Pickin' Splinters » Don James

This Date in College Football Belt History – September 15

Casey — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 08:51:48 +0000

September 15, 1984

Washington at Michigan

After the upset of top-ranked Miami, the Michigan Wolverines of coach Bo Schembechler were 1-0 & ranked 3^rd nationally as they welcomed the 16^th ranked, 1-0 Washington Huskies of coach Don James. Washington featured All-Pac 10 players DT Ron Holmes, LB Tim Meamber, & LB Fred Small as well as QB Hugh Millen & RB Jacque Robinson. Washington used the same formula to defeat Michigan as the Wolverines had used against Miami. The Huskies intercepted 3 passes of Michigan QB Jim Harbaugh & caused 2 fumbles in the 20-11 victory. Washington got the only points of the 1^st quarter when PK Jeff Jaeger hit a 25-yard field goal. Michigan tied the game at 3-3 in the 2^nd quarter when PK Bob Bergeron hit a 52-yard field goal. The Huskies took the lead for good after LB Joe Kelly intercepted Harbaugh at the Wolverines’ 25-yard line. Washington’s RB Rick Fenney finished the short drive with a 2-yard touchdown run giving Washington a 10-3 lead which they held through the half. On the Huskies first possession of the 2^nd half, Millen connected WR Mark Pattison who ran untouched 73 yards into the end zone for a 17-3 advantage. Jaeger’s 38-yard field goal accounted for the only other points of the 3^rd quarter. Michigan’s only touchdown came in the 4^th quarter when Harbaugh hit WR Vince Bean for a 7-yard touchdown pass but the Wolverines were not able to successfully attack the Washington defense. Millen finished with 167 yards passing with a touchdown completing 13 of 16 passes while Harbaugh threw for 183 yards with a touchdown but 3 interceptions. The Wolverines finished the season 6-6 while the Huskies finished 11-1 & ranked 2^nd nationally. Michigan would play for The Belt again in 2003.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – November 13

Casey — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:06:51 +0000

November 13, 1982 - Washington Huskies of coach Don James were ranked 7^th nationally with an 8-1 record as they traveled to Tempe to meet the 3^rd ranked, 9-0 Arizona State Sun Devils of coach Darryl Rogers. The Huskies had been ranked in the top 2 all season until an upset loss to Stanford & All-American QB John Elway. Washington converted two Arizona State fumbles into 14 points & that was enough to claim The Belt with 17-13 victory in the battle of these titans. The Huskies took the lead on the first play of the 2^nd quarter when QB Tim Cowan connected with WR Aaron Williams who made a diving catch on the 20-yard touchdown pass. The Huskies had taken possession of the ball at the Arizona State 32-yard line after recovering a fumble by Sun Devils’ S Scott Kegans on a Washington punt. Huskies’ All-American PK Chuck Nelson gave Washington a 10-0 lead when he kicked a 24-yard field goal. Late in the 2^nd quarter, Arizona State’s PK Luis Zendejas hit a 39-yard field goal but the Sun Devils still trailed 10-3 at the half. Arizona State’s RB Darryl Clack fumbled the 2^nd half kick-off & the Huskies converted it into a 25-yard touchdown drive. Washington’s All-Pac 10 RB Jacque Robinson scored on a 4-yard touchdown run making the score Washington 17 Arizona State 3. The Sun Devils closed the gap when Clack broke loose for a 50-yard touchdown run & Zendejas’ 47-yard field goal early in the 4^thquarter got the Sun Devils within 4 points but they could get no closer. Arizona State out gained Washington 360 yards to 230 yards but 4 Sun Devils’ turnovers kept Arizona State from retaining The Belt. Cowan threw for just 74 yards with a touchdown while Robinson rushed for 124 yards with his touchdown. For the Sun Devils, QB Todd Hons threw for 206 yards with 2 interceptions & was sacked 3 times. Arizona State finished the season 10-2; ranked 6^th nationally while the Huskies finished 10-2, ranked 7^th nationally. Arizona State would play for The Belt again in 1990.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – October 30

Casey — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:04:28 +0000

The 3^rd ranked, 6-0-1 UCLA Bruins of coach Terry Donahue traveled to Seattle to battle Don James’ 4-3 Washington Huskies. QB Warren Moon lead the Washington offense in the Huskies first ever Belt game. UCLA’s All-Pac 8 RB Theotis Brown rushed for a school-record 220 yards & scored 3 touchdowns as the Bruins defeated the Huskies for the first time in Seattle since 1958 to retain The Belt with a 30-21 victory. The Bruins opened with a punishing 72-yard drive with Brown scoring the touchdown on a 29-yard run. Washington responded with a 31-yard field goal from PK Steve Robbins that cut the UCLA lead to 7-3 before the Bruins came back with a 9-play, 80-yard drive with Brown carrying in from 15 yards giving UCLA a 14-3 2^nd quarter lead. Just as it seemed the Bruins had taken control of the game, Washington’s RB Joe Steele took the ensuing kick-off & returned it 89 yards for a touchdown. Robbins’ 31-yard field goal kept the Huskies in the game as the trailed just 14-13 at the half. Defense for both teams dominated the 3^rd quarter with the only points coming on a 25-yard field goal from UCLA’s All-Pac 8 PK Frank Corral. The most critical outcome of the 3^rd quarter may have been Washington’s loss of All-Pac 8 NG Charles Jackson to injury. UCLA’s RB James Owens’ 34-yard touchdown run early in the 4^th quarter again seemed to leave the Bruins in total control with a 24-13 lead but Moon had still had hopes of leading a comeback. Washington traveled 80 yards for their touchdown with Moon throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to TE Scott Greenwood that got the Huskies within 5 points at 24-19 & when Moon connected with RB Ronnie Rowland on the 2-point conversion, the Huskies were within a field goal at 24-21. Brown’s third touchdown came midway through the 4^th quarter through a hole that might have been occupied by Washington’s injured nose guard. Brown finished the 85-yard drive when he broke through the line & ran 51 yards untouched for the clinching score. UCLA’s QB Jeff Dankworth threw for just 69 yards but Brown’s school-rushing record & Owens’ 123 yards rushing with his score helped the Bruins amassed 451 yards rushing for the game. Moon threw for 132 yards with a touchdown in the loss. UCLA finished the season 9-2-1; ranked 15^th nationally while the Huskies finished 5-6. Washington would play for The Belt again in 1978.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – October 19

