WASHINGTON HUSKIES NOTES:
THE GAME: The No. 12-ranked Washington football team (10-2, 7-2 in the Pac-12) wraps up the 2022 season with a trip to the Valero Alamo Bowl, Dec. 29 at 6:00 p.m. PT at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The Huskies will take on No. 20 (CFP ranking) Texas (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) in the two teams’ first matchup since the 2001 Holiday Bowl. The game will air on ESPN television.
HUSKIES’ BOWL HISTORY: Washington will be making its 41st bowl game appearance in San Antonio. The Huskies enter the game with an 19-20-1 overall record in bowl games, dating back to the 1924 Rose Bowl, where the UW tied Navy, 14-14. This game vs. Texas marks the Huskies’ second trip to the Valero Alamo Bowl and the UW’s first bowl trip since the 2019 season (UW was eligible in 2020, but unable to accept a berth due to COVID-19). Here’s a rundown of the UW’s all-time bowl results:
HUSKIES vs. LONGHORNS HISTORY: Washington and Texas have squared off against one another just four times, despite sharing a significant connection. In 1956, Darrell Royal was hired as Washington’s new head football coach, having served the previous two years as head coach at Mississippi State. A former Oklahoma player and Bud Wilkinson disciple, Royal’s tenure on Montlake lasted just one season before Texas came calling. He moved to Austin where he was so successful (180 wins, 11 Southwest Conference titles, 3 national championships) that they named the Longhorns’ stadium after him. It took nearly two decades to arrange a series against his former team as the Huskies and Horns played a home-and-home in 1974 and 1975. They’ve since played one another two more times, in bowl games. Here are brief recaps of the four Washington-Texas games:
October 5, 1974 • Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
19 TEXAS 35, WASHINGTON 21
Washington traveled to Austin for the fourth and final game of the nonconference schedule in what would turn out to be the final season for UW head coach Jim Owens, who had replaced Royal back in 1957. Both teams came into the game with 2-1 records. Washington grabbed the early lead on a 40-yard pass from Chris Rowland to Robin Earl, but by halftime, the home team had compiled a 21-14 lead. In the second half, the strong Texas ground game took over as the Longhorns, behind Roosevelt Leaks and freshman Earl Campbell, racked up 367 rushing yards for the game, 300 more than the Huskies. Campbell, already an emerging star four games into his career, finished with 125 yards on just 16 carries. Rowland led the Huskies, passing for a solid 328 yards and two scores, with Scott Phillips compiling 133 receiving yards. The Longhorns would go on to finish 8-3, before falling to Auburn in the Gator Bowl. Washington went 5-6 and, after winning the Apple Cup, Owens stepped down.
September 20 • Husky Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
8 TEXAS 28, WASHINGTON 10
Just one week after the UW’s first game under new head coach Don James (a 35-12 loss at Arizona State), the Huskies welcomed 8th-ranked Texas to Seattle. In a manner similar to the previous year’s game in Austin, the Texas wishbone offense, and its talented stars, proved too much for the Huskies. Now a sophomore, Campbell had another outstanding game, rushing for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries, while quarterback Marty Akins ran for 140. The Longhorns finished with 440 rushing yards to go with just 23 through the air. Washington split time with quarterbacks Rowland and JC transfer Warren Moon, who combined to pass for 128 yards.
December 29, 1979 • Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
WASHINGTON 14, #19 BOISE STATE 6
With Fred Akers now in his third season in charge of the Longhorns – and James in his fifth at Washington, the No. 13 Huskies took on No. 11 Texas in the 1979 Sun Bowl, in what proved to be a tough, defensive struggle. Both teams brought 9-2 records to El Paso for the Huskies first bowl appearance outside of the Rose Bowl since the 1938 Pineapple Bowl. All of the scoring came in the second quarter as the Huskies got an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tom Flick to Paul Skansi and a four-yard run from Willis Ray Mackey, a product of Luling High School in Texas and one of the highest-profile recruits ever to come to UW. Texas answered with a five-yard TD pass from Donnie Little, but that was it. Neither team scored in the third or fourth quarters. The Longhorns out-gained the Huskies, with 236 yards of total offense to the Huskies’ 165, but four UT turnovers proved the difference. Skanski and UW defensive lineman Doug Martin, the ninth overall pick in the following spring’s NFL Draft, won MVP honors. It was the final game in a Husky uniform for Mackey, who, after just one fall and one spring at UW, returned home to Luling and never came back to Seattle.
