1991 Washington Huskies football team

The 1991 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. Head coach Don James, in his 17th season at Washington, was assisted by coordinators Keith Gilbertson (offense) and Jim Lambright (defense), both head coaches themselves within two years.

1991 Washington Huskies football
Coaches' Poll national champion
Pac-10 champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 34–14 vs. Michigan
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 2
Record12–0 (8–0 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorKeith Gilbertson (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorJim Lambright (15th season)
MVPMario Bailey (offense)
Steve Emtman (defense)
Captains
Home stadiumHusky Stadium
capacity: 72,500; AstroTurf)
1991 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 2 Washington $  8 0   12 0  
No. 8 California  6 2   10 2  
No. 19 UCLA  6 2   9 3  
No. 22 Stanford  6 2   8 4  
Arizona State  4 4   6 5  
Washington State  3 5   4 7  
Arizona  3 5   4 7  
USC  2 6   3 8  
Oregon  1 7   3 8  
Oregon State  1 7   1 10  
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1991 team was arguably the finest team in school history and split the national championship with the Miami Hurricanes, who were also 12–0, and won the AP Poll by four votes, while Washington took the coaches' poll by nine.[1] Washington could not have played Miami in a bowl game because the Pac-10 champion was bound by contract to play in the Rose Bowl against the Big Ten champion. The Huskies soundly defeated fourth-ranked Michigan 34–14 in the Rose Bowl; the final score differential was narrowed by a late touchdown by Tyrone Wheatley of Michigan. With a minute remaining in the game, Washington was on the Michigan five-yard line, but opted to stay on the ground and run out the clock with third-string quarterback Damon Huard leading the offense.[2]

Eleven Huskies were selected in the 1992 NFL draft, led by Steve Emtman, a dominating yet under-recruited defensive tackle from Cheney. Emtman won both the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy, and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting, won by Desmond Howard of Michigan. Defensive back Dana Hall was also selected in the first round.

A fantasy article in Sports Illustrated titled "The Dream Game" had the Huskies narrowly defeat Miami in a playoff.[3]

Overview

The Huskies were ranked fourth in the 1991 pre-season. They dominated their six home games within the friendly raucous confines of Husky Stadium, which included two lopsided shutouts. The Dawgs' three closest games in 1991 were on the road: against Nebraska, California, and USC.

Behind 14–6 at halftime in Lincoln on ABC to no. 9 Nebraska in the second game of the season, UW rallied to outscore NU in Lincoln 30–7 in the second half to win by 15, and were graciously applauded at game-end by the Cornhusker fans.[4] In mid-October, the no. 7 Cal Bears were the next-best team in the Pac-10 in 1991; the Huskies won by a touchdown in Berkeley to go to 6–0. In November in Los Angeles, the Huskies entered the game against USC undefeated at 8–0 and won a 14–3 defensive struggle, a second-straight victory over the previously dominant Trojans.

Like the rest of the Pac-10 in 1991, the Huskies played just eight Pac-10 conference games, missing one opponent; they did not play UCLA in 1991 or 1992. The 1991 Bruins finished at 9–3 (6–2 in conference), in the top twenty in both polls (no. 18 and no. 19). UCLA lost to Tennessee of the SEC and both Bay Area teams, Cal and Stanford, but won their bowl game.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 712:30 p.m.at StanfordNo. 4ABCW 42–745,273
September 215:00 p.m.at No. 9 Nebraska*No. 4ABCW 36–2176,304
September 2812:30 p.m.Kansas State*No. 4PrimeW 56–371,638
October 53:30 p.m.ArizonaNo. 3
  • Husky Stadium
  • Seattle, WA
PrimeW 54–072,495
October 1212:30 p.m.Toledo*No. 3
  • Husky Stadium
  • Seattle, WA
PrimeW 48–072,266
October 1912:30 p.m.at No. 7 CaliforniaNo. 3ABCW 24–1774,500
October 2612:30 p.m.OregonNo. 3
PrimeW 29–772,318
November 212:30 p.m.Arizona StateNo. 3
  • Husky Stadium
  • Seattle, WA
PrimeW 44–1672,405
November 912:30 p.m.at USCNo. 2ABCW 14–359,320
November 161:00 p.m.at Oregon StateNo. 3PrimeW 58–631,588
November 2312:30 p.m.Washington StateNo. 2
ABCW 56–2172,581
January 1, 19921:45 p.m.vs. No. 4 Michigan*No. 2ABCW 34–14103,566  
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Pacific time
Source:[5]

