Road to 1991 Perfection: Hobert Was Ready to Play Miami
Entering the Rose Bowl against Michigan, quarterback Billy Joe Hobert watched videotape of his 1991 University of Washington football games over and over. Two and three times.
He saw the talent, watched it perform without any letdowns, and came to a conclusion.
"I just got this feeling, after watching so much film, that I could not fathom in my head how they could beat us," Hobert said. "In my mind, there's no way they can beat us. They just can't."
Hobert played well enough, completing 18 of 34 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns, to earn Rose Bowl Offensive Player of the Game honors, but he tossed a pair of interceptions.
Still, the Huskies led only 13-7 at halftime, leaving the game far from decided. Hobert blamed himself for part of it. He felt pressure to respond, some of it he said was expressed by UW offensive coordinator Keith Gilbertson.
"It was one of those things, if I don't screw it up we're going to win this game," he said. "I ended up throwing an interception and that's a whole 'nother story between me and Gilby. He wanted to rip my head off."
This is another in a series of vignettes about the UW's 1991 national title run, supplementing the conversation for the recently completed pandemic-influenced season. We're now in the aftermath of the Huskies' 12-0 season in this throwback replay.
Hobert settled down and helped the Huskies finish off a 34-14 victory over Michigan and put them in position to claim the national championship.
Afterward, he felt emotionally and physically tired as met up with his wife at the time in the team hotel. They watched Miami finish off a 12-0 season in the Orange Bowl by beating Nebraska 22-0.
The next morning everyone learned that the Associated Press poll had installed the Hurricanes as the nation's No. 1 team and the CNN/Coaches poll put the Huskies on top. A split decision.
Hobert was beside himself, convinced that things weren't over. He spoke with donors and put something on the table for them to consider.
"I remember we didn't win the national title outright and it just devastated me, devastated me," he said. "I litterally was begging people to put up money to fly us all out there and said we'll go play them in Miami to [bleeping] settle it, pardon my language. It was just sickening. It just broke my heart that we had to share it with fricking Miami."
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