The 2011
Valero Alamo Bowl, the 19th edition of the game, was a post-season American
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
, held on December 29,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
at the
Alamodome
The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...
in
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
as part of the
2011–12 NCAA Bowl season.
The game, which was telecast at 8:00 p.m.
CT on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, featured the
Washington Huskies
The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac- ...
from the
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
versus the
Baylor Bears
The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only two private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior to j ...
, led by
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner
Robert Griffin III
Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3 and RGIII, is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overa ...
, from the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
. With a total combined score of 123 points, the game is currently the highest-scoring regulation bowl game in college football history.
Teams
![Alamodome, San Antonio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Alamodome%2C_San_Antonio.jpg)
On December 4, 2011, both Washington and Baylor accepted invitations to play in the 2011 Alamo Bowl.
[Washington, Baylor To Play in 2011 Valero Alamo Bowl]
. Alamobowl.com. 4 December 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011. The two teams had not met since 1965, with the Bears holding a 3–1 advantage against the Huskies. Baylor and UW played home-and-home series in 1954–55 and 1964–65. The Bears won in Waco in 1954 (34–7) and in Seattle in 1955 (13–7). Washington won in Seattle in 1964 (35–14), and Baylor won in Waco in 1965 (17–14).
Washington
Washington entered the game with a record of 7-5, finishing 3rd in the
Pac-12
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
North division. Washington quarterback
Keith Price
Keith Price (born June 28, 1991) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Washington, where he was the starting quarterback from 2011 to 2013. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks i ...
had a single-season school record 29 touchdown passes in the 2011 regular season. Running back
Chris Polk
Chris Polk (born December 16, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Washington Huskies. Despite being considered a top running back prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft, he went undrafted due to concerns ...
was ranked 16th in the nation in rushing, averaging 112 yards per game. In addition, the Huskies were very efficient in the
red zone, scoring 36 touchdowns on 45 trips. Washington's defense, on the other hand, was ranked only 116th out of 120 against the pass and only 102nd against the run.
[Lipka, Mike]
Washington-Baylor Preview
Yahoo Sports
Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...
. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.[Miller, Ted]
Alamo Bowl: Three keys for Washington
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. 29 December 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
Baylor
Baylor entered the game 9-3, finishing 3rd in the
Big 12
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...
standings. The Bears were looking for their first bowl win since the
1992 John Hancock Bowl, notably the last game for legendary Baylor coach
Grant Teaff
Grant Garland Teaff (; born November 12, 1933) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at McMurry University (1960–1965), Angelo State University (1969–1971), and Baylor University (1972–1992), compiling ...
. Baylor entered the game on a 5-game winning streak, after starting 4-3. During the 5-game winning streak, Baylor averaged 46.4 points and 587 yards, which included the Bear's first victory ever over
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. For the season, the Bears had the nation's 2nd ranked total offense (571.25 yards per game), 5th ranked passing offense (356.2 yards per game) and 18th ranked rushing offense (215.08 yards per game).
[ Baylor's offense was led by ]Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
-winning QB Robert Griffin III
Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3 and RGIII, is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overa ...
. Wide receiver Kendall Wright
Kendall Thomas Wright (born November 12, 1989) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he is the career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Wright w ...
and running back Terrance Ganaway were other players that led the offense. Baylor's defense, on the other hand, was ranked only 114th overall in the FBS.[
]
Game summary
Baylor scored first on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Wright
Kendall Thomas Wright (born November 12, 1989) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he is the career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Wright w ...
. Washington responded with a 5-yard Keith Price
Keith Price (born June 28, 1991) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Washington, where he was the starting quarterback from 2011 to 2013. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks i ...
touchdown run to tie the game 7-7. The Bears were able to score two more rushing touchdowns from Jarred Salubi and Robert Griffin III
Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3 and RGIII, is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overa ...
to go up 21-7 at the end of the 1st quarter.[Washington Huskies vs. Baylor Bears Play-by-Play]
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
In the 2nd quarter, Washington cut the deficit 21-14 on a 12-yard touchdown pass to James Johnson. After forcing Baylor to punt, the Huskies tied the game 21-21 on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Devin Aguilar. On the ensuing drive, Baylor's Robert Griffin III fumbled the ball at Washington's 43-yard line. Taking advantage of the fumble, Washington took the lead 28-21 on a 15-yard touchdown run from Keith Price. After Baylor turned the ball over on downs, Washington took a 35-21 lead with only 1 play on a 56-yard touchdown run from Chris Polk
Chris Polk (born December 16, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Washington Huskies. Despite being considered a top running back prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft, he went undrafted due to concerns ...