December 28, 2001 • Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
9 TEXAS 47, #21 WASHINGTON 43
The 2001 Culligan Holiday Bowl got off to a slow start, in terms of offense, but kicking into high gear, resulting in a shootout that the Longhorns came back to win. After a scoreless first quarter, the Huskies jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter on two John Anderson field goals and a 38-yard interception return from defensive tackle Terry “Tank” Johnson. UT QB Major Applewhite replied with a pair of touchdown passes to take a 14-13 lead before a touchdown pass from Cody Pickett to tight end Joe Collier and a third Anderson field goal gave Washington a 20-14 lead at the break. In the third quarter, Washington scored two TDs and Texas managed two field goals to stretch the Husky advantage to 36-20 heading into the fourth quarter. From there, Applewhite and the Horns took over, scoring three straight touchdowns to move in front, 40-36. Washington took back the lead on a 36-yard run from tailback Willie Hurst with just 1:49 to go, but Applewhite took just 1:11 to drive 80 yards on seven plays, with Ivan Williams scoring on a 3-yard run to win the game. Applewhite finished 37-for-55 for 473 yards to earn MVP. Pickett 27-for-54 for 293 yards and Hurst finished with 137 yards for Washington. UW VS. THE BIG 12: The Huskies haven’t faced a Big 12 opponent in eight years, dating back to a loss to Okahoma State in the 2015 Cactus Bowl, which followed the 2014 season, former head coach Chris Petersen’s first at UW. Prior to that, the most recent meeting vs. a Big 12 team was in the 2011 Valero Alamo Bowl. Washington is 13-12 all-time vs. the current makeup of the Big 12 Conference. The Huskies are 1-4 vs. Baylor; 1-0 vs. Iowa State; 1-0 vs. Kansas; 4-1 vs. Kansas State; 1-2 vs. Oklahoma; 1-2 vs. Oklahoma State; 1-0 vs. TCU; 1-3 vs. Texas; and 2-0 vs. Texas Tech. Washington is 2-4 against current Big 12 teams (2022 lineup) in bowl games: 14-7 win over Texas in the 1979 Sun Bowl; 28-17 win over Oklahoma in the 1985 Orange Bowl; 24-20 loss to Kansas State in the 1999 Holiday Bowl; 47-43 loss to Texas in the 2001 Holiday Bowl; 67-56 loss to Baylor in 2011 Alamo Bowl; 30-22 loss to Oklahoma State in the 2015 Cactus Bowl.
TEXAS LONGHORNS NOTES:
SERIES HISTORY
Overall Record ……………………………………………………… Texas leads, 3-1
In Austin ………………………………………………………………. Texas leads, 1-0
In Seattle……………………………………………………………… Texas leads, 1-0
Neutral…………………………………………………………………. Texas leads, 1-1
DeBoer vs. Texas ………………………………………………………….. Never Met
Sarkisian vs. Washington ………………………………………………………… 0-1
Current Streak …………………………………………………Texas, Won 1 (2001)
Last Meeting …………………………………………….Texas 47, Washington 43
Longest Texas Streak…………………………………………… Won 2 (1974-75)
Longest Washington Streak………………………………………..Won 1 (1979)
Largest Texas Win………………………….. Texas 28, Washington 10 (1975)
Largest Washington Win…………………… Washington 14, Texas 7 (1979)
LONGHORN BOWL HISTORY
• Texas is making its 58th all-time bowl appearance this season, the third-most in the country behind only Alabama and Georgia.