Casey — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:21:30 +0000

First-year coach Dave Kragthorpe brought his undermanned, 2-4 Oregon State Beavers to meet the 4-2 Washington Huskies & coach Don James. The Beavers had been shutout in their last 2 games against Southern Cal & Washington State by a combined score of 97-0 as well as losing to Division II Grambling 27-6. The 38-point underdog Beavers started a freshman at quarterback, Rich Gonzales, after QB Eric Wilhelm had been injured while All-Pac 10 WR Reggie Bynum also missed the game due to injury. The Oregon State defense intercepted Huskies’ QB Hugh Millen 3 times before the Beavers blocked a Washington punt & recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown with less than two minutes to play to claim The Belt with a stunning 21-20 upset over Washington. The Huskies took the lead in the 1^st quarter when PK Jeff Jaeger hit a 28-yard field goal but the Beavers responded with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Gonzales to RB Darvin Malone giving Oregon State a 7-3 lead through the 1^st quarter. Washington took the lead again when RB Vince Weathersby scored on a 2-yard touchdown run but the Beavers again responded with a 20-yard touchdown run by Gonzales giving Oregon State a 14-10 halftime lead. The Huskies got the lead back in the 3^rd quarter when RB Tony Covington scored on a 14-yard touchdown run & early in the 4^th quarter, Jaeger hit a 43-yard field goal giving Washington a 20-14 lead. It looked like Oregon State had missed their chance to win the game after they drove from their 19-yard line to the Washington 11-yard line but Gonzales’ 4^th down pass was knocked down by Washington’s CB Demouy Williams with 3:22 left in the game. The Huskies moved to their own 30-yard line but had to punt when fate stepped in for the Beavers. Oregon State’s DE Andre Todd broke through the Washington line untouched to block the punt from Huskies’ P Thane Cleland. The ball bounced all the way to the end zone & the Beavers’ CB Lavance Northington recovered the ball for the touchdown with 1:46 to play. The extra-point kick by PK Jim Nielsen gave the Beavers the lead at 21-20. Washington’s final effort ended when Millen was held for no gain on a 4^th & 1 play at midfield with 1:15 to play. ESPN ranked this game as the 19th biggest upset in college football history. Gonzales finished with 298 yards passing with a touchdown as well as a rushing score. Millen threw for 191 yards but was intercepted 3 times in the loss. The Huskies finished the season 7-5 while the Beavers finished 3-8. Washington would play for The Belt again in 1990.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – September 15

Casey — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:01:01 +0000

After the upset of top-ranked Miami, the Michigan Wolverines of coach Bo Schembechler were 1-0 & ranked 3^rd nationally as they welcomed the 16^th ranked, 1-0 Washington Huskies of coach Don James. Washington featured All-Pac 10 players DT Ron Holmes, LB Tim Meamber, & LB Fred Small as well as QB Hugh Millen & RB Jacque Robinson. Washington used the same formula to defeat Michigan as the Wolverines had used against Miami. The Huskies intercepted 3 passes of Michigan QB Jim Harbaugh & caused 2 fumbles in the 20-11 victory. Washington got the only points of the 1^st quarter when PK Jeff Jaeger hit a 25-yard field goal. Michigan tied the game at 3-3 in the 2^nd quarter when PK Bob Bergeron hit a 52-yard field goal. The Huskies took the lead for good after LB Joe Kelly intercepted Harbaugh at the Wolverines’ 25-yard line. Washington’s RB Rick Fenney finished the short drive with a 2-yard touchdown run giving Washington a 10-3 lead that they held through the half. On the Huskies first possession of the 2^nd half, Millen hit WR Mark Pattison who ran untouched 73 yards into the end zone for a 17-3 advantage. Jaeger’s 38-yard field goal accounted for the only other points of the 3^rd quarter. Michigan’s only touchdown came in the 4^th quarter when Harbaugh hit WR Vince Bean for a 7-yard touchdown pass but the Wolverines were not able to successfully attack the Washington defense. Millen finished with 167 yards passing with a touchdown completing 13 of 16 passes while Harbaugh threw for 183 yards with a touchdown but 3 interceptions. The Wolverines finished the season 6-6 while the Huskies finished 11-1 & ranked 2^nd nationally. Michigan would play for The Belt again in 2003.

The College Football Belt