Washington coach knows his team has big challenge in Alabama
TUSCALOOSA — Washington head coach Chris Peterson said he plans to watch tape of Alabama’s opener against Southern Cal in order to get ready for his team’s meeting with the Crimson Tide in this year’s Peach Bowl.
He’s just not sure it’s going to matter.
“We already know the tremendous challenge that we have, going against Alabama,” Peterson said in the Peach Bowl teleconference on Sunday. “We probably don't even need to put on that tape to know what a challenge we have.”
No. 1 Alabama will take on No. 4 Washington on at 2 p.m. Dec. 31 in Atlanta in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Following a 41-10 win over Colorado in the Pac 12 Championship Game, Peterson and the Huskies heard their name called as the final team in this year’s playoff. After winning their conference title Friday, the Huskies (12-1) had to sweat out some tense moments, as many thought Big Ten champion Penn State (11-2) might jump them in the final rankings.
“I felt good all along until probably the last five minutes I turned the TV on,” Peterson told reporters following the selection show on ESPN. “I had to hear that go on for the last five minutes, then I got really nervous.”
Alabama (13-0) was drama-free. Even before the Crimson Tide trounced Florida 54-16 in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, many believed the team would make the playoff regardless of the game. For Alabama, Saturday’s selection process was more about who they would play.
The Tide are an early 14.5 favorite against the Huskies, according to vegasinsiders.com. Washington is led by its offense, which ranks No. 4 in the nation averaging 44.5 points per game. Leading the way for the Huskies is sophomore quarterback Jake Browning who has passed for 3,280 yards and 42 touchdowns with seven interceptions this season.
“We have a lot of respect for this program, and I know they have a fantastic team this year,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “Got a great quarterback, one of the top passing teams in the country. They've got a couple outstanding receivers. Their defense is one of the top ten defenses in the whole country in scoring in total defense.”
Peterson was even more pronounced in his praise of Alabama. After being asked about Washington fans holding up signs reading “We want Bama,” Peterson joked that he wasn’t the one holding up the sign and stated, “Sometimes you got to be careful what you wish for.”
“We’ll prepare hard and fortunately the Seahawks are here in town,” Petersen joked with reporters. “Maybe they’ll scrimmage us to get us ready for those guys. I don’t know.”
Following the teleconference, Saban took time to congratulate Peterson on his season while stating he has enjoyed watching the Huskies in the few games he has seen them this year. Peterson returned the gesture, but conceded that it’s a lot more fun to watch Alabama when he’s not thinking about playing the Tide.
“Appreciate that,” Peterson said to Saban. “I thought the same thing until we got matched up, and I actually had to now, all of a sudden, have to deal with this.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Washington coach knows his team has big challenge in Alabama."