. Baylor was able to cut the deficit 35-24 at the end of the half on a 42-yard field goal.[
Washington received the ball in the 3rd quarter. The Huskies quickly took a 42-24 lead on an 80-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse. Baylor responded with a Jarred Salubi touchdown run to make it 42-31. Baylor's defense was then able to force Washington to punt. However, Washington's defense responded by forcing a ]three and out
''Three and Out'' is a 2008 British black comedy film directed by Jonathan Gershfield and starring Mackenzie Crook, Colm Meaney, Gemma Arterton, Imelda Staunton, and Kerry Katona. It premiered in London on the 21 April 2008 and was released in ...
. On the ensuing punt, Washington's Kasen Williams returned the punt 46 yard to Baylor's 17-yard line. However, on the next play, Washington's Chris Polk fumbled the ball, giving Baylor the ball back at the Baylor's 11-yard line. Baylor quickly cut the deficit 42-39 on an 89-yard Terrance Ganaway touchdown run (Baylor went for a two-point conversion and succeeded). Washington answered with a 13-yard Devin Aguilar touchdown reception to make it 49-39. On the next drive, Baylor once again made it a 3-point game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Terrance Ganaway. After Washington's Eric Folk missed a 43-yard field goal, Baylor took a 53-49 lead on another touchdown run from Terrance Ganaway.[
]
Washington retook the lead 56-53 in the 4th quarter on a 13-play, 76-yard drive that took 6 minutes, 18 seconds that was capped off by an 8-yard touchdown run from Keith Price. Baylor, however, retook the lead again 60-56 on a 4-yard touchdown run from Terrance Ganaway. Baylor's defense was able to force Washington to turn the ball over on downs with 3:20 left in regulation. The Bears then scored again on a 43-yard touchdown run from Ganaway to go up 67-56. After Washington fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Baylor was able to run out the clock to preserve the victory.[
]
Records
Several records were set in the 2011 Alamo Bowl. The 123 combined points were the most scored in regulation in a bowl game. The game also had 1,397 combined yards of offense and 17 touchdowns, both bowl game records.[ Baylor's 67 points were the most scored in bowl history. However, the record stood for just six days, when the ]West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University, an American university located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The Moun ...
defeated the Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
70-33 in the 2012 Orange Bowl
The 2012 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium, now known as Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida. The West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Clemson Tigers by a ...
.[2011 Clemson Tigers (football) Schedul]
Retrieved 21 November 2013.
The Huskies allowed a school record 777 yards of total offense in the 2011 Alamo Bowl. Because of the Huskies' defensive performance, defensive coordinator Nick Holt
Nicholas Holt VSpokesman-Review'' - Washington State Employee Salaries - Assistant football coach employees - Univ. of Washington - 2010 compensation - accessed 2011-12-31 (born October 15, 1962) is an American football coach who is currently the ...
was fired, as were defensive assistants Mike Cox (linebackers), and Jeff Mills (safeties) on December 31.[Holt, Mills, Cox fired]
Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...
. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.[Holt, 2 other defensive coaches out at Washington]
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
With the win, Baylor secured their first 10-win season since 1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
. Baylor also won its first bowl game since 1992.[
]
Scoring summary
Source.[Baylor Bears vs. Washington Huskies box score]
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
Statistics
See also
* 2001 GMAC Bowl
The 2001 GMAC Bowl, a college football bowl game held on December 19 at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, pitted the Marshall Thundering Herd, then of the Mid-American Conference, against the East Carolina Pirates from Conference USA. T ...
, the previous record-holder for most regulation points and still the record-holder for overall points as it required two overtime periods to decide.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alamo Bowl, 2011
2011–12 NCAA football bowl games
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
2011 in sports in Texas
December 2011 sports events in the United States