in 1977 in Seattle) and Texas A&M (UW is 1-2; all three were played long before the Aggies were in the SEC). See the final five pages of this guide for UW's all-time series records.
RECORD COLLECTION: Washington has set a nearly unprecedented number of team and individual records this season. Here's a look:
Single-Season Team:
Wins: 12 (tied)
Points: 578
Points Per Game: 44.5
Touchdowns: 76
PATs: 74
PAT Attempts: 76
Rushing Yards Per Attempt: 5.5
Touchdown Passes: 46
Yards Per Completion: 9.46
Fewest Fumbles: 11 (tied)
Fewest Penalties: 70 (in 13 games)
Single-Game Individual:
Touchdown Passes: 6 (Jake Browning, twice)
PATs Made: 10 (Cameron Van Winkle)
PAT Attempted: 10 (Cameron Van Winkle)
Single-Season Individual:
Yards Per Carry: 7.8 (Lavon Coleman)
Yards Per Pass Attempt: 9.26 (Jake Browning)
Touchdown Passes: 42 (Jake Browning)
TD Passes Per Game: 3.23 (Jake Browning)
Pass Efficiency: 176.5 (Jake Browning)
50-Plus-Yard Passes: 8 (Jake Browning)
50-Plus-Yard Receptions: 6 (John Ross)
Total Offense Per Play: 8.16 (Jake Browning)
Points by Kicking: 122 (Cameron Van Winkle)
Points Responsible For: 276 (Jake Browning)
Points Resp. For Per Game: 21.2 (Jake Browning)
Fumble Recoveries: 5 (Keishawn Bierria, tied)
Career Individual:
Punt Return TDs: 5 (Dante Pettis)
Yards Per Carry: 5.8 (Myles Gaskin)
Rush Yards Per Game: 101.6 (Myles Gaskin)
TD Passes Per Game: 2.32 (Jake Browning)
Pass Efficiency: 157.7 (Jake Browning)
50-Plus-Yard Receptions: 11 (John Ross)
Total Offense Per Game: 257.4 (Jake Browning)
Total Offense Per Play: 7.52 (Jake Browning)
PATs Made: 170 (Cameron Van Winkle)
PATs Attempted: 173 (Cameron Van Winkle)
Kickoff Returns: 82 (John Ross)
Kickoff Return Yards: 2,001 (John Ross)
Kick Return TDs: 4 (John Ross)
THE 100-YARD FACTOR: Since the 1947 season, Washington is 207-65-3 (.758when a Husky player rushes for 100 yards in a game. The Huskies were 5-4 in such games in 2015 and went 8-0 this year.
HISTORY LESSON: Successfully rushing the football and winning go hand-in-hand for the Huskies. Since 1990, UW has rushed for 200 yards in a game 108 times. The Huskies' record stands at 91-16-1 (.847) in those contests. Since 1995, UW is 66-13-1 (.831) when rushing for 200 yards.
Players Mentioned
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