As one of three bowl games currently being played in baseball stadiums, the Fight Hunger Bowl is a bit of an oddity. Further odd is its actually arrangement -- the fifth place Pac-12 team is contractually obligated to play BYU, provided that the Cougars qualify for a bowl. If they do not, they will be replaced by an ACC or Mountain West Conference team.
2013 Fight Hunger Bowl, Washington vs. BYU: TV time, team bios and more
Two talented West Coast teams will meet in California, according to San Francisco media.
This will also be the final edition of the Fight Hunger Bowl as it currently is -- starting next season, it will be played in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Date and time, ET: December 27th, 9:30 p.m.
TV channel: ESPN
Location: San Francisco, California
Stadium: AT&T Park (45,000 capacity)
Tickets: Find available seats here.
Last year’s score: Arizona State 62, Navy 28
Last year’s attendance: 34,172
Last year’s TV rating: 0.7
Last year’s payout for each school: $975,000 for ASU, $750,000 for Navy
Team with the most all-time appearances: Boston College with three.
Team with the most all-time wins: Boston College, Navy, Arizona State, California, Florida State, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon State, USC, Utah and Virginia Tech all tied with one.
Washington (8-4, 5-4 Pac-12)
Washington is coming off its most successful regular season since the days of Rick Neuheisel, which ended up costing the team Steve Sarkisian, who opted to leave for USC. Now Washington heads into its bowl game as something of a loose cannon -- it’s often tough to figure how a team will respond under circumstances like this.
Then again, it’s not like the Huskies are going to change what they do. Senior quarterback Keith Price will provide a steady hand, as he has for most of the year. He’s put together a fine season, completing 65.5 percent of his passes while averaging 8.6 yards per attempt. He’s got the Pac-12’s leading rusher, Bishop Sankey, to help him.
Last bowl game: 2012 Las Vegas Bowl vs. Boise State, 28-26 loss
Last year without a bowl: 2009
All-time bowl record: 15-15-1
Head coach’s bowl record: Interim, 0-0
BYU (8-4)
A memorable upset of No. 15 Texas was the highlight for BYU this season, when Taysom Hill very nearly broke the single-game record for quarterback rushing yards. The Cougars would go on to finish a very solid 8-4, remaining extremely competitive all season long -- BYU did not drop a game this year by any more than 10 points, and close losses to both Notre Dame and Wisconsin underscore their talent and preparedness.
BYU’s 10th ranked rushing attack averages close to 275 yards a game, most of which come from the legs of quarterback Taysom Hill and running back Jamaal Williams. The two combined for over 2600 yards on the ground this season, finding paydirt on 16 different occasions for good measure. Linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Uani’ Unga (136 tackles) lead the Cougar defense. Van Noy, one of the nation’s most underrated playmakers, has a simply mindboggling stat line this season, with 16.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, 2.0 interceptions, 7 passes broken up, 2.0 fumble recoveries, 13 quarterback hits, and a safety. The scarier part is realizing that his production dropped this year.
Last bowl game: 2012 Poinsettia Bowl vs. San Diego State, 23-6 win
Last year without a bowl: 2004
All-time bowl record: 13-17-1
Head coach’s bowl record: Bronco Mendenhall, 6-2
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