Conference opponent not played this season: UCLA

Roster

1991 Washington Huskies football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 5 Mario Bailey (C) Jr
RB 42 Jay Barry Jr
TE 85 Mark Bruener Fr
QB 11 Mark Brunell Jr
RB 29 Beno Bryant Jr
C 79 Ed Cunningham (C) Sr
OT 66 Tom Gallagher So
QB 12 Billy Joe Hobert So
FB 22 Matt Jones Jr
G 56 Pete Kaligis Jr
RB 8 Napoleon Kaufman Fr
OT 75 Lincoln Kennedy Jr
OT 70 Siupeli Malamala Sr
WR 4 Orlando McKay Sr
G 52 Jim Nevelle So
OT 71 Pete Pierson So
TE 84 Aaron Pierce Sr
G 72 Kris Rongen So
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
CB 23 Walter Bailey So
LB 46 Brett Collins (C) Sr
DE 90 Steve Emtman Jr
DT 75 D'Marco Farr So
OLB 3 Jaime Fields Jr
ILB 39 Chico Fraley Sr
CB 5 Dana Hall Sr
ILB 54 Dave Hoffman Jr
OLB 48 Donald Jones (C) Sr
DE 13 Andy Mason So
FS 21 Shane Pahukoa Jr
NG 57 Tyrone Rodgers Sr
FS 20 Tommie Smith Jr
SS 8 Paxton Tailele Sr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 4 Travis Hanson So
P 98 John Werdel So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt
Source:[6]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP4 (1)4 (2)4 (2)4 (1)4 (3)3 (1)3 (1)3 (2)3 (2)3 (4)2 т (4)3 (4)2 (14)2 (22 12)2 (23)2 (28)
Coaches4 (3)4 (3)3 (2)4 (1)4 (1)3 (1)3 (1)3 (1)3 (2)3 (2)3 (8)3 (8)2 (15)2 (27)1 (29)1 (33 12)

Game summaries

At Stanford

#4 Washington at Stanford
1 234Total
Washington 0 21021 42
Stanford 0 700 7

Washington's forced five turnovers and scored four touchdowns on the ground in a 42–7 season opening victory at Stanford. Cornerback Walter Bailey had an interception and a fumble recovery, while running back Jay Barry ran for two scores. Billy Joe Hobert, making his first career start, completed 21 of 31 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

Source:[7]

At Nebraska

#4 Washington at #9 Nebraska
1 234Total
Washington 0 61020 36
Nebraska 7 770 21

Source:[8]

Kansas State

Kansas State at #4 Washington
1 234Total
Kansas State 0 300 3
Washington 21 14714 56

Arizona

Arizona at #3 Washington
1 234Total
Arizona 0 000 0
Washington 7 27146 54

Toledo

Toledo at #3 Washington
1 234Total
Toledo 0 000 0
Washington 21 1377 48

At California

#3 Washington at #7 California
1 234Total
Washington 7 1007 24
California 7 370 17

Oregon

Oregon at #3 Washington
1 234Total
Oregon 0 007 7
Washington 7 1237 29

Arizona State

Arizona State at #3 Washington
1 234Total
Arizona State 0 088 16
Washington 14 17103 44

At USC

#2 Washington at USC
1 234Total
Washington 7 700 14
USC 0 030 3

At Oregon State

#2 Washington at Oregon State
1 234Total
Washington 16 28140 58
Oregon State 3 300 6

Washington State

Washington State at #2 Washington
1 234Total
Washington State 7 077 21
Washington 6 22721 56

Vs. Michigan (Rose Bowl)

#2 Washington vs. #4 Michigan
1 234Total
Huskies 0 13813 34
Wolverines 0 707 14

Awards and honors

National

Conference

  • All-Pacific-10: Mario Bailey, Lincoln Kennedy, Ed Cunningham, Steve Emtman, Dave Hoffmann, Chico Fraley, Donald Jones, Dana Hall
  • Pacific-10 Offensive Player of the Year: Mario Bailey
  • Pacific-10 Defensive Player of the Year: Steve Emtman
  • Pacific-10 Coach of the Year: Don James

NFL draft selections

Eleven University of Washington Huskies were selected in the 1992 NFL draft, which lasted twelve rounds with 336 selections.[10]

= Husky Hall of Fame[11]
PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL club
Steve EmtmanDT11Indianapolis Colts
Dana HallDB118San Francisco 49ers
Ed CunninghamC361Arizona Cardinals
Siupeli MalamalaT368New York Jets
Aaron PierceTE369New York Giants
Orlando McKayWR5130Green Bay Packers
Mario BaileyWR6162Houston Oilers
Donald JonesLB9245New Orleans Saints
Kris RongenG11290Seattle Seahawks
Brett CollinsLB12314Green Bay Packers
Chico FraleyLB12319Seattle Seahawks

References

  1. "Stat sheet: football, final polls". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). January 2, 1992. p. E4.
  2. "Huskies crush Michigan 34-14". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. January 2, 1992. p. 1B.
  3. Murphy, Austin (January 13, 1992). "The Dream Game". Sports Illustrated. p. 34.
  4. Gene Wojciechowski (September 22, 1991). "Washington Wins Husker Fans, Too : Huskies: After Nebraska loses, 36-21, the Lincoln crowd musters an ovation for the stunned visitors". LA Times.
  5. 2003 UW Huskies football media guide, p. 209
  6. "Oregon outlook". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). October 26, 1991. p. 4B.
  7. "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: WEST/SOUTHWEST; Washington's Defense Scuttles Stanford, 42-7". The New York Times. September 7, 1991. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  8. "Washington 36 Nebraska 21". Husker Max. September 21, 1991. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  9. Hyland, Tim. "AP College Football National Champions". Football.about.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  10. "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  11. "The Husky Hall of Fame". gohuskies.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  12. "Billy Joe Hobert NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  13. "Mark Brunell NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
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