# 2016 Washington Huskies football team

The 2016 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by Chris Petersen in his third season as head coach of the Huskies. Washington competed as a member of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference and played their home games on campus at Husky Stadium in Seattle.
Washington finished the season with a 12–2 overall record and went 8–1 in conference to win the Pac-12 North Division, the program's first division title since the Pac-12 expanded and split into divisions in 2011. Most notable was defeating Stanford and Oregon, two of the toughest annual opponents for the team in recent years, by a combined 114–28. The Stanford game took place in front of a sold out crowd on ESPN and the Oregon game snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Ducks. The Huskies earned a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game where they defeated Colorado to win their first conference title since 2000. They were selected as the #4 seed in the College Football Playoff and played in the Peach Bowl, where they lost to #1 seed Alabama. Washington was ranked #4 in the final AP Poll of the 2016 season. The 2016 Huskies were the last Pac-12 team to represent the conference in the College Football Playoff until 2023.

## Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2016) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Byron Murphy Cornerback | Scottsdale, AZ | Saguaro High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jan 21, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Isaiah Gilchrist Athlete | Bellevue, WA | Bellevue High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 12, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Milo Eifler Outside Linebacker | Oakland, CA | Bishop O'Dowd High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jul 9, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Brandon Wellington Running back | Bellevue, WA | Eastside Catholic High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 217 lb (98 kg) | Aug 12, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Taylor Rapp Safety | Bellingham, WA | Sehome High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | Mar 13, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Sean McGrew Running back | Bellflower, CA | St. John Bosco High School | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | May 20, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Luke Wattenberg Offensive tackle | San Juan Capistrano, CA | JSerra Catholic High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | May 20, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Jordan Chin Wide receiver | West Hills, CA | Chaminade College Prep | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 149 lb (68 kg) | Jan 24, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Kentrell Love Cornerback | Corona, CA | Centennial High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jul 30, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Levi Onwuzurike Defensive end | Allen, TX | Allen High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Jan 20, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Amandre Williams Defensive end | Covington, WA | Tahoma High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Aug 9, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Aaron Fuller Wide receiver | Allen, TX | Lovejoy High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jul 15, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Myles Rice Defensive end | Houston, TX | George Bush High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Oct 2, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Kamari Pleasant Athlete | Etiwanda, CA | Etiwanda High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Van Soderberg Punter | Olympia, WA | Capital High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 5, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Nick Harris Center | San Juan Capistrano, CA | JSerra Catholic High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 272 lb (123 kg) | Jul 30, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Jacob Kizer Tight end | Salem, OR | West Salem High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Jul 25, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Daniel Bridge-Gadd Quarterback | Phoenix, AZ | Paradise Valley High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | Oct 19, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 29 Rivals: 29 247Sports: 38 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 11:00 a.m. | Rutgers* | No. 14 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | P12N | W 48–13 | 58,640 |
| September 10 | 2:00 p.m. | Idaho* | No. 8 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | P12N | W 59–14 | 60,678 |
| September 17 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 19 (FCS) Portland State* | No. 8 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | P12N | W 41–3 | 57,151 |
| September 24 | 7:30 p.m. | at Arizona | No. 9 | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | P12N | W 35–28 $^{OT}$ | 48,747 |
| September 30 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 7 Stanford | No. 10 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | ESPN | W 44–6 | 72,027 |
| October 8 | 4:30 p.m. | at Oregon | No. 5 | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR (rivalry) | FOX | W 70–21 | 58,842 |
| October 22 | 3:30 p.m. | Oregon State | No. 5 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | P12N | W 41–17 | 65,796 |
| October 29 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 17 Utah | No. 4 | Rice-Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT (College GameDay) | FS1 | W 31–24 | 47,801 |
| November 5 | 7:30 p.m. | at California | No. 5 | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | ESPN | W 66–27 | 47,756 |
| November 12 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 20 USC | No. 4 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA (College GameDay) | FOX | L 13–26 | 72,362 |
| November 19 | 4:30 p.m. | Arizona State | No. 6 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | FOX | W 44–18 | 65,467 |
| November 25 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 23 Washington State | No. 5 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA (Apple Cup) | FOX | W 45–17 | 33,773 |
| December 2 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. No. 8 Colorado | No. 4 | Levi's StadiumSanta Clara, CA (Pac-12 Championship Game) | FOX | W 41–10 | 47,118 |
| December 31 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Alabama* | No. 4 | Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (Peach Bowl–CFP Semifinal, SEC Nation) | ESPN | L 7–24 | 75,996 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 1 released prior to gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 14 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Coaches | 18 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### Rutgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rutgers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| No. 14 Washington | 24 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 48 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: September 3, 2016
* Game time: 11:01 a.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 60° • Weather: Overcast with slight drizzle • Wind: SSW @ 8 mph
* Game attendance: 58,640
* Referee: Michael Batlan
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein, Anthony Herron and Lewis Johnson

