Steve Sarkisian admitted he likes to wake up Christmas morning in a hotel room.
No, the University of Washington football coach isn’t some sort of Grinch. It means that his team is playing in one of the better bowl games.
It looks as though he will get his wish this year.
The Huskies accepted an invitation Sunday to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio against the Baylor Bears on Dec. 29.
“It is an honor to represent the Pac-12 Conference in the Valero Alamo Bowl,” Sarkisian said in a press release. “We can’t thank the Valero Alamo Bowl enough for the invitation. It will be tremendous matchup with the Baylor Bears.”
Tremendous? Perhaps.
It will certainly be offensive – but in a good way.
The Bears, led by quarterback Robert Griffin III – a likely Heisman Trophy finalist – rank second in the country in total offense at 571.3 yards per game. The Bears are sixth in the NCAA in scoring at 43.5 points per game.
Griffin might be the most explosive quarterback in college football. A likely top 10 draft pick in the NFL, he leads the nation in quarterback efficiency rating at 192.31.
He’s completed 267 of 369 passes for 3,998 yards and 36 touchdowns with six interceptions.
“Tremendous player,” Sarkisian said after Sunday’s UW practice. “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, he can throw the ball down the field as well.
“And I think, in the one interview I saw, he looks like a really bright young man, a guy who’s very levelheaded and has got a bright future ahead of him, whether it’s in football or anything else he decides to do.”
It will be a monstrous task for defensive coordinator Nick Holt and his maligned Huskies defense.
Washington ranks 94th in the country in total defense, giving up 426.3 yards per game, and 116th in passing defense, yielding 283.3 yards per game.
But the Baylor defense, which is ranked 114th in defense and giving up 477.5 yards per game, will have its hands full with the balanced Huskies attack led by all-Pacfic-12 running back Chris Polk and honorable mention quarterback Keith Price.
“I will say that I hope the scoreboard works because, looking at these stats, this is going to be an explosive game,” Sarkisian said.
It will be the second consecutive bowl game for the Huskies, who ended an eight-year bowl drought with last season’s appearance in the Holiday Bowl, where they defeated Nebraska, 19-7.
“I’m very happy for our senior class because we would not have been able to accomplish the things we’ve accomplished without them,” Sarkisian said. “I’m thankful for their willingness and resiliency because it hasn’t been easy. We’ve had our rough moments, but our kids have responded well and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
It’s the first meeting between the schools since 1965. They have met four times, with Baylor winning three.
“I’ve had the opportunity to watch the Huskies this season,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “And I’ve been impressed with them offensively and defensively and what Coach Sarkisian has been able to do over the last few years.”
Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483
ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports
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