Five ties that bind Peach Bowl foes ’Bama and Washington

TUSCALOOSA — Though their campuses are separated by more than 2,500 miles, No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Washington share more ties than might be expected.

The two programs will meet for the fifth time at 2 p.m. Dec. 31 in the Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta as one of the two College Football Playoff semifinals. The Crimson Tide hold a 4-0 advantage in the series with the most recent game coming 30 years ago — a 28-6 Alabama victory in the 1986 Sun Bowl.

Before the Tide and the Huskies square off on New Year’s Eve, here are ties that bind the two programs together:

Memorable meeting

Alabama’s most famous meeting against Washington occurred Jan. 1, 1926, as the Tide traveled to Pasadena, Calif., to take on the Huskies in the Rose Bowl. The game is commonly referred to as the “Game that changed the South,” because until that time college football powers typically generated from the East, West or Midwest.

That all changed when an Alabama team coached by Wallace Wade beat Washington 20-19, proving Southern teams could hold their own against teams from the West. Alabama finished the 1925 season with a 10-0 record, earning its first national title.

Alabama was the first Southern team to play in the Rose Bowl, which at the time was more or less the de facto national championship. Alabama only received an invitation after a bid to eastern champion Dartmouth was turned down. The Tide was thought to be a heavy underdog, with the late entertainer Will Rogers even going as far as calling Alabama the “Tusca-losers.”

This year the tables are turned, as Alabama enters the matchup as 16-point favorites, according to Vegasinsider.com.

Coaching reunion

Alabama has two former Huskies on its coaching staff, including offensive analyst Steve Sarkisian and outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi. The duo previously worked together at Washington when Sarkisian was the head coach and Lupoi coached the defensive line.

Washington also is where Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s mentor, Don James, coached for 18 seasons after leaving Kent State in 1974. James went on to win six conference titles as the Huskies coach, including a share of the 1991 championship with Miami.

During the Peach Bowl teleconference Sunday, Saban credited James with many of the fundamentals that go into his program today.

“Learned so much that we still use in our program because of him and the great success that he had at the University of Washington, winning the national championship there,” Saban said.

Players share bonds, too

The Peach Bowl matchup also will pit two former high school teammates against each other in Washington sophomore quarterback Jake Browning and Alabama true freshman right tackle Jonah Williams.

Browning and Williams played together at Folsom High School in California, leaving as prized recruits. Browning, a former four-star recruit was rated the No. 71 player in the nation and fifth-best pro-style quarterback in the 2015 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Williams, a five-star recruit, was the No. 17 player in the nation and No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2016 class.

Both have had successful seasons and are leading forces on their offenses. Browning, the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, has completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,280 yards and 42 touchdowns with only seven interceptions, while adding four more scores on the ground.

Williams, 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, has started every game for the Tide at right tackle and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team on Thursday.

Familiar foe

Alabama and Washington have faced one common opponent in Southern Cal — with vastly different outcomes.

The Tide kicked off their season against USC at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, blowing out the Trojans 52-6 in one of their most dominating performances of the season. Alabama racked up 465 yards of offense while holding USC to 194 yards. The game also saw the emergence of true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts, who completed 6 of 11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and ran for 32 yards and two scores.

The Huskies were not as successful. Washington suffered its only loss of the season to USC, falling 26-13 at home on Nov. 12. The Trojans harassed Browning in the game, sacking him three times while limiting him to 17 of 36 passing for 259 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

Bowling together

In perhaps the oddest tie of this year’s matchup, the teams will play their bowl game in virtually the location as each other for the second straight year.

Last season, Washington defeated Southern Miss 44-31 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 26. Five days later, Alabama shut out Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl in neighboring Arlington to advance to the College Football National Championship.

This story was originally published December 8, 2016 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Five ties that bind Peach Bowl foes ’Bama and Washington."