• The Longhorns have an all-time record of 31-24-2 (.561) in bowl games.
• This year marks the Longhorns’ sixth Alamo Bowl appearance (2006, 2012-13, 2019-20, 2022) and third in the last four seasons.
• The Longhorns are 4-1 in their previous Alamo Bowl outings (Win – 2006, 2012, 2019, 2022; Loss – 2013).
• Texas will be playing a current member of the Pac-12 Conference for the 13th time. UT holds an 8-4 record in those instances, including a 55-23 win over Colorado in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl.
• This year will mark Texas’ sixth appearance in the Alamo Bowl, and fifth since 2012. The Cotton Bowl (22 appearances) is the only bowl game that the Longhorns have appeared in more frequently than the Alamo Bowl and matches the total number of appearances in the Bluebonnet Bowl (six appearances).
BOWL GAMES VS. CURRENT PAC-12
Bowl Game Opponent Result
1975 Bluebonnet…..No. 10 Colorado…………… W, 38-21
1979 Sun……………..No. 13 Washington…………..L, 7-14
2000 Holiday ………..No. 8 Oregon …………………L, 30-35
2001 Holiday ………..No. 21 Washington………. W, 47-43
2003 Holiday ………..No. 15 Washington St. ……L, 20-28
2006 Rose !………….No. 1 USC …………………… W, 41-38
2007 Holiday ………..No. 12 Arizona State…….. W, 52-34
2011 Holiday ………..California…………………….. W, 21-10
2012 Alamo………….Oregon State……………….. W, 31-27
2013 Alamo………….Oregon……………………………L, 7-30
2019 Alamo………….No. 11 Utah…………………. W, 38-10
2022 Alamo………….Colorado …………………….. W, 55-23
! BCS National Championship Game
THE OPENING KICKOFF
• The University of Texas continues its 130th season of football on Thursday, Dec. 29 when the Longhorns meet Washington in the 30th Valero Alamo Bowl. The game will kick off from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.
• Texas (8-4, 6-3) defeated Baylor, 38-27, in the season-finale in Austin and has won three of the last four games.
• Washington (10-2, 7-2) closed out the season winning the Apple Cup over Washington State, 51-33 and heads to San Antonio on a six-game win streak.
• Steve Sarkisian will be serving his 106th career game as head coach and 25th with Texas. He has a career record of 59-46 (.562).
• Texas currently boasts 936 all-time wins, the fifth-most in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 936-389-33 (.701).
SERIES HISTORY VS. WASHINGTON
• Texas and Washington will face off for the fifth time in school history. It is scheduled to be the first meeting between the teams since 2001.
• Texas holds a 3-1 record all-time against Washington, including a 1-1 record in bowl games.
• In the last meeting, the Longhorns bested the Huskies at the 2001 Holiday Bowl, 47-43, rallying from a 19-point deficit late in the third quarter.
• Texas won a home-and-home series against Washington in the early 70’s winning in Austin by a score of 35-21 in 1974, then topping the Huskies in Seattle in 1975, 28-10.
• Washington defeated Texas at the 1979 Sun Bowl with the No. 13 Huskies topping the No. 11 Longhorns, 14-7.
RESULTS VS. WASHINGTON (ALL-TIME)
Year Location Result Score
1974 ……….Austin……………………………..W…………35-21
1975 ……….Waco ………………………………W…………28-10
1979* ……..El Paso, Texas…………………..L……………7-14
2001^ ……..San Diego, Calif………………..W…………47-43
- Sun Bowl ^ Holiday Bowl
A TEXAS WIN WOULD …
• Be Texas’ 937th victory all-time, the fifth-winningest program in college football history.
• Improve the Longhorns to 32-24-2 all-time in Bowl games, 5-1 in the Alamo Bowl and 9-4 in Bowl games versus current PAC-12 teams.
• Give Steve Sarkisian his 60th victory as a head coach and 14th at Texas in his 106th career game as a head coach.
