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Washington Huskies football history

The Rose Bowl Season Of The 1990 Washington Huskies

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Don James had already enjoyed a successful coaching run at the University of Washington. He went to the Rose Bowl in 1977, 1980 and 1981, winning it twice. He won the Orange Bowl in 1984 and finished #2 in the country. But the latter part of the 1980s saw the Huskies slip a bit, with four minor bowl bids in a five-year period and only two Top 25 finishes. The 1990 Washington Huskies jumped back up into the national elite and began a three-year run of excellence to cap James’ career.

READ ABOUT THE LOU HOLTZ ERA AT NOTRE DAME

Mark Brunnell had a long, successful NFL career ahead of him. As a college junior he was on the erratic side. While a 47% completion rate isn’t unspeakably bad, the way it would be today, it was still low. And Brunnell’s 6.8 yards-per-attempt was pedestrian.

But the lefty QB could run and his 444 rush yards were second on the team. And running was what Washington did exceptionally well. Greg Lewis rolled up nearly 1,300 yards. He caught 20 balls out of the backfield and his 17.3 yards-per-catch would have been great for a receiver. It was astonishing for a running back. Lewis won Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Beno Bryant was a nice change of pace back that averaged almost six yards a pop and was an outstanding kick returner. Mario Bailey was the top target in the passing game, catching 40 balls for nearly 17 yards a catch. Jeff Pahukoa was the best offensive lineman, making All-Conference at guard. Washington finished the season at seventh in the nation in points scored.

The defense was on the same level, ranking eighth nationally. The Huskie D also had the Conference Player of the Year, in this case, future #1 NFL draft pick Steve Emtman on the defensive line. Travis Richardson was another All Pac-10 performer up front. Donald Jones was steady at linebacker and James had an outstanding secondary, anchored by future pros in Charles Mincy and Dana Hall.

Washington was ranked #20 to start the season and didn’t look overly impressive coming out of the gate. They beat San Jose State 20-17. Even allowing this was a good San Jose team that won the Big West, there’s nothing in that result that shouts “national contender.” The same went for a 20-14 escape at lowly Purdue.

USC had gone to the Rose Bowl three years running and they came to Seattle on September 22 ranked #5 in the country. On a hot 92-degree afternoon, this 1990 Washington team came into its own.

Lewis ran for 126 yards. Brunnell went 12/23 for 197 yards. And the defense simply suffocated the Trojans, holding SC to 28 rushing yards. The result was a 31-0 thumping that moved the Huskies up to #2 in the polls. .

There was no time to celebrate, because a trip to play Colorado was up next. The Buffaloes were ranked #20 coming in after a couple early stumbles, but they ended up winning a share of the national championship. The reason is that, in a terrific game, Washington was stopped twice in the red zone in the fourth quarter of a 20-14 loss.

The Huskies regrouped to move back into conference play. They hammered a poor Arizona State team 42-14. Washington hosted a pretty good Oregon team that would win eight regular season games and had Bill Musgrave at quarterback. The Huskies coasted to a 38-17 win.

A trip to Stanford was up next. The Cardinal were coached by future NFL boss Dennis Green and quarterback Jason Palumbis ended up leading the Pac-10 in passing efficiency. Even though Stanford had a mediocre season they had already upset #1 Notre Dame in South Bend. No one knew quite what to expect from the Cardinal.

What happened is that Washington delivered a 52-16 beatdown. They hosted a respectable Cal team and rolled to a 46-7 win. The Huskies were in the top 10. There were three conference games left. The Rose Bowl, and even the national title were in sight.

Arizona was ranked #23 and came north on the first weekend of November. Lewis ran for 103 yards. Bryant returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown and also took off on a 73-yard TD run. Washington cruised home 54-10 and events elsewhere in the conference locked up the Rose Bowl bid.

The Huskies were #2 in the country and hosting mediocre UCLA. But on a dark and windy day in Seattle, Washington’s national championship hopes took a dark turn. A late field goal handed them a 25-22 loss.

There was still the Apple Cup rivalry game with Washington State. The Cougars weren’t very good and it showed. Washington rolled to a 55-10 win. They were #8 in the country as they headed for Pasadena.

Iowa was the opponent in the Rose Bowl and it simply wasn’t close. Brunnell ran for two touchdowns, passed for two more and the Huskies led 33-7 by halftime. The final score ended at 46-34, but don’t be deceived—there was never the remotest chance Iowa was going to win.

Washington closed the season ranked #5 in the country. And things would only get better. This was the first of three straight Rose Bowl seasons for James to send him off into retirement. And the middle year, of 1991, saw the Huskies share the national championship.

