1989 Freedom Bowl

Teams

Washington

The Huskies opened with two wins, lost three straight, then won five of six to finish the regular season at 7–4, tied for second in the Pac-10.

Florida

The Gators lost their opener, won six straight, then lost three of four to finish the regular season at 7–4, tied for fourth in the SEC. Head coach Galen Hall resigned in early October after allegations of NCAA rules violations, and defensive coordinator Gary Darnell was the interim head coach.

Game

Washington built a twenty-point lead at halftime and won 34–7. Smith gained only 17 yards on seven carries, as Florida was forced to go to the air in the second half. It was Smith's lowest rushing total since his first game as a freshman, when he was a reserve.

Scoring

First quarter

• Washington – Mario Bailey 21 pass from Cary Conklin (John McCallum kick)
• Florida – Donald Douglas 67 run (John David Francis kick)
• Washington – Field goal, McCallum 21
• Washington – Andre Riley 10 pass from Conklin (McCallum kick)

Second quarter

• Washington – Jaime Fields recovered blocked punt in end zone (McCallum kick)
• Washington – Field goal, McCallum 32

Third quarter :No scoring

Fourth quarter

• Washington – Mark Brunell 20 run (McCallum kick)

:Source:

Statistics

:{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" ! Statistics !! Washington !! Florida

Aftermath

Unranked since early October, Washington was #23 in the final AP poll, and played in the next three Rose Bowls, which included a shared national championship after the second. Florida hired alumnus Steve Spurrier as head coach the next day, and he led the Gators for twelve seasons. Smith skipped his senior season and was selected seventeenth overall in the 1990 NFL draft; he won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This was the last bowl game between the Pac-10 and SEC until the 2010 season, when Auburn met Oregon in the national championship game in Arizona. It also marks Washington's only win against an SEC team, .

References

References

1. (December 30, 1989). "Latest line". Gainesville Sun.
2. (December 30, 1989). "The latest line". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
3. (October 9, 1989). "UF ousts coach Galen Hall amid new NCAA violations". Gainesville Sun.
4. (October 9, 1989). "Florida football coach submits resignation". Eugene Register-Guard.
5. Browne, Jeff. (October 9, 1989). "Darnell faces task of pulling team together". Gainesville Sun.
6. (December 31, 1989). "Huskies roll past Florida in 34-7 win". Eugene Register-Guard.
7. King, Bill. (December 31, 1989). "Florida finishes with a flop 34-7". Gainesville Sun.
8. (December 31, 1989). "Washington rips Florida". Sunday Star-News.
9. Teaford, Elliott. (December 31, 1989). "Huskies make it look easy : Freedom Bowl: Florida's Emmitt Smith is held to 17 yards as Washington passes, runs to 34-7 victory.". Los Angeles Times.
10. Borst, Don. (January 1, 1990). "After Freedom Bowl win, Huskies optimistic for '90". Spokane Chronicle.
11. (January 2, 1990). "Huskies swamp Gators 34-7 in Freedom Bowl". Ellensburg Daily Record.
12. (December 31, 1989). "Washington buries Florida". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
13. (January 3, 1990). "Final AP Top 25". Spokesman-Review.
14. Kallestad, Brent. (January 1, 1990). "Spurrier accepts Florida offer". Wilmington Morning Star.