By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SAN DIEGO – The Matchup was as advertised.
In what was the most interesting and hyped battle of Friday night’s Holiday Bowl, Washington freshman receiver Reggie Williams tussled with Texas’ Quentin Jammer, a consensus All-America pick.
In a spirited one-on-one battle, Jammer crowded Williams at the line of scrimmage and bumped him mercilessly but legally.
Williams had three catches for 38 yards in the first half, when it appeared the matchup might have ended prematurely.
In an attempt to get to a ball late in the second quarter, Williams leaped and horizontally stretched out his 6-foot-4 body in the end zone and came down hard on his shoulder. He lay on the turf for several minutes while Husky medical personnel examined him. Williams later left the field under his own power.
Ironically, Williams injured himself while strong safety Nathan Vasher was marking him, not Jammer.
Williams didn’t start the second half, but crept back into the game in the middle of a 13-play, 91-yard scoring drive in the third quarter. He caught a 12-yard pass from quarterback Cody Pickett to the Texas 18. One play later, Pickett found tight end Jerramy Stevens for a touchdown pass and a 30-14 UW lead.
The Huskies also were successful using Todd Elstrom against corner Roderick Babers, especially in the first half, when Elstrom caught all of his game-ending four passes for 49 yards.
The biggest difference, however, was that star tight end Jerramy Stevens was fully recovered from a broken foot that kept him out for six games.
Playing in what likely was his final game in a Husky uniform, Stevens caught nine passes for 109 yards, both career highs. He also caught an 18-yard TD pass that gave the Huskies a 30-14 lead in the third quarter.
Williams finished with five receptions for 62 yards.
Benson doesn’t play: Texas standout tailback Cedrick Benson, questionable to play because of a pinched nerve in his neck suffered in the Big 12 Championship game against Colorado, failed to get off the bench the entire game.
Benson, the first freshman ever to rush for more than 1,000 yards at Texas, warmed up with the starters, but Victor Ike started and was spelled by Ivan Williams.
Texas turnovers: It was thought that the underdog Huskies would have a decent chance to beat Texas if they forced Longhorn turnovers. The Longhorns had a history of epidemic turnovers in defeats, and it turned out to bite them Friday night.
In its two losses prior to the Holiday Bowl, Texas coughed up a combined eight turnovers, four in a regular-season, 14-3 loss to Oklahoma and four in the 39-37 loss to Colorado in the Big 12 championship game. The Longhorns had just seven turnovers the rest of the season.
Texas had five turnovers in last year’s 35-30 loss to Oregon in the Holiday Bowl.
Washington got 13 of its 23 first-half points off interceptions by linebackers Ben Mahdavi and Marquis Cooper, along with defensive tackle Terry Johnson (Johnson scored on his).
The premise what contingent, however, on the Huskies playing a turnover-free game. Washington’s two turnovers were costly.
Redemption for receivers: Much of the blame for Texas’ loss in last year’s Holiday Bowl fell on the Longhorns’ true freshman receivers, Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson. Each dropped a pass in the last two minutes and Texas went home with its fourth loss in its last six bowl games.
The first came when the Longhorns were on the Ducks’ 22-yard line and Johnson dropped a pass in the end zone. Johnson dropped another on the next play when he was all alone inside the 10-yard line with a clear path to paydirt. On fourth down, Williams dropped a throw in the back of the end zone.
Johnson and Williams combined for 108 receptions, 1,375 yards and 11 TDs coming into Friday night’s game.
On Friday night, Williams finished with a Holiday Bowl-record 11 receptions for 134 yards. Johnson had 157 yards on six catches.
Ominous message: In these politically tense times, it wasn’t a comfort to see a Goodyear blimp sailing over Qualcomm Stadium before the game that flashed the message: “Give the gift of life. Give blood.”
And you should have seen spectators and members of the press dive under their seats for cover when the fake cannon Texas brought along blasted twice before the game without warning.
Short routes: UW kick returner Roc Alexander scampered 43 yards to the Husky 47 on the opening kickoff, but Washington couldn’t take advantage and had to punt three plays later. … Mahdavi’s, Cooper’s and Johnson’s interceptions in the second quarter were the first of their careers. … Anderson’s three field goals gave him seven field goals in bowl games, a school record. The previous mark of six was shared by Travis Hanson and Jeff Jaeger. … The Huskies, mindful of the Longhorns’ great punt returner, Nathan Vasher, twice violated the halo rule in the first half. Alexander nailed Vasher once, Wilbur Hooks the other. Vasher came into the game averaging 15 yards a punt return. … Curtis Williams, the former UW safety paralyzed in a game against Stanford in October 2000, watched the game from the press box. … Texas quarterbacks and roommates Major Applewhite and Chris Simms were separated when the Longhorns arrived in San Diego because Simms came down with a cold. The two got rooms to themselves while the rest of their teammates had roommates. … U.S. Marines unfurled a football-field-sized American flag before the game for the National Anthem. … Game officials were from the Mountain West Conference. … Each school took home more than $2 million. The initial Holiday Bowl’s payout in 1978 was $218,000.
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