• Be Sarkisian’s third bowl game win improve his record to 3-2.
SECOND SEASON OF SARKISIAN ERA
• Texas Football Head Coach Steve Sarkisian is in his second season at the helm of the Longhorns and his ninth season as a head coach overall.
• Last season, the Texas offense ranked 18th in the nation and second in the Big 12 Conference with 35.5 points per game, the third-straight top-18 scoring output for a Sarkisan-led offense.
• The offensive showing also marked the eighth top-30 scoring offense in Sarkisian’s career.
• Bijan Robinson rushed for 1,401 yards in 2021 and has established a career best with 1,580 rushing yards this season marking the 11th consecutive year a Sarkisian offense has had a 1,000-yard rusher.
BREAKING BIG PLAYS
• This season, Texas is averaging almost six big plays (plays of 20 or more yards) per game with no fewer than three in a game, while Longhorn opponents are averaging just under four per game.
• Texas had a season-high nine gains of at least 20 yards at Oklahoma State.
• UT has 68 plays of 20 or more yards this season with 14 touchdowns, and Texas opponents have totaled 46 plays of at least 20 yards with nine touchdowns.
• On plays of 30 or more yards, the Longhorns have totaled 29 plays with 13 taken into the end zone for scores, while UT opponents have tallied 15 such plays with seven touchdowns.
TRANSFERRING TO THE 40
• Ten new faces arrived on the Forty Acres for the 2022 season via transfer from other colleges. That group includes:
Player…………………………….. Previous School
TE Jahleel Billingsley………………………………. Alabama
QB Quinn Ewers ……………………………………Ohio State
WR Agiye Hall ……………………………………….. Alabama
WR Tarique Milton………………………………. Iowa State
WR Isaiah Neyor……………………………………Wyoming
OL Will Pliska……………………………………. Washington
WR Gage Sulser…………………………………….. Montana
P Daniel Trejo……………………………….Texas Wesleyan
LB Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey ………….. James Madison
DB Ryan Watts……………………………………..Ohio State
FRESH FACES
• A total of 16 Longhorns have made their first career starts in the Burnt Orange and White this season. Nine Longhorns made their starting debuts for Texas in the season-opening victory over ULM. That group was made up of OL Kelvin Banks Jr., OL Hayden Connor, QB Quinn Ewers, DB Jaylon Guilbeau, TE Gunnar Helm, OL Cole Hutson EDGE Barryn Sorrell, TE Ja’Tavion Sanders and DB Ryan Watts. Against Alabama, WR Casey Cain joined the group with a start in the second game of his career, and Jamier Johnson made his first career start against UTSA. The following week at Texas Tech, DL Vernon Broughton earned his first career start. Against West Virginia, T’Vondre Sweat started for the first time in his career in his 40th game played. In the defensive backfield, DB Kitan Crawford started for the first time at Kansas State, DB Terrence Brooks tallied his first career start in the match up with TCU, and DB Michael Taaffe made his starting debut in Kansas. In the regular-season finale
against Baylor, WR Tarique Milton made his first start.
• In all, 36 Longhorns have made their first career appearances for Texas this season. Thirty-three of those occurred in the season opener against ULM, with that group made up of Banks, Ewers, Guilbeau, Hutson, Watts, WR Jaden Alexis, DL Jaray Bledsoe, RB Jaydon Blue, DB X’Avion Brice, DB Terrence Brooks, DL Aaron Bryant, EDGE Ethan Burke, WR Casey Cain, OL DJ Campbell, EDGE Justice Finkley, DB Austin Jordan, WR Tarique Milton, WR Troy Omiere, P Isaac Pearson, WR Savion Red, OL Connor Robertson, DL Kristopher Ross, K Will Stone, WR Gabe Sulser, DL Zac Swanson, DB Michael Taaffe, EDGE J’Mond Tapp, WR Brenen Thompson, P Daniel Trejo, LB Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, DB Larry Turner-Gooden, OL Neto Umeozulu and OL Cameron Williams. • WR Agiye Hall joined the group when he made his debut for the Horns against UTSA and DS Lance St. Louis appeared in his first game at Texas Tech.
