2011 Alamo Bowl: Baylor Outguns Washington In 67-56 Record-Breaker

It takes more than one bad performance to lose a gig, of course, and Washington’s offense moved in quite a hurry of its own, increased pressure on UW’s D. The Huskies ranked 107th in defense this year, but of course that’s counting the Alamo. Even without that, they didn’t fare all that well.

For more on the Dawgs, visit Washington blog UW Dawg Pound and SB Nation Seattle, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes.

2002: Year in which Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward fought each other for the first time. This was the ultimate “styles make fights” match, and it is my standard for every boxing match that has taken place since then. I actually have to stop myself from referencing this fight about once a week. It was the boxing version of MACtion, basically. Mickey Ward, subject of The Fighter, was a street-fighter; limited by his actual boxing abilities, Ward had himself a successful career because of the strongest chin ever and one of the meanest, most brutal left hooks in boxing history. When facing a boxer who actually, you know, boxed, moved and played defense, Ward could end up frustrated and in some completely unwatchable fights. But when he found the right opponent, greatness happened, and in Arturo Gatti, he found his muse.

Gatti was a boxer with actual talent, speed, and a pretty good chin himself. His entire career, he toed the line between “boxing” and “fighting.” He could win titles with his boxing ... but he just loved fighting so damn much. And about midway through Gatti-Ward I, after he had dominated with his boxing, he got sucked into a street fight ... and ended up losing.

The Alamo Bowl was everything we imagined it would be and more, with Washington and Baylor lighting up the scoreboard in a game where defense was most certainly optional. The points came quickly -- at one interval, the two teams combined for 21 points in just about two minutes -- and Baylor emerged upright and a victor, 67-56. The Bears also covered the spread after trading touchdowns in a somewhat close matchup throughout the night.

Let’s examine a few fun stats.

We shouldn’t be amazed by anything Robert Griffin III does at this point. We’ve seen Baylor’s Heisman-winning quarterback pull off just about every highlight reel play imaginable this season, from incredible throws to jaw-dropping runs. Still, Griffin III managed to top himself, perhaps, in the Alamo Bowl with one of the better runs you’ll see.

To be clear, both defenses in the Alamo Bowl were pretty much non-existent. The coverage was bad, the tackling was bad ... everything was real bad. But that doesn’t make Griffin III’s run any less exciting to watch.

Also falling: the all-time bowl touchdowns record, with 17 passing 16.

Dream big, Baylor fan.

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The score is 53-49 in favor of Baylor.

Via KyleEBryant

A quick straw poll reveals Swollen-Handed Baylor Fan does not top Guns Up Texas Tech Fan in the sad fan power rankings, however

Click for up-to-the-minute Alamo Bowl scores and conversation here.

Griffin is eight-of-nine for 79 yards already, including a botched shotgun snap on a play that was apparently supposed ro be some sort of run or play action, but still turned into a pass completion. His only incompletion came on a dropped pass.

Thanks to the power of Twitter, we were able to find out when the last time this happened.

Oddly enough, it’s the first time a Heisman Trophy winner has played in a bowl game prior to January 1st since 1990.

Matte green with the classic logo or a classic-looking, yet rarely used white lid?

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Today’s Rootability index helps the uninvested fan decide who to pull for in a contest where they have no clear interest. The game: The Valero Alamo Bowl, a contest between two teams with potent offenses and ( to put it kindly) indifferent defenses playing a game in the perfect weather of a covered stadium. With so many sure indicators of a track meet in the making, anticipate a 9-6 struggle because BOWL MAGIC.

Washington has some curb appeal. It’s from the mysterious American Northwest, a place you were supposed to move to in 1993 but didn’t. Supporting them is kind of fulfilling your Singles fantasy AND your promise to just, you know, bum around and see what life on the West Coast deals you, man.

NOTE: Confused? See the quick glossary at the bottom.

While Baylor may have stolen most of the headlines in this matchup thanks to their Superman quarterback, if the Washington of the first half of the season shows up, this could be a dynamite game. After a near-disaster in their opener against Eastern Washington, the Huskies played well enough over the next five weeks to find themselves ranked in the F/+ Top 40 heading into their October 22 game versus Stanford. But they lost four of six to end the season, limping only to wins over Washington State and Arizona. Their ranking fell almost 30 spots. Meanwhile, Baylor surged to wins over Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas to finish the season. Luckily for the Huskies, momentum tends to stem over the bowl break. Less lucky: Robert Griffin III does still have at least one more game in a Baylor uniform.

A good performance on the national stage couldn’t hurt those chances and the Huskies seem to be the kind of team poised to allow a big game. Griffin, who won the Heisman Trophy after passing for nearly 4,000 yards and being among the leaders in almost every passing category, will face a defense that allowed 33.3 points per game. The Huskies were particularly bad down the stretch, as they allowed at least 21 points in each of their final seven games and giving up at least 30 seven different times this year.

Although the Bears scored 43.5 points per game on offense, their defense wasn’t nearly as impressive. Their scoring defense ranked 109th in the nation -- even worse than Washington -- after allowing 35.7 points per game. They allowed at least 40 points four times this season.

Ganaway hopes to play in the NFL, Richard Oliver of the San Antonio Express-News reports.

The Bears defense took a hit this week when sophomore defensive end Tevin Elliott injured his knee on Christmas Day.

Griffin has a sensational season for Baylor, winning the 2011 Heisman Trophy. If this is indeed his last game as a Bear, one can expect that he’ll want to go out on a winning note for Baylor.

For more on Robert Griffin III and the Bears, head over to the SB Nation blog Our Daily Bears. For more on the Huskies, check out SB Nation blog UW Dawg Pound. For more on the Alamo Bowl, check out our dedicated stream.

In fact, according to the gossip hounds over at TMZ, Griffin won’t sign with any agent that contacts him directly as per a mandate from his father.

Whether that keeps agents away remains to be seen, but it’s probably worth doing whatever is possible to make sure a future client showcases his talents on the big stage while keeping his family on the good side.

Careful what you wish for, Cort. The Huskies D gave up more than 425 yards and 33.3 points per game.

Meanwhile, the Huskies are also counting a veteran group of bang-up offensive lineman to hold their own on the other side against the Bears’ D.

Multiple sources and NFL executives has said that Griffin will be a first-round pick.

Briles was a hot comodity on the coaching carousel before Baylor signed him to a multi-year extension. The Bears head into the Alamo Bowl ranked 12th in the latest BCS Rankings, the team’s highest standing in program history. Baylor went 9-3 this season, with highlight wins over Oklahoma, Texas and TCU.

Also nominated for the Bryant Award were Bret Bielema of Wisconsin, Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State, Brady Hoke of Michigan, Les Miles of LSU, Nick Saban of Alabama, David Shaw of Stanford, Bill Snyder of Kansas State, Kevin Sumlin of Houston, and Dabo Swinney of Clemson. The award will be announced on Jan. 19th during the Marathon Oil Corporation Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards held annually to raise funding for heart disease.

The extension will reportedly earn him more than twice his initial salary upon taking the Baylor job just a few short years ago. Briles’ new annual salary is rumored to be in the neighborhood of $2.5 million, a substantial increase over the $1.2 million plus incentives that he reportedly received when he took the job in 2008.

The nine wins is the most by a Baylor team since the 1986 squad finished the season with a 9-3 record