The Road To The 1985 Orange Bowl: Washington & Oklahoma

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Washington and Oklahoma each came to the 1985 Orange Bowl with hopes of getting a national championship if they won impressively and got some help. Even though that’s not how it turned out, the Huskies and Sooners gave the country a good game on New Year’s Night. Here’s a look back on the road they each traveled through the 1984 college football season.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 

Don James had turned the Washington program into one of significance, earning three Rose Bowl bids (1977, 1980, 1981) in a Pac-10 long dominated by USC and UCLA. The Huskies had come up short of New Year’s Day each of the last two years, settling for Aloha Bowl trips both years. It didn’t seem like 1984 would be the year they returned to the New Year’s stage.

Hugh Millen was fairly mediocre at quarterback. The 52% completion rate and 6.1 yards-per-attempt weren’t bad by the standards of the time, but he only threw for 1,051 yards and the TD-INT ratio was 5-9. No receiver put up any notable numbers. Jacque Robinson was a good running back, and his 901 yards were fourth in the conference, but the Huskies weren’t going to win a scoring race with anybody.

Nor were they bursting at the seams with defensive talent. Vestee Jackson, who would eventually have an eight-year run with the Chicago Bears, was a talented cornerback, but other than that, Washington had to win with coaching, discipline and execution.

They opened the season ranked #18 and shutout Northwestern 26-0 to get the year started. The Huskies then paid a visit to Ann Arbor, where Michigan was ranked #3. Washington’s opportunistic style made the difference. They intercepted Wolverine quarterback Jim Harbaugh three times and got five turnovers in all. Leading 10-3 in the third quarter, Millen hit Mark Pattison on a 73-yard touchdown pass to break the game open.

Washington won 20-11 and even though this would prove to be a disappointing Michigan team, one that would go 6-5, the glow of this win had the Huskies zooming up to #9 in the polls.

A 35-7 victory over soon-to-be SWC co-champ Houston followed and Washington then beat Miami-Ohio 53-7 and got by lowly Oregon State 19-7. Washington’s perfect record, combined with chaos at the top of the polls had them suddenly sitting at #2 in the country. On October 13, the Huskies blew out mediocre Stanford 37-15 while Texas and Oklahoma—the teams directly ahead and behind them in the rankings—played to a tie. Washington was now ranked #1.

James’ team won a pedestrian 17-10 decision over an average Oregon team and they beat a pretty good Arizona club 28-12. The Huskies concluded their three-game homestand by beating up two-win Cal 44-14. The stage was set for November 10 at Southern Cal.

USC was ranked #14, thanks to an early loss to LSU, but the Trojans were undefeated in league play. No one else was close enough to catch either Washington or USC, so the winner of this game would clinch the Rose Bowl spot. Washington couldn’t get anything going offensively the entire day, fell behind and their passing game problems were exposed in a 16-7 loss. They slipped to #8.

The Huskies were still in the mix for a major bowl bid even if it wouldn’t be Pasadena. The traditional season finale with Washington State wouldn’t be easy. The Cougars had six wins, they had the Pac-10 MVP in running back Reuben Mayes and quarterback Mark Rypien would one day star at the Washington on the other side of the country—with the Redskins, where he was a Super Bowl MVP.

James had his team ready to go though and they played a good offensive game, winning 38-29 and nudging their way back to #4 for the Orange Bowl.

Oklahoma, after being one of the nation’s top three programs in the 1970s (along with USC and Alabama), had slid backward the past three years. The Sooners lost four games each year from 1981-93 and were only ranked #16 to begin 1984.

The talent base wasn’t as dazzling as previous OU editions had been. The only All-American was defensive tackle Tony Casillas. Lydell Carr’s 694 yards led the team and the passing game was as inept as one would expect from a traditional option-first offense.

Danny Bradley only completed 48 percent of his passes, though he did get a decent 7.3 yards-per-pass, thanks to a big-play threat in future NFL tight end Keith Jackson.

Oklahoma beat Stanford 19-7 to start the year and then trounced Pitt 42-10. The Panthers had been ranked #3 in the preseason polls, but an opening home loss to BYU had Pitt down to #17 by the time they hosted OU, and the Panthers would end up a 3-7-1 train wreck. For now, the OU win was seen as impressive enough to boost them to #11.

A 24-6 win over Kansas State came as top teams were starting to fall left and right, and the Sooners rose to #3. It was then the aforementioned 15-15 tie with top-ranked Texas came, but the tie worked in Oklahoma’s favor—they moved to #2.

