1991 Washington Huskies football team

1991 Washington Huskies football
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Coaches Poll National Champions Rose Bowl Champions Pac-10 Champions
Rose Bowl, vs. Michigan, W 34–14
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#1
AP	#2
1991 record	12–0 (8–0 Pac-10)
Head coach	Don James (17th year)
Offensive coordinator	Keith Gilbertson (1st year)
Defensive coordinator	Jim Lambright (15th year)
Home stadium	Husky Stadium capacity: 72,500 AstroTurf

1991 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#2 Washington $		8	–	0					12	–	0
#8 California		6	–	2					10	–	2
#19 UCLA		6	–	2					9	–	3
#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 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. Head coach Don James, in this 17th season at Washington, was assisted by coordinators Keith Gilbertson (offense) and Jim Lambright (defense), both head coaches themselves within two years.

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. 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 no. 4 Michigan 34–14 in the 1992 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 the third-string quarterback leading the offense.

With the number one pick of the 1992 NFL Draft on the defensive line, junior Steve Emtman, the 1991 Huskies were led by their defense, and are among the most dominant teams in college football history.

Eleven Huskies were selected in the 1992 NFL Draft, led by 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.

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. 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.

Many of the points scored against the 1991 Huskies in their other games, including the last touchdown in the Rose Bowl, came in the fourth quarter against the reserves, as head coach Don James was concerned more about meaningful game-time experience for underclassman, rather than victory margins and/or shutouts.

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

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 7	at Stanford	#4	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 42–7	45,273
September 21	at #9 Nebraska*	#4	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	W 36–21	76,304
September 28	Kansas State*	#4	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	W 56–3	71,638
October 5	Arizona	#3	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	W 54–0	72,495
October 12	Toledo*	#3	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	W 48–0	72,266
October 19	at #7 California	#3	Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA	W 24–17	74,500
October 26	Oregon	#3	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	W 29–7	72,318
November 2	Arizona State	#3	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	W 44–16	72,405
November 9	at USC	#2	Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 14–3	59,320
November 16	at Oregon State	#3	Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR	W 58–6	31,588
November 23	Washington State	#2	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA (Apple Cup)	W 56–21	72,581
January 1	vs. #4 Michigan*	#2	Rose Bowl • Los Angeles, CA (Rose Bowl)	W 34–14	103,566
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll.

Team players in the NFL

The following Washington players were selected in the 1992 NFL Draft:

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Steve Emtman	DT	1	1	Indianapolis Colts
Dana Hall	DB	1	18	San Francisco 49ers
Ed Cunningham	C	3	61	Arizona Cardinals
Siupeli Malamala	T	3	68	New York Jets
Aaron Pierce	TE	3	69	New York Giants
Orlando McKay	WR	5	130	Green Bay Packers
Mario Bailey	WR	6	162	Houston Oilers
Donald Jones	LB	9	245	New Orleans Saints
Kris Rongen	G	11	290	Seattle Seahawks
Brett Collins	LB	12	314	Green Bay Packers
Chico Fraley	LB	12	319	Seattle Seahawks

• Both 1991 UW quarterbacks were selected in the following year's 1993 NFL Draft: '91 soph. starter Billy Joe Hobert by the Oakland Raiders (3rd rd., 58th) and junior Mark Brunell ('90 soph. starter, injured in spring '91 practice, '92 senior starter) by the Green Bay Packers (5th rd., 118th); where he was a reserve for two seasons behind Brett Favre, then led the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995.

Awards and honors

• Steve Emtman, Lombardi Award
• Steve Emtman, Outland Trophy
• Don James, FWAA Coach of the Year