### Idaho

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Idaho | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 8 Washington | 7 | 28 | 14 | 10 | 59 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: September 10, 2016
* Game time: 2:07 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 74° • Weather: Sunny with scattered clouds • Wind: W @ 8 mph
* Game attendance: 60,678
* Referee: Terry Leyden
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): J.B. Long, Glenn Parker and Jill Savage

### Portland State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 (FCS) Portland State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 8 Washington | 14 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 41 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: September 17, 2016
* Game time: 5:06 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 66° • Weather: Mostly cloudy • Wind: SW @ 19 mph
* Game attendance: 57,151
* Referee: Chris Coyte
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Jim Watson, Yogi Roth and Cindy Brunson

### At Arizona

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| No. 9 Washington | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Arizona | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
at Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ
* Date: September 24, 2016
* Game time: 7:31 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 74° • Weather: Clear skies • Wind: NNW @ 9 mph
* Game attendance: 48,747
* Referee: Michael Mothershed
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein, Anthony Herron and Lewis Johnson

### Stanford

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Stanford | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 10 Washington | 13 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 44 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: September 30, 2016
* Game time: 6:01 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 64° • Weather: Clear skies • Wind: E @ 3 mph
* Game attendance: 72,027
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe

### At Oregon

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Washington | 21 | 14 | 21 | 14 | 70 |
| Oregon | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
at Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR
* Date: October 8, 2016
* Game time: 4:35 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 70° • Weather: Mostly sunny • Wind: S @ 5 mph
* Game attendance: 58,842
* Referee: Michael Mothershed
* TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis, Brady Quinn and Jenny Taft
Coming off of a 44–6 win against No. 7 Stanford at Husky Stadium, No. 5 Washington traveled to Autzen Stadium to face a 2–3 Oregon team. Prior to this game, Oregon had beaten Washington twelve straight times, ten of which were by a margin of 20 points or more. This was the longest winning streak by either team in the Oregon–Washington football rivalry.
The Oregon winning streak was finally snapped after a 70–21 Washington rout. On the first play from the line of scrimmage, Washington safety Budda Baker, a one-time commit to the Oregon Ducks, intercepted the pass from Oregon's true freshman Justin Herbert. The Huskies took the lead on a Jake Browning touchdown run with 13:23 left in the first quarter and never relinquished it. The Huskies led 35–7 by halftime, 42–7 after the first possession of the third quarter, and 70–21 with 9:58 left in the fourth quarter.
The Washington offense racked up 682 yards of total offense, averaged 10.1 yards per play, amassed 6 passing touchdowns by quarterback Jake Browning, and scored 70 points, the most scored by either team in the rivalry. The Huskies’ 70 points were the second-most an opponent has ever scored on Oregon in Eugene.

### Oregon State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oregon State | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| No. 5 Washington | 21 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 41 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: October 22, 2016
* Game time: 3:41 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 63°• Weather: Scattered clouds • Wind: N @ 8 mph
* Game attendance: 65,796
* Referee: Terry Leyden
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth and Cindy Brunson

### At Utah

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Washington | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| No. 17 Utah | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Rice-Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT
* Date: October 29, 2016
* Game time: 12:40 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 69° • Weather: Partly cloudy • Wind: SSE @ 8 mph
* Game attendance: 47,801
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV announcers (FS1): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Shannon Spake

### At California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Washington | 21 | 14 | 21 | 10 | 66 |
| California | 13 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
* Date: November 5, 2016
* Game time: 7:41 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 61° • Weather: Scattered clouds • Wind: SSW @ 6 mph
* Game attendance: 47,756
* Referee: Michael Batian
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich

### USC

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 USC | 3 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 26 |
| No. 4 Washington | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: November 12, 2016
* Game time: 4:36 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 56° • Weather: Mostly cloudy • Wind: SSW @ 15 mph
* Game attendance: 72,362
* Referee: Terry Leyden
* TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Shannon Spake

### Arizona State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Arizona State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 18 |
| No. 7 Washington | 3 | 21 | 6 | 14 | 44 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: November 19, 2016
* Game time: 4:40 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 54° • Weather: Mostly cloudy • Wind: N @ 5 mph
* Game attendance: 65,467
* Referee: Land Clark
* TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis, Brady Quinn and Jenny Taft

### At Washington State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Washington | 28 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 45 |
| No. 23 Washington State | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: November 25, 2016
* Game time: 12:35 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 44° • Weather: Slight rain • Wind: S @ 7 mph
* Game attendance: 33,773
* Referee: Steve Strimling
* TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Shannon Spake

### vs Colorado (Pac-12 Championship Game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Colorado | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 4 Washington | 7 | 7 | 17 | 10 | 41 |
at Levi's Stadium • Santa Clara, CA
* Date: December 2, 2016
* Game time: 6:22 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 60° • Weather: Clear skies • Wind: NW @ 10 mph
* Game attendance: 47,118
* Referee: Land Clark
* TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Jenny Taft and Chris Myers

### vs Alabama (Peach Bowl - CFP Semifinal)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Washington | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 1 Alabama | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA
* Date: December 31, 2016
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Indoors (dome stadium)
* Game attendance: 75,996
* Referee: Dan Capron
* TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe

## Awards and honors
### Coaches

Chris Petersen - Head Coach
* Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year : Finalist
* Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award : Finalist
Tim Socha - strength and conditioning coach
* FootballScoop.com strength and conditioning coach of the Year : Winner

### Offense

Jake Browning - Quarterback - Sophomore
* Manning Award (quarterback) : Finalist
* Walter Camp Award (player of the year) : Finalist
* Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback) : Semi-Finalist
* Maxwell Award (player of the year) : Semi-Finalist
John Ross III - Wide receiver - Junior
* Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver) : Semi-Finalist
Jeff Lindquist - Tight end - Senior
* Wuerffel Trophy (community service and academic excellence) : Semi-Finalist

### Defense

Budda Baker - Safety - Junior
* Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year) : Semi-Finalist
* Lott IMPACT Trophy (defensive player of the year) : Semi-Finalist
* Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back) : Semi-Finalist

### All-Americans

First team
* Budda Baker - The Sporting News, FWAA, ESPN, Sports Illustrated
* John Ross III - ESPN
Second team
* Budda Baker - AFCA, The Associated Press, CBS Sports
* Sidney Jones - Sports Illustrated
* John Ross III - FWAA, The Associated Press, CBS Sports
* Trey Adams - FWAA
Freshman
* Taylor Rapp - FWAA, USA Today, ESPN, Pro Football Focus

### All-Pac-12 Individual awards

Offensive Player of the Year
* Jake Browning - Quarterback - Sophomore
Freshman Defensive Player of the Year
* Taylor Rapp - Safety - Freshman
Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year
* Jake Eldrenkamp - Guard - Senior

### Pac-12 All-Conference Team

First team
* Jake Browning - Quarterback - Sophomore
* Myles Gaskin - Running back - Sophomore
* John Ross III - Wide receiver - Junior
* Trey Adams - Offensive tackle - Sophomore
* Jake Eldrenkamp - Guard - Senior
* Elijah Qualls - Defensive tackle - Junior
* Azeem Victor - Linebacker - Junior
* Budda Baker - Safety - Junior
* Sidney Jones - Cornerback - Junior
Second team
* Coleman Shelton - Center - Junior
* Vita Vea - Defensive tackle - Sophomore
* Keishawn Bierria - Linebacker - Junior
* Dante Pettis - Return specialist - Junior
Honorable mention
* Darrell Daniels - Tight end - Senior
* Greg Gaines - Defensive tackle - Sophomore
* Kevin King - Cornerback - Senior
* Drew Sample - Tight end - Sophomore
* Psalm Wooching - Linebacker - Senior

## NFL draft
### NFL Scouting Combine

Seven members of the 2016 team were invited to participate in drills at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine held between February 28 and March 6, 2017 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
| # | Name | POS | HT | WT | Arms | Hands | 40 | Bench press | Vert jump | Broad jump | 3-cone drill | 20-yd shuttle | 60-yd shuttle |
| DB04 | Budda Baker | S | 5'10" | 195 | 30+3⁄4" | 9" | 4.45* | 15 reps | 32.5" | 115" | 6.76* | 4.08* | N/A |
| TE04 | Darrell Daniels | TE | 6'3" | 247 | 34+1⁄2" | 10+1⁄4" | 4.55* | 17 reps | 32" | 116" | 7.09 | 4.47 | N/A |
| DB28 | Sidney Jones | CB | 6'0" | 186 | 31+1⁄2" | 9+3⁄8" | 4.47 | N/A | 33.5" | 123" | 7.02 | 4.28 | N/A |
| DB31 | Kevin King | CB | 6'3" | 200 | 32" | 9+1⁄2" | 4.43 | 11 reps | 39.5"* | N/A | 6.56* | 3.89* | 11.14* |
| LB20 | Joe Mathis | OLB | 6'2" | 266 | 33" | 9" | N/A | 24 reps* | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| DL39 | Elijah Qualls | DT | 6'1" | 313 | 30+5⁄8" | 9+3⁄8" | 5.13 | 33 reps* | 31.5" | 105" | 7.65 | 4.66 | N/A |
| WO42 | John Ross III | WR | 5'11" | 188 | 31+1⁄2" | 8+3⁄4" | 4.22† | N/A | 37" | 133"* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* Top performer
† New combine record

### 2017 NFL draft

The 2017 NFL draft was held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia on April 27 through April 29, 2017. The following Washington players were either selected or signed as free agents following the draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall pick | NFL team |
| John Ross III | WR | 1 | 9 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Kevin King | CB | 2 | 33 | Green Bay Packers |
| Budda Baker | S | 2 | 36 | Arizona Cardinals |
| Sidney Jones | CB | 2 | 43 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Elijah Qualls | DT | 6 | 214 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Brandon Beaver | S | UDFA | — | Arizona Cardinals |
| Darrell Daniels | TE | UDFA | — | Indianapolis Colts |
| Jake Eldrenkamp | OG | UDFA | — | Los Angeles Rams |
| Joe Mathis | OLB | UDFA | — | Houston Texans |