1997 Aloha Bowl
| MVP | Rashaan Shehee |
|---|---|
The 1997 Aloha Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 25, 1997 in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was part of the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the Washington Huskies of the Pac-10 and the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten. It was a matchup of top 25 teams.
Washington got off to a strong start quickly, capitalizing on a 33-yard touchdown run from running back Rashaan Shehee to take a 7-0 lead with just 1 minute elapsed. Shehee would finish the game with 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Just 5 minutes later, Washington quarterback Brock Huard threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Fred Coleman as the Huskies built a 14-0 lead.
Michigan State finally broke onto the scoreboard after Todd Schultz threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Gari Scott, and Michigan State trailed 14-7 after the 1st quarter. 44 seconds into the second quarter, Washington struck again, with another touchdown pass from Huard to Coleman gave the Huskies a 21-7 lead.
A 41-yard field goal from Nick Lentz increased Washington's lead to 24-7. With 2 minutes left in the 1st half, Michigan State's Paul Edinger kicked a 43-yard field goal making the score 24-10 Huskies. Michigan State would get the ball back again, but Tony Parrish returned a Michigan State interception 56 yards for a touchdown, as Washington built a 31-10 lead at halftime.
In the third, Shehee scored on a 15-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, and Washington held a commanding 38-10 lead. Michigan State answered quickly when Schultz found Gari Scott for a 28-yard touchdown pass making it 38-17. Washington put the game away, with a 64-yard touchdown run from Mike Reed giving the Huskies a 44-17 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Lester Towns returned another Michigan State interception 66 yards for a touchdown, making it 51-17. With just 2 seconds left in the game, Michigan State scored a meaningless touchdown on a 21-yard pass from Bill Burke to LaVaile Richardson. The ensuing extra point missed, and Washington won by a 51-23 final.[1]
Statistics
| Statistics | Michigan State | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 15 | 23 |
| Rushing Yards | 47 | 298 |
| Passing Yards | 296 | 179 |
| Total Yards | 343 | 477 |
| Passes (Att-Comp-Int) | 35-20-3 | 30-18-0 |
| Punts-Average | 3-30.0 | 6-39.8 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 6-2 | 2-1 |
| Penalties-Yards | 4-28 | 13-126 |