OU played poorly in a 12-10 win over a bad Iowa State team and that presaged a 28-11 loss at Kansas, who finished the year 5-6. Oklahoma was now down to 10th in the polls and a national title seemed a longshot. But they picked themselves up, rolled over two lousy teams in Missouri and Colorado by a combined 91-24 and were ranked sixth in the nation as they headed to Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers were atop both the Big Eight and the national polls, and had a 27-game conference winning streak. Nebraska and Oklahoma traded touchdowns in the first half, with the Sooners getting an easy score off a turnover. A field goal early in the fourth quarter helped OU nudge ahead 10-7.

Oklahoma was being outplayed in the general flow of the game. The running game for both teams was basically a wash, neither good nor bad. Bradley was no passing threat at all, throwing for just 58 yards, while the Cornhuskers at least got some movement through the air.

But OU would win the turnover battle 4-3 and they made big defensive stops. Nebraska drove inside the 10-yard line, but forced to settle for a field goal, they missed. And when the Cornhuskers had 4th-and-goal on the 1-yard line with 5:32 left, Oklahoma made one more stop. They tacked on a clinching touchdown and had a 17-7 win.

There was still the matter of playing a home game with Oklahoma State and this one wasn’t exactly a game to overlook. The Cowboys had one of their best teams and they were ranked #3 in the country, while Oklahoma was now #2. The winner would have a chance at the national championship.

The rivalry game called Bedlam was tied 14-14 in the third quarter, when two big turnovers made the difference. One set up a Sooner field goal and the other, a muffed punt, produced a clinching touchdown. Oklahoma had a 24-14 win and after a three-year hiatus were back on top of the Big Eight and had its bowl tie-in reward with the trip to Miami.

Washington and Oklahoma arrived at the Orange Bowl at the center of a raging national debate. BYU was ranked #1, but played a weak schedule and then played in the Holiday Bowl (as they were contractually obligated to do) on December 21, barely escaping Michigan 24-17.  Third-ranked Florida had a loss and a tie and was on probation. While BYU was expected to win the final vote, their critics were pointing to the Orange Bowl as the place where the national title should be settled.

Most of the debate centered on Oklahoma, as the second-ranked team and Switzer openly campaigned for his team as #1. Perhaps that resulted in his team not being ready at the kickoff.

The Huskies jumped down the throats of the Sooners with two first-quarter touchdowns. The Sooners answered with a pair of TDs of their own and kicked a field goal for a 17-14 lead. But Millen found Pattison on a 29-yard touchdown pass with a little less than nine minutes to play, putting Washington back on top and they tacked on one more touchdown to seal the 28-17 win.

BYU would win the vote, while some of us believe that Washington, with a tougher schedule and more impressive win over the common foe of Michigan, would have been a better choice. In any case, the debate surrounding the 1985 Orange Bowl kept things interesting in a year when the national championship debate was otherwise quiet for New Year’s.

The Road To The 1982 Rose Bowl: Washington & Iowa

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The 1981 college football season was filled with chaos and no two conferences produced better races than the Pac-10 & Big Ten. It was Iowa and Washington who survived and met on New Year’s Day in Pasadena for the 1982 Rose Bowl. Here’s a look back on how the Hawkeyes & Huskies made their run for the roses…

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Washington had become a serious player in the Pac-10 over the previous five years, with two Rose Bowl appearances, including 1980. But they were still seen as behind USC—and for good reason, as the Trojans continued to be the conference power. Washington opened the 1981 college football season ranked #15.

The Huskies weren’t bursting at the seams with talent. Steve Pelleur was a mediocre quarterback, who completed just 47 percent of his passes for a woeful 4.9 yards-per-attempt. No one ran for more than 623 yards and while the wide receiver tandem of Anthony Allen and Paul Skansi was respectable, it was far from explosive. Nor was the offensive line or defense stacked with All-American talent.

Washington did have an exceptional coach in Don James and they opened the season by making quick work of Pacific, Kansas State and Oregon, giving up just 20 points combined in the three games. Then, against a good Arizona State team with future NFL running back Gerald Riggs, they gave up 26 in one game, losing decisively and falling from the rankings.

There were two unimpressive escapes over bad teams, 27-26 over Cal and 14-7 at Texas Tech, sandwiched around a 56-7 blowout over horrid Oregon State. On the final Saturday of October, Stanford came north to Seattle.

The Cardinal were not a good team, winning only four games. But they had a couple of explosive players. Running back Darrin Nelson was the second-best back in the Pac-10, behind USC’s Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen and Nelson would have a productive NFL career. The Stanford quarterback did pretty well at the NFL level himself—junior John Elway was behind center. Washington won this game 42-31 and moved back into the polls at #16.

