FREEDOM BOWL NOTEBOOK : Battle Lines Are Drawn by Contrasting Offenses

As Southerners see it, the West is still wild--at least when it comes to the explosive passing game favored by colleges on this side of the Rockies. North of the Mason-Dixon line, the ground-based game favored by so many Southern teams is as strange as grits for breakfast.

The rules are the same, but the flavor is distinctly different in the Southeastern and Pacific 10 conferences. Florida’s running game and Washington’s passing attack, typical of the styles of their respective regions, led the coaches of both schools to discuss the contrast that’s sure to develop in the Freedom Bowl Saturday at Anaheim Stadium.

Of the Gators’ 4,321 net yards, 2,693 (62.3%) were gained by rushing and 1,628 (37.7%) by passing. But rushing accounted for only 1,383 of the Huskies’ 4,009 net yards (34.5%) and passing plays accounted for the remaining 2,626 yards, or 65.5%. The Gators would lead the Pac-10 in rushing but would rank ninth in passing.

“I think there is a West Coast style of football, just as there is a Southern style,” said Gary Darnell, Florida interim coach. “It’s just a feeling on my part that the ball is thrown more in that part of the country. There’s passing leagues in the summertime and the ball just gets thrown more. In our part of the country, the running game and the option game are more prevalent than in that part of the country.”

Washington Coach Don James agreed with Darnell, but said such trends go in cycles. “When I left the South, there were some pretty good passers,” said James, who was an assistant coach at Florida State from 1959 through 1963. “Joe Namath was at Alabama and Steve Spurrier was a pretty good quarterback (for Florida).”

James used a familiar frame of reference--the Pac-10--to express his admiration for the Gators’ defensive unit.

“USC is the best defense we played against, and they’re the equal of the SC defense,” James said. Washington lost to USC, 24-16, on Oct. 7.

Florida’s defense allowed 241.9 yards per game, best in the SEC and third in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rankings. The Gators’ rushing defense allowed 88.6 yards per game, fifth-best in the NCAA and the best in the SEC, and their passing defense ranked third in the conference and eighth in the NCAA at an average of 153.3 yards per game. In scoring defense, the Gators ranked second in the SEC and 13th in the NCAA, with an average of 15.3 points per game.

Washington allowed opponents an average of 137.6 yards rushing per game, fifth in the Pac-10, and 216.5 yards passing. The Huskies were fourth in total defense, allowing an average of 354.1 yards per game.

No matter the outcome Saturday, James figures he can’t lose on this trip. The possibility of inclement weather in Seattle convinced the Huskies to come to Southern California to practice on Dec. 18, and James has used much of the time here to visit prospective recruits.

“We’ve had some players come to practices,” said James, whose team found a home away from home at Golden West College in Huntington Beach. “A victory in the bowl game would be like icing on the cake. We’ve already got the cake. I don’t think a defeat is going to determine how many players we’re going to get.”

Several players stand to gain considerably with solid performances Saturday. Foremost is Florida tailback Emmitt Smith, who has said he would turn pro if the Gators had a new coach next season and he had to learn a fourth offensive system in four years. However, Smith maintained that he isn’t using this game to enhance his NFL prospects.

“I don’t look at this as a big showcase for Emmitt Smith,” said Smith, whose 1,599 yards was third-best in the NCAA this season. “I look at this game as an opportunity for the University of Florida to better our 7-4 season and perhaps go 8-4. That would be the best season since the 9-1-1 seasons (in 1984 and ‘85) and that would be very good for recruiting.”

For Husky defensive end Dennis Brown, the game is one of his final chances to impress pro scouts. Brown, one of two Washington defensive captains, graduated from Long Beach Jordan High. He also will play in