• TE Jahleel Billingsley appeared in his first game for Texas at Oklahoma State.
SCORE BIG AND SCORE OFTEN
• Texas scored 55 points in the victory at Kansas and held the Jayhawks to 14, providing the largest margin of victory on the road for the Longhorns since 2007 when UT beat Iowa State in Ames, 56-3.
• Texas tallied 31 points in the first half against Kansas, the sixth time this season the Longhorns have scored 28 points in a half.
• UT has scored at least 24 points in a half nine times this season.
• The Longhorns have scored at least 34 points in nine of 12 games this season.
• Texas scored at least 32 points in six of 12 games in 2021 and had four games of 48 points or more.
• In last season’s victory over Texas Tech, the Longhorns scored 70 points in a game for the first time since 2005 Big 12 Championship Game against Colorado.
• It marked only the second time since 1977 and 11th time in school history that UT had scored 70 points in a game.
• The 70 points tied for the second most scored against a Big 12 opponent in conference play, while the 42 points scored in the first half were also the second most in a Big 12 contest.
STARTING STRONG
• It was a complete team effort from the Longhorns in the season-opening 52-10 victory over the ULM Warhawks.
• Texas tallied seven touchdowns in the winning effort and scored in variety of fashions with the offense, defense and special teams all finding the end zone via a blocked punt return, an interception return, two receiving touchdowns and a trio of rushing scores.
• Texas has begun each of the last five seasons with a win, besting Tulsa in 2018, Louisiana Tech in 2019, UTEP in 2020, Louisiana in 2021 and ULM in 2022.
DALLAS DOMINATION
• The Longhorns won the 118th edition of the Red River Showdown in dominating fashion, topping Oklahoma by a score of 49-0.
• UT’s shutout was the first over OU since 1965 and the first suffered by the Sooners since 1998.
• The 49-point margin was also the worst suffered by the Sooners in shutout fashion in program history.
• Texas held Oklahoma to 39 passing yards, the fewest surrendered by the Longhorns since 2014 (North Texas – 15).
• The Longhorns 49 points were the most-ever scored against the Sooners and the 49-point win was the largest margin of victory of UT in the rivalry.
• Texas’ 36 first downs were the most in a single game in the matchup and the most ever at a game held inside Cotton Bowl Stadium.
• Redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers passed for four touchdowns, tied for third-most in the Texas-Oklahoma game in series history.
WEATHERING THE CYCLONES
• Facing an Iowa State defense that was holding opponents to a Big 12-best (13th/NCAA) 91 rushing ypg, Bijan Robinson (28-135) & Roschon Johnson (11-71) combined for 206 rushing yards — including teaming up for 59 yards on nine carries on the game-winning 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
• Iowa State’s defense had been putting together one of the best seasons in school history, leading the Big 12 in total defense (277.5 yards per game), rushing defense (91.0) and scoring defense (13.7 points).
• Nationally, ISU had been eighth in scoring defense, 11th in total defense and 13th in rushing defense.
DEFENSE BRINGING THE HEAT
• The Texas defense came up huge in the 20-19 defeat at the hands of Alabama in week two, the first matchup between the storied programs since the 2010 BCS Championship Game.
• Texas’ defense limited the high-powered Crimson Tide offense to 20 points, just the seventh time in the last eight seasons that Alabama has been held to 20 points or fewer.
• In the first half, Alabama rushed for 94 yards on 12 carries, with 81 of those yards occurring on one play.
• Following the 81-yard run, Texas forced Alabama to punt on each of the next six drives.
• The Horns did it again against TCU, holding a Horned Frogs team that was averaging over 43 points a game to 17 for the game, and limiting them to three points in the first half, the fewest points TCU had scored in a half all season.
• UT also posted season-high five sacks and 14 tackles for loss against TCU.