One week later, any hope of the Rose Bowl looked lost when Washington was crushed by UCLA 31-0. The Huskies were still 4-2 in the conference, but Arizona State, USC, UCLA and Washington State only had one loss apiece. Washington still had the chance to play USC and Washington State, but having just been demolished by UCLA there were certainly questions about the Huskies’ readiness to do that.

It was rainy and windy in Seattle when USC, ranked third in the nation came to town. Washington got a field goal for a 3-0 lead, but what proved to be more important was the opportunity it gave them on the kickoff. The Trojan return team allowed a live ball to go into the end zone and the Huskies jumped on it. The gift score was the only touchdown of the game for either team and Washington won 13-3.

There was hope when Rivalry Saturday came on November 21, but the Huskies needed help. They had to beat Washington State and hope that USC could knock off UCLA.

Washington trailed 7-3, but Washington State—who controlled their destiny for the Rose Bowl bid—lost quarterback Clete Casper to an injury. Pelleur threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Skanski to get the lead.

The Cougars were able to answer with a field goal, but without Casper, the turnovers were coming. Washington’s defense forced six turnovers. And as they took control of what would be a 23-10 win, the crowd was abuzz with the news that USC blocked a last-second field goal and beat UCLA 22-21. The Washington season hadn’t always been pretty, but they were going to their third Rose Bowl in six years.

Iowa was a dead program when Hayden Fry took over in 1979. No Rose Bowl appearances since 1958 and not even a winning season since 1961. Fry didn’t break either streak his first two years, going 9-13.

So when the Hawkeyes opened the 1981 season by upsetting seventh-ranked Nebraska 10-7 it came out of nowhere. When they lost at Iowa State the following week, it was just Iowa returning to earth. Then the Hawkeyes pulled another big non-conference upset, stunning sixth-ranked UCLA 20-7. This upset got Fry’s team into the rankings at #18. But who were these guys?

There was some good talent on defense, most notably defensive end Andre Tippett. He would make the NFL, convert to outside linebacker and become a Hall of Fame player for the New England Patriots. Iowa defensive back Lou King was a ballhawk, intercepting eight passes.

A balanced running attack, with Phil Blatcher and Eddie Phillips—who ranked fourth and sixth among Big Ten runners respectively—worked in tandem with the defense and with All-American punter Reggie Roby to control field position.

Iowa’s quarterback was Gordy Bohannon, who didn’t throw a lot, but he was reasonably effective. His 51 percent completion rate was acceptable by the standards of the time, and his 7.0 yards-per-attempt was pretty good.

So could this Hawkeye team sustain the magic during Big Ten play? Iowa started by crushing Northwestern 64-0—the Wildcats were awful to be sure, but that sort of beatdown was normally reserved for the Michigans and Ohio States, who had represented this league in Pasadena every year since 1967. Iowa then beat Indiana 42-28 and moved up to #12 in the polls.

A road trip to fifth-ranked Michigan was next and the formula of defense, punting and running the ball was able to get it done. The Wolverines made the game’s biggest error—a fumbled punt that set up a field goal. Iowa’s offense used clock-chewing drives to get two more field goals and they pulled out a 9-7 upset.

That was three wins against Top 10 teams with brand-name pedigrees, but games against Minnesota and Illinois didn’t go quite as well. The Hawks lost 12-10 and 24-7 respectively. The Illini, we should note, were a good team and joined the Hawkeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers as teams challenging Michigan-Ohio State hegemony in the conference. Iowa’s loss to Illinois was also on the road.

Iowa bounced back with a 33-7 home win over Purdue. There were two games left and the Big Ten race was complete chaos. Of the five contenders mentioned above, four were tied in the loss column with two defeats apiece and Illinois had three losses.

The Hawkeyes faced a must-win game in Wisconsin. Blatcher ran for a pair of early touchdowns and Iowa took a 17-0 lead. Fry turned the game over to his defense and Roby.

An ultra-conservative strategy meant the Hawkeyes only got seven first downs for the game. But Roby dominated, airing out seven punts that averaged nearly 54 yards a pop. Fry insisted the game they put in the defense’s hands and they delivered 17-7—with the UW touchdown coming only in the late moments.

Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan all had two losses, but due to unequal scheduling, the Wolverines played one more conference game and thereby had a half-game lead. Iowa needed to beat Michigan State and hope Ohio State beat Michigan.

