Bruce Smith - 1941
Minnesota 14, Washington 6
Smith accounted for both Minnesota touchdowns as the Golden Gophers outlasted Washington in Husky Stadium. Minnesota dominated the game, outgaining the Huskies 236 to 85, but did not put the game away until late. Smith's first touchdown came in the second quarter on a seven-yard touchdown run, followed later by a one-yard plunge to seal the game in the fourth quarter. Washington's lone touchdown came on a 14-yard run by Ernie Steele, but the kick failed.
Leon Hart - 1949
Notre Dame 27, Washington 7
Notre Dame ran its winning streak to 30 games with a 27-7 win at Husky Stadium in front of a record 41,510 fans. Washington scored first on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Don Heinrich to Roland Kirkby in the first quarter, but then watched the Fighting Irish rattle off 27 straight points for the win. Hart scored Notre Dame's first two touchdowns on a 27-yard second quarter touchdown catch and a 14-yard scoring run in the third quarter to put the Irish ahead 13-7 on the way to the victory.
Joe Bellino - 1960
Navy 15, Washington 14
Washington limited Bellino to 53 yards on 14 carries but lost the game with 2:14 to play when Navy converted a 32-yard field goal attempt. Neither team put on much of an offensive show as third-ranked Washington outgained the17th-ranked Midshipmen 193-69. Bellino scored the first Navy touchdown on a one-yard plunge in the first quarter, but the extra point was no good, as was the two-point conversion try on Navy's next touchdown, leaving Washington ahead 14-12. The Huskies had scored on a 31-yard pass from Bob Schloredt to Don McKeta and a three-yard run by Ray Jackson, setting the stage for the game-winning field goal.
Terry Baker - 1962
Washington 14, Oregon State 13
Baker's all-around effort nearly lifted the Beavers to an upset of the the seventh-ranked Huskies, but a missed extra point allowed Washington to pull out a 14-13 victory. Baker, who passed for 144 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 85 yards, accounted for both Beaver touchdowns as he connected with Vern Burke on six- and 10-yard scoring plays. Husky running back Junior Coffey racked up 113 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7-7 in the second quarter. Later, with Oregon State leading 13-7 after the failed extra point, Coffey helped lead the Huskies downfield on the game-winning scoring drive, capped off by a Charlie Mitchell touchdown run. Baker rounded out his performance by punting seven times for 271 yards.
Mike Garrett - 1965
Southern California 34, Washington 0
The eighth-ranked Trojans rolled over Washington as 34-0 as Garrett gained a total of 175 yards on 31 carries. Washington managed just 130 yards in total offense, and crossed the 50-yard line on only two occasions. Trojan quarterback Troy Winslow completed all 11 passes he threw, for 105 yards, as he and Garrett led USC to 445 total yards against the unranked Huskies.
Gary Beban - 1967
UCLA 48, Washington 0
Beban had one of his finest outings ever as the fourth-ranked Bruins dominated Washington from start to finish. Beban passed for three touchdowns and ran for another in leading the Bruins to a 41-0 halftime lead. He threw 36 yards to Dave Nuttall for UCLA's fifth touchdown and then completed the first half scoring spree with a 42 yard touchdown pass to Harold Busby. The Bruins outgained the Huskies 500-84 in total offense, as Beban completed 14-of-22 passes for 289 yards. Washington completed just four-of-15 passes for 40 yards.
O.J. Simpson - 1968
Southern California 14, Washington 7
The top-ranked Trojans, led by Simpson, narrowly avoided a major upset in Los Angeles at the hands of unranked Washington before escaping with a 14-7 win. Simpson scored the game's first touchdown on a one-yard dive in the first quarter, on his way to a 173-yard, 33-carry performance. Washington tied the game in the third quarter when Buddy Kennamer scored from eight yards out, but missed two later opportunities as the Trojans tacked on another touchdown for the win. With the score tied 7-7, the Huskies took over at the USC 20 after a Simpson fumble and drove to the one-yard line where they failed to convert a fourth-and-one play. Two plays later Simpson was nearly tackled for a safety but broke free and led the Rose Bowl-bound Trojans on the game-winning touchdown drive which he capped with a nine-yard scoring scamper. Washington responded by driving to the USC seven-yard line but fumbled the ball away.
Jim Plunkett - 1970
Stanford 29, Washington 22
Plunkett made a strong statement to Heisman voters by setting an NCAA record for career passing yardage, throwing for 268 yards and four touchdowns to bring his career total to 7,088 yards. Plunkett surpassed the old mark of 7,076 set by Steve Ramsay of North Texas State as he led the Indians to a 29-22 triumph in a see-saw battle at Stanford Stadium. Washington took an early 7-0 lead when Jim Krieg returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Stanford then came back with three straight Plunkett touchdown passes in the first quarter to go ahead 21-7 before Washington quarterback Sonny Sixkiller brought the Huskies back, running for one touchdown, passing for another and completing a two-point conversion pass for a 22-21 lead. But the Heisman-bound Plunkett brought his team back in the fourth quarter with a touchdown and two-point conversion to seal the win for the sixth-ranked Indians and vault them into the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1952.
Charles White - 1979
Southern California 24, Washington 17
White showed his true Heisman form by marching all over the Huskies for 243 yards on 38 carries as the second-ranked Trojans pulled out a 24-17 win on their way to the Rose Bowl. Washington, which entered the game ranked 16th, staged a late rally to tie the game at 17 on a one-yard run by Tom Flick and a 12-yard touchdown pass from Flick to Paul Skansi. Flick finished with 245 yards on 18-for-28 passing. White led the Trojans to their final touchdown nearly single-handedly before Marcus Allen covered the final 10 yards for the score and the victory in one of the most exciting games ever played in Husky Stadium. Washington then drove to the Trojan two-yard line after a Mark Lee 40-yard punt return but could not score.
Marcus Allen - 1981
Washington 13, Southern California 3
Allen may have won the battle, pounding out 155 yards on 38 carries, but the unranked Huskies won the war by upsetting the third-ranked Trojans, keeping themselves in contention for a Rose Bowl berth. USC took a 3-0 lead in the second quarter but did not score again while Washington tallied 13 special teams points on a wet and windy day at Husky Stadium. Despite yielding 155 yards to Allen, the Husky defense stood tall and kept USC out of the end zone, the first time the Trojans had been denied a touchdown since 1967. The game was tied 3-3 in the fourth quarter until Chuck Nelson converted a 46-yard field goal and the Huskies recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff for a 13-3 lead.
Desmond Howard - 1991
Washington 34, Michigan 14
Washington's dominating defense overwhelmed Michigan's high-powered attack and Heisman Trophy winner Howard as the second-ranked Huskies defeated the fourth-ranked Wolverines 34-14 in the Rose Bowl to earn a share of the first national championship. Howard was limited to just one reception for 35 yards in his last game as a Wolverine as the Husky secondary frustrated him all day. Washington quarterback Billy Joe Hobert sparked the Husky offense by scoring on a two-yard touchdown run for the first of Washington's 34 points and threw for two touchdowns as Washington won its second straight Rose Bowl, capping a perfect 12-0 season.
Eddie George - 1995
Ohio State 30, Washington 20
Eddie George played a key role in the 10th-ranked Buckeyes' victory against the Huskies at Ohio Stadium. George rushed for 212 yards (a career high at the time) and scored a pair of touchdowns to spark Ohio State. His second score, a 16-yard run in the third quarter, gave the Buckeyes a commanding 30-7 lead. George rushed for 149 yards by halftime. His rushing total was the 10th best against a Husky team.
