Peach Bowl 2016: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Washington

A game like this should give the Glendale semifinal victor hope.

The Huskies had a great regular season, only losing one game against USC, who of course was taken care of by the Tide back in the season opener 52-6 in Arlington. Petersen has a sturdy defense and he’s getting two touchdowns in the bowl also featuring the Chick-fil-A cow.

And while the Trojans would love to see their Pac-12 rival advance to the national championship game, first-hand experience has them leaning toward picking the Crimson Tide. That said, the only way for the Huskies to influence play-action passes and to get to the gadget plays on the call sheet is to have a commitment and conviction to mix the run game, no matter the level of yardage. They made Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts look young, which he is, and frazzled, which he’s becoming. QB Jake Browning will test this defense with his arm.

There was a scary moment as Dalvin Thomlinson, Reuben Foster, and Minkah Fitzpatrick collided and all went to the sideline – and Minkah had to go to the Magic Tent. Anderson snatched the ball before it could reach Coleman. They proved that against Washington.

In the 1985 Orange Bowl, Don James – mentor of Alabama coach Nick Saban – led No. 3 Washington to a win over No. 2 Oklahoma. “I don’t think Alabama can be beat this year”.

“You’re Dixie’s football pride, Crimson Tide!” With 1:06 left in the second quarter, Washington’s chance had come and gone. But this defense, led by first-year coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, has become nearly as unsafe as its offense when it comes to game-changing plays. Seattle residents have waited a long time for this, much as they had to wait 47 Super Bowls before Carroll delivered a championship in Supe No. 48.

“That first Arizona road game, we were hyped out of our minds, and I think that” showed up “terrible on the field”, UW outside linebacker Psalm Wooching said.

Alabama got its first bowl opportunity when there was only one – the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the Granddaddy of Bowl Games.

Huskies sophomore Myles Gaskin fuels the running attack with 1,339 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Huskies weren’t overmatched against Alabama, but poor field position killed Washington. At times, even wide receiver ArDarius Stewart would get more touches in the Alabama backfield than Scarbrough.

“What I’ve learned about this game is your mindset of: Is this a bowl game or is this a playoff game?”

It was only when Browning tricky-punted on fourth-and-3 and Alabama was pinned to its 2 that Kiffin cut the foolishness.

Alabama ran it 25 times to nine passes in the first half with Scarbrough averaging 8.9 a clip. His 68-yard touchdown took the tension from the dome for a 17-point lead in the final quarter. “I love to go against teams that like to run the ball”. “And we work it a lot in the off-season, through the season, emphasizing turnovers“. It scored 14 non-offensive touchdowns, including 10 on defense by seven different players. A better opponent might may hay of that.

With its 26th consecutive win, Alabama (14-0) will compete for a fifth national title in eight seasons at Raymond James Stadium against the victor of tonight’s other semifinal, a Fiesta Bowl matchup between Clemson and Ohio State. Yet again, Alabama is almost there.