If that happened, the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes would be co-champs. They had not played head-to-head, and the Big Ten’s next tiebreaker would be to simply send the team that had waited the longest since last going to Pasadena. Iowa owned this tiebreaker.

And they got what they wanted. Ohio State won 14-9, while Iowa easily rolled Michigan State 36-21. The improbable season of the 1981 Iowa Hawkeyes was going to end in the Rose Bowl.

Maybe it was asking too much for Iowa and Washington to take the drama of their respective conference races and extend it into this bowl game. The 1982 Rose Bowl belonged to the Huskies from the outset.

Don James unveiled a new weapon in freshman running back Jacques Robinson, who went off for 142 yards. It took a Washington a quarter to get rolling, but by halftime they were up 13-0 and then sealed the game with two fourth quarter touchdowns. Robinson became the first freshman to win Rose Bowl MVP honors and the 28-0 whitewash was the first shutout in the Granddaddy of Them All since 1953.

For Washington, the victory was validation of James’ program as a true rival to USC atop the Pac-10 and though it would take ten more years, the Huskies would eventually get a national championship. For Iowa, it was a sign they had arrived and they weren’t going away anytime soon.

The Road To The 1981 Rose Bowl: Michigan & Washington

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Michigan football coach Bo Schembecler had reached the Rose Bowl five times in his first eleven years at the helm of the Wolverine program and gone home with a loss on occasion. Bo’s 1980 team got him back for another chance at a win in Pasadena. And on New Year’s Day, in the 1981 Rose Bowl, Schembecler got his victory, beating the Washington Huskies. Here’s a look back on how both Michigan and Washington made it to Pasadena.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Schembecler’s teams were renowned for how often they ran the football, but compared to other teams that made major bowl games following the 1980 college football season, Michigan was on the high end of pass attempts. There was a reason for that—with Anthony Carter, Schembecler had one of the best receivers in the country. Carter caught 57 balls for 818 yards and 14 touchdowns, while making All-American.

That’s not to say Bo lost sight of the running game. Butch Woolfolk ran for over 1,000 yards. Stan Edwards added over 900 more, and Lawrence Ricks rushed for 850 yards, as the trio ranked 4-5-6 in the Big Ten in rushing. George Lilja, the center, was the best of the offensive lineman, getting honorable mention in the All-American voting.

The numbers for quarterback John Wangler weren’t great, but “Johnny Wangs”, as his coach affectionately called him in his autobiography, had a special leadership quality. He came back from an injured leg and was often a virtual one-legged quarterback, but he made plays and was a winner.

Michigan opened the season ranked #12, sliding relatively under the radar, as rival Ohio State was the preseason #1. The start of the season was tough for the Wolverines. They were unimpressive in a 17-10 win over Northwestern. Then two crushing losses followed.

Wangler had led a comeback at Notre Dame, bringing Michigan from 14-0 down to lead 27-26 in the waning minutes. The Wolverines lost when Irish kicker Harry Oliver hit a 51-yard field goal into the wind. One week later, Michigan came home to face South Carolina and soon-to-be Heisman Trophy winning running back George Rogers. The Wolverines dropped a tough 17-14 decision and were unranked when the ensuing polls came out.

Michigan rebounded with a 38-13 win over a bad Cal team. Schembecler’s crew still hadn’t lost a conference game, and they won five straight Big Ten contests. After a tough 27-23 decision over a three-win Michigan State team, the Wolverines found their mojo. They crushed Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin in rapid succession, the latter two with shutouts.

The defense didn’t produce any All-Americans but they were peaking at the right time, and their best moments would come against Purdue and Ohio State. The Boilermakers were still in a three-way mix for the Rose Bowl bid when they came to Ann Arbor on November 15, and they had the nation’s first-string All-American quarterback in Mark Hermann. Michigan hung a 16-0 shutout on Purdue.

Ohio State had lost a game and was ranked #5 when Michigan arrived in Columbus to play for the Big Ten championship the following week. The Buckeyes still had respect and were a four-point favorite, slightly outside the field goal window oddsmakers give for homefield advantage. Michigan was still perceived as narrowly inferior to its rival.

The game was tied 3-3 into the second half, when Wangler put together a drive and finished it with 13-yard touchdown pass to Carter. Even though Michigan missed a key extra point, the defense made it stand up. Ohio State reached the 18-yard line, but Michigan held, a field goal was missed, the Buckeyes never got close again and the game ended 9-3.

Michigan had come from the heartbreak of September to a top five national ranking by the time they arrived at the Rose Bowl.

