Semifinal Preview: '91 Washington/'05 Texas

The Semifinals are here! There are only 4 teams left in the Scout.com/WhatIfSports.com Tournament of Champions. Here is a look at our first semifinal matchup between the '91 Washington Huskies and the '05 Texas Longhorns.

When the Scout.com/WhatIf Sports Tournament of Champions began, either '05 Texas or '04 USC seemed like a sure bet to make it it to the semifinals, so it is no surprise that the Longhorns are here. The shocker is that the '91 Washington Huskies has gotten this far. Nobody really expected the Huskies to get past star-studden '01 Miami with its depth chart filled with NFL draft picks but here is Washington, the Cinderella of the tournament, one game away from playing for the championship.

'05 Texas built a 27-17 lead on '04 USC and then won a wild-west shootout of a fourth quarter, outscoring the Trojans, 16-14, to take a 43-31 win in a game that saw the two teams rack up more than 1,000 yards of total offense. Vince Young, who had a 62-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, also threw for two touchdowns and 194 yards to lead the Longhorns, who ran for 336 yards.

With Henry Melton (145 yards) and Jamaal Charles (131 yards) leading the way on the ground, Texas was practically unstoppable on offense which was a good thing since the Longhorn defense had problems all night slowing down Matt Leinart (294 passing yards and three touchdowns) and LenDale White (153 rushing yards). In the end Texas and its huge offensive line were just too much for the Trojans and the Longhorns made it to the semifinals.

'91 Washington somehow overcame its own mistakes (three interceptions by quarterback Billy Joe Hobert) to carve out a 24-10 win in which the Huskies defense kept '01 Miami in check by shutting down the run and sacking Hurricane quarterback Ken Dorsey five times.

When Washington needed offense, Beno Bryant stepped up and delivered. He pounded away at the Miami defense for 148 yards on the ground and he caught three passes for another 63 yards including a 35-yarder from Hobert that iced the win with 10:03 remaining in the game. Hobert's 323 passing yards were almost overshadowed by his three interceptions and the fact the Miami defense got to him six times. Louis Jones was the standout for the Washington defense with two sacks.

To get past the '91 Washington squad in the semifinals, '05 Texas needs to turn Vince Young loose once again. In wins over '00 Oklahoma and '04 USC, he's been the difference maker both with his legs (146 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns) and with his arm (296 yards and 2 touchdowns). Nobody has found a way to stop the Texas ground game, either, as the Longhorns have rushed for 565 yards in two games. '91 Washington is here because it has controlled the ball on the ground with Mario Bailey and its defense has come up big in clutch situations in the wins over '97 Michigan and '01 Miami. Needless to say, '05 Texas is the biggest defensive challenge the '91 Huskies will see.

SEMIFINAL EDGE: '05 Texas should be a heavy favorite here simply because the Longhorns have that overwhelming look about their offensive unit with Vince Young in charge while Washington has won in steady but unspectacular fashion. The key number here is 400. For Washington to have a real shot at winning this game, the Huskies have to come up with a defensive effort that holds Texas under 400 yards.

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