Bears, Huskies followed similar paths

By John Werner

The Baylor and Washington football programs have many similarities.

The Huskies went 0-12 in 2008  before Steve Sarkisian arrived on the scene and quickly led them to a 5-7 record in 2009 and a 7-6 finish last season. They ended last season with a 19-7 upset of Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

Baylor coach Art Briles took over a program that went 0-8 in the Big 12 in 2007. After a pair of 4-8 seasons, the Bears broke through with a 7-6 record last year that ended with a 38-14 loss to Illinois in the Texas Bowl.

Now, both coaches hope to cap this season with an Alamo Bowl win.

"Our guys have certainly worked hard for this opportunity, and hopefully we'll be man enough to take advantage of it," Briles said. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for the way Washington plays the game, and the way their players are, and the way Coach Sarkisian leads them through it."

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