Washington had reached the Rose Bowl three years earlier and been one of the teams to inflict problems on Schembecler. After a brief step back while USC reclaimed control of the Pac-10, the Huskies had won nine games in 1979 and were poised to return to the top of their conference.

They had a balanced passing attack. Tom Flick completed 60 percent of his passes for a respectable 7.8 yards-per attempt. Aaron Williams was the big-play threat at receiver, with his 21.2 yards-per-catch leading the explosive Pac-10. Paul Skansi was a reliable possession receiver and David Bayle was a threat at tight end.

Washington’s running game wasn’t great, but with 760 yards, Kyle Stevens ran effectively enough to prevent defenses from focusing too much on the pass. Expectations for this team weren’t soaring nationally, but they still ranked 20th to start the year.

Don James’ team came quickly out of the gate, with blowout wins over Air Force and Northwester and nudged up to #13. But the Huskies completely mailed it in with a 34-10 home loss to Oregon and they justifiably fell out of the polls.

Road victories over Oklahoma State in a close one and Oregon State in a rout set up a trip to Stanford on October 18. The Cardinal had a sophomore quarterback named John Elway and had already gone to Oklahoma and beaten the powerful Sooners by seventeen points.

Elway would win the Pac-10 MVP award, but this was Flick’s moment. He threw a pair of a first-quarter touchdown passes to Williams and had Washington out to a 24-7 lead. Elway led Stanford back to tie the game, but Flick got the last word, as the Huskies got a field goal and prevailed 27-24.

Washington couldn’t handle prosperity, losing to Navy 24-10, although it least it wasn’t a conference opponent. The Huskies shut out Arizona State 25-0 and buried Arizona 45-22. In spite of Washington’s toe stubs, they were 4-1 in the league and just a half-game behind USC as the two teams prepared to meet in the Los Angeles Coliseum on November 15.

It was time for a changing of the guard in the conference, and Washington won the game 20-10. They still weren’t home free—USC was a half-game back and Oregon was a game behind and had the tiebreaker on the Huskies. But all Washington needed to do was take care of Washington State in the Apple Cup game. That they did, with a 30-23 win and for the second time in four years, their ticket was punched to Pasadena.

When Michigan and Washington met, it seemed like this would be another bad day for Bo. The Huskies drove to the one-yard line on their second drive before Michigan came up with a fourth down stop. Washington didn’t stop moving the ball in the first half, accumulating 269 yards. But Michigan didn’t stop making the critical play on defense and the Huskies only had six points for all that activity.

The momentum turned after halftime. Woolfolk began to take over on the ground, finishing with 182 rushing yards. Wangler got Carter worked into the offense. The defense completely flipped the script on Washington, holding them to 23 total yards in the second half. The Wolverines pulled away to a 23-6 win.

Schembecler would never be the master of Pasadena, losing three of his remaining four trips out west. But he was finally off the schneid in the 1981 Rose Bowl.

The Road To The 1978 Rose Bowl: Washington & Michigan

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The 1978 Rose Bowl was a coming out party for the Washington Husky program under Don James and for his quarterback, Warren Moon. It was a study in frustration for Michigan head coach Bo Schembecler, who couldn’t seem to find a way to win in Pasadena.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 

Washington wasn’t on anyone’s radar when the 1977 college football season began. The Huskies had not reached the Rose Bowl since 1963 and James had gone 11-11 his first two years in Seattle. They were unranked and then lost three of their four non-conference games to start the season, none to a team that would finish with any more than seven wins.

When Pac-8 play began, it was a like a switch flipped. After a 54-0 win over lowly Oregon, Washington hosted Stanford. The Cardinal were coached by Bill Walsh and their own quarterback, Guy Benjamin, would share conference Player of the Year honors with Moon at season’s end. Moon outgunned him 45-21 in this game.

The Huskies edged lowly Oregon State and lost 20-12 to conference contender UCLA. On November 5, Washington went to Berkeley to face 17th-ranked Cal. Moon’s offense unleashed again and won 50-31. They were set to host USC on November 12 and winning the Pac-8 was amazingly on the table.

Washington’s offense was more than Moon. Joe Steele and Ron Gipson provided a balanced rushing attack, and the passing game was targeted to receiver Spider Gaines and tight end Scott Greenwood. Blair Bush, who played 17 years in the NFL, was at center. But compared to other programs that would make it to the major bowl games, the Huskies weren’t dotted with All-Americans through the lineup.

What the Huskies were doing was peaking at the right time, something that could not said be said for Southern Cal, who had been undefeated and ranked #1 as late as October, but was fading fast, and now down to #14. Washington facilitated the decline, with the first big win of the James era, 28-10. They were tied for first, and finally in the polls, at #19.

