The Washington Huskies will travel to San Antonio on December 29 to take on the Baylor Bears in the 2011 Alamo Bowl.
Washington had a solid season this year, finishing with a 7-5 overall record and defeating both of their Pac-12 rivals who also ended the season 7-5: the Utah Utes and the California Golden Bears. The Baylor Bears, however, will be quite a formidable opponent. Baylor finished their season with a 9-3 record and ranked second overall in total offense. They averaged an impressive 571 yards per game and were sixth overall in scoring. Compare that with the Huskies, who were 99th overall on defense, and you have what appears to be a blowout in the making.
The Huskies feel up to the challenge, however. They are hoping to send Heisman hopeful Robert Griffin III and the Bears home without a bowl game victory to cap off their solid season. UW head coach Steve Sarkasian had nothing but compliments for the quarterback, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
"Tremendous player," said UW coach Steve Sarkisian said. "What I've appreciated about him, it seems like he's in very good command of what they do. He's in charge of the whole thing. He can utilize his legs and he can throw the ball down the field, as well."
The Huskies are trying to keep 2010 in mind, when they were underdogs against Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl and came away with a 19-7 upset win. Defensive coordinator Nick Holt had this to say:
"We had the same opportunities as the other team and our guys took advantage of the practices and they were really focused and they came out and executed really, really well and played really, really well," he said. "You hope that happens this year when it's a new year and new challenges and new players and we'll see how that goes."
The Huskies are keeping their heads held high and are hoping their fans will be doing the same as they await this big bowl game.
To discuss the matchup with Husky fans, head to UW Dawg Pound. To discuss the game with Baylor fans, go to Our Daily Bears. The full bowl pairings can be located right here.