The 2022 Alamo Bowl will feature the #20 Texas Longhorns and the #12 Washington Huskies on Thursday, December 29th. It has been a bowl season of offenses this year and the Alamo Bowl is poised to continue the trend. The Longhorns had a rocky season to get to eight wins, but have made it back to a bowl game after a year off. Washington on the other hand went from 4-8 in 2021 to 10-2. This turnaround was under first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer. Let’s see how these two high-powered offenses stack up in the 2022 Alamo Bowl.
2022 Alamo Bowl Preview
Date: December 29, 2022
Time: 9:00 PM ET
Where: San Antonio, Texas
TV: ESPN
Alamo Bowl History
The Alamo Bowl started in 1993, that is 29 years ago for those that don’t feel like doing the math, and Washington Huskies’ Co-Defensive Coordinator William Inge played in that first game with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Texas had its first Alamo Bowl experience in 2006 with a come-from-behind victory over Iowa. Overall, Texas has appeared in the Alamo Bowl five times and has won four of those five. Two of those wins came in 2019 and 2020. Washington on the other hand has one lone Alamo Bowl appearance in 2011 and it was a high-scoring loss to Baylor 56-67.
What to Watch for From Washington
The Washington Huskies don’t have any opt-outs for the 2022 Alamo Bowl, a very unlikely feat for a top-15 team. Starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has already stated that he will return for the 2023 season and his extra year of eligibility. The Indiana transfer had a phenomenal season for the Huskies and is majorly responsible for the turnaround of the Washington offense. Penix Jr. threw for 4,354 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions in 2022. That is good for the best in the country during the regular season and a 66% completion rate. Further, putting Washington at the number one spot for passing offense nationwide.
In the backfield, the Huskies have Wayne Taulapapa and Cameron Davis. Taulapapa leads the Washington offense with 779 rushing yards and is averaging just over six yards per carry. He also accounted for 10 rushing touchdowns on the year. Davis held his own as well with 522 rush yards and led the team in rushing touchdowns with 13. While the Huskies have a dominant pass offense, don’t count out the run game in the Alamo Bowl.
What to Watch for From Texas
While the Huskies don’t have any opt-outs in the Alamo Bowl, Texas will be without both of its star running backs. Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson have both declared for the NFL Draft and will not play. The next leading rusher for the Longhorns is Jonathon Brooks. The redshirt freshman appeared in six games this season, rushing for 179 yards and four touchdowns. He will have to assist a struggling Quinn Ewers who has not been consistent over the last few games of the season.
Over the last three games, Ewers threw one touchdown and one interception. In addition, Ewers is not known for his running abilities. The starting quarterback is fourth on the team in rushing attempts but has ended up rushing for negative yards this season. He will need to lean on the young Johnson and his receivers to beat a very good Washington squad. Ewers will need to put up points on Thursday because his defense ranks 90th in passing yards allowed this season. This is not a good ranking against the best passing offense in the country.