Washington closed the season by winning the Apple Cup rivalry game against Washington State. The Huskies then had to wait six days. They had clinched a share of the league title, but UCLA could still clinch the other half and take the Rose Bowl bid on the tiebreaker. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Bruins lost to USC and Washington was outright champs and going to Pasadena.

Michigan wasn’t going to sneak up on anyone. They had gone to the Rose Bowl in 1976 and were ranked #2 in the country to start the season. They would get All-American seasons from linebacker John Anderson, guard Mark Donahue and center Walt Downing. They had a 1,000-yard rusher in Russell Davis and Harlan Huckleby tacked on over 700 more. Rick Leach was good enough to get by with at quarterback.

After beating Illinois 37-9 to start the year, Michigan was elevated to the top of the polls when #1 Oklahoma struggled to get by Vanderbilt. The Wolverines then struggled themselves, in beating Duke and Navy, and were moved down to #3 when they hosted Texas A&M on October 1.

The Aggies were ranked fifth, and would finish the season behind only undefeated Texas and Orange Bowl-bound Arkansas in the old Southwest Conference. Michigan took Texas A&M apart. Davis rushed for 110 yards and Leach had 216 all-purpose yards. Ron Simpkins was everywhere on defense, with 14 tackles and the linebacker helped punctuate the 41-3 win in the fourth quarter when he blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.

Michigan then beat a pretty good Michigan State team 24-14. The Wolverines buried #14 Wisconsin 56-0, and the Badgers plummeted to a sub-.500 record. Michigan was back to the top of the polls and controlled their fate for a national title.

One year earlier, Michigan had been in this same situation and they were upset by Purdue. This time it was Minnesota that did the deed. The Gophers, the only conference team besides Michigan and Ohio State to make a bowl game, pulled a 16-0 upset in the Twin Cities and the Wolverines fell to #6.

Schembecler’s team came back strong, rolling through Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue and scoring 63 points in each of the latter two games. Michigan was set to host Ohio State in the season-ending finale. The Buckeyes had a share of the conference crown already sewn up, but the Wolverines would take the other half and the tiebreaker with a win.

Michigan won with red-zone execution. In the first three quarters-plus, Ohio State got down inside the 20 three times, but came with just two field goals. Michigan got touchdowns on its trips and led 14-6 when the Buckeyes launched one more drive. They had 1st-and-goal on the Michigan 8-yard line and the Wolverines needed one more red zone stop.

A tie was as good as a loss for Michigan, and Anderson came up with the big play. He forced a fumble, the Wolverines recovered and the 14-6 win was secure. They had been outgained 352-196, but were going to the Rose Bowl ranked fourth in the nation.

By the time the traditional late-afternoon kickoff arrived, the national title picture had been thrown into chaos. Top-ranked Texas, the only unbeaten team in the country, had been crushed by Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. Michigan was a part of a group of one-loss teams that could stake a claim with a decisive win.

Only it was Washington came out ready to play. They built a 27-7 lead, keyed by Moon going 28 yards over the top to Gaines. Michigan came roaring back, closed to 27-20 and got inside the red zone in the closing minutes. But a diving interception by linebacker Michael Jackson preserved the upset win.

Washington finished #10 in the country. Moon, after first going to the Canadian Football League for six years, had a productive NFL career, primarily with the old Houston Oilers. Schembecler had three more years to wait for that elusive first win in Pasadena.

The 1991 Washington Huskies Get Don James A Well-Deserved Crown

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The Washington Huskies had become a nationally respected program under the leadership of head coach Don James, going back to a Rose Bowl upset of Michigan in 1977 when Warren Moon quarterbacked the Huskies.

There would be consecutive trips to Pasadena in 1980-81, including a victory in ’81. There was an Orange Bowl win and #2 national finish in 1984. James returned to Pasadena in 1990 and won another Rose Bowl. All that was missing was a national title—and the 1991 Washington Huskies filled in the last line of James’ resume.

Washington came into the 1991 season ranked #4 in the nation and stacked with players the NFL could love. Eleven Huskies would go in the following spring’s draft and it started with defensive tackle Steve Emtman. He won both the Outland and Lombardi Trophies in ’91 and was the first overall pick by the NFL in the spring of 1992.

Defensive back Dana Hall was another future first-round choice. There were three good offensive lineman, center Ed Cunningham, guard Kris Rongen and tackle Siupeli Malamala. The linebacking corps was led by future draftees Brett Collins and Chico Fraley.

Where the question mark lay was at quarterback. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Mark Brunnell had led the way in 1990 and had a long and successful NFL career in front of him. But in spring practice, he was lost for what would prove to be most of the season. Fortunately, James was able to plug in Billy Joe Hobert and Washington didn’t miss a beat.

Hobert completed 61 percent of his passes, threw for over 2,200 yards and tossed 22 touchdown passes. He had a 1,000-yard receiver in Mario Bailey and a running back in Beno Bryant who neared that same 1K threshold.

Washington opened the season by hammering Stanford on the road, 42-7. This was a Cardinal team that would win eight games, and get their head coach, Dennis Green, the Minnesota Vikings gig the following year. They were no match for Washington, although there is no record of whether Green thundered to the press corps afterward about “They were, who we thought they were!”

After a week off, Washington went to ninth-ranked Nebraska. The Cornhuskers led 21-9 late in the third quarter, and it looked this game would mark another year where Washington was good and maybe even Rose Bowl-bound, but not national title material. Then the fourth quarter happened.

Bryant ran for one touchdown. Hobert both ran and threw to get two more and Washington led 29-21. Then Jay Barry sealed the deal with an 81-yard jaunt. Washington outrushed Nebraska 335-135 and held the ball for 35 minutes, effectively dominating a proud program known for its control of the trenches.

Washington blasted Kansas State and nudged to #3 in the polls. It was only September, but the Huskies had a poll problem. Florida State and Miami had the top two spots. While they would play each other, and allow Washington access to #2, there wasn’t much reason to expect either team to lose outside of when they played each other. And with the Huskies locked into the Rose Bowl against the Big Ten champ, they could get left out of the national title situation.

For the time being, all there was to do was play football and Washington did it exceptionally well. They spun consecutive shutouts of Arizona and Toledo, a combined score of 102-0. Another tough road game came against seventh-ranked Cal. The Golden Bears would enjoy a 9-2 season and their being passed over for a major bowl bid in favor of three-loss Notre Dame would generate outrage. Cal’s showing against Washington showed why.

The game was tied 17-17 after three quarters. Bryant, just as he had at Nebraska, made the big run on the road when his team needed it most. A 65-yard jaunt made it 24-17. The defense made it stand up, but not before Cal got to the 18-yard line was able to attempt a last pass into the end zone. It was the closest the Huskies would come all year to being defeated.

Washington closed the regular season with five straight wins over Pac-10 opponents by a combined 148 points. Miami beat Florida State on November 16, but one week later, the Huskies got the break they were looking for.

While they took care of business on the field and ended the regular season with a 56-21 blasting of Washington State in the Apple Cup rivalry game, Miami struggled in a win over a pedestrian Boston College team. This combined with the sentiments from a lot of people that Washington deserved its day in the sun.

The Huskies, after all, had won two huge games on the road and dominated a pretty good schedule. It took nothing away from Miami to suggest that Washington at least win a share of the national title. While the writers kept Miami at #1, the coaches—perhaps motivated by sentiment for James—elevated Washington to #1.

Michigan still awaited in the Rose Bowl and the Wolverines were ranked #4, with the Heisman Trophy winner in Desmond Howard at receiver and returning kicks. Miami played Nebraska, only ranked #11 and already beaten down by Washington in their own backyard. Miami would get the Cornhuskers in a literal home game at the Orange Bowl. If nothing else, the Huskies probably didn’t have to worry about style points. Just win, and at least a share of the national title would be theirs.

The Rose Bowl was scoreless in the first quarter and the teams traded touchdowns in the second. Washington then drove inside the 10-yard line twice, but had to settle for field goals. A game they should have been in command of, was a competitive 13-7 at the half.

It didn’t matter. The Huskies dominated after intermission. Hobert threw a short touchdown pass and then converted the two-point play. He tossed another scoring pass in the fourth quarter. Brunnell, who had gotten healthy enough to get some reps, even got in the act, hitting Bailey on a 38-yard touchdown pass that made it 34-7 and all but sealed it.

Michigan got a meaningless touchdown and Washington could have answered, when they moved past the Wolverine five-yard line in the final minute. James, even with a critical vote hanging in the balance, did the right thing and simply took a knee, leaving the final at 34-14.

Miami, a great team in their own right, showcased the best defense in the country in shutting down Nebraska 22-0. They had beaten Florida State on the road and were a worthy championship team themselves.

Given that, what happened in 1991 was a case of the polls combining, albeit unintentionally, to do the right thing. Each held their #1 ranking, Miami with the writers, Washington with the coaches. James was, at long last, a national champion.