1986 Sun Bowl


The 1986 Sun Bowl featured the 1986 [Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama Crimson Tide] of the Southeastern Conference and the 1986 [Washington Huskies football team|Washington Huskies] of the Pacific-10 Conference. In Ray Perkins's final game as Alabama head coach, the Crimson Tide defeated the Huskies
This was the first edition of the Sun Bowl that carried corporate sponsorship, as John Hancock Financial entered a three-year, $1.5 million partnership. The Fiesta Bowl had done so approximately a year earlier, entering a sponsorship agreement in September 1985 and playing its January 1986 edition as the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl.

Teams

Alabama

Alabama opened the season with seven wins, then lost three of its final five regular season games to finish with a 9–3 record. Following their loss to 1986 [Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn] in the Iron Bowl, university officials announced they accepted an invitation to play in the Sun Bowl. The appearance marked the second for Alabama in the Sun Bowl, and their 39th bowl game.
The Tide was favored by

Washington

Washington finished the regular season with an 8–2–1 record. Tied for second place in the Pac-10, the Huskies lost to 1986 [USC Trojans football team|USC] and 1986 [Arizona State Sun Devils football team|Arizona State], and tied 1986 [UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA]. Following their victory over 1986 [Washington State Cougars football team|Washington State] in the Apple Cup, university officials announced they accepted an invitation to play in the Sun Bowl. It was Washington's second appearance in the Sun Bowl, and their 17th bowl game.

Game summary

After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama scored first on a 64-yard Bobby Humphrey touchdown run. Washington responded with a pair of Jeff Jaeger field goals to cut the lead to
With a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter, Alabama extended their lead to. Mike Shula was responsible for both touchdowns with the first coming on a 32-yard pass to Greg Richardson and the second on a 17-yard pass to Bobby Humphrey. Humphrey then scored the final points of the game midway through the fourth on a three-yard run to cap a 16-play,

Aftermath

According to then Washington defensive coordinator Jim Lambright, this game highlighted the need for Washington to begin to recruit speed more seriously. Lambright would later be quoted as saying, "t was after our bowl game against Alabama in the Sun Bowl .... hen we broke down the film, there was no way that our personnel matched their personnel as far as speed. So we went out after that to specifically recruit faster people.... We weren't selective enough up to that point with speed."
Five years later in the Washington Huskies football team|1991] season, Washington went undefeated and won the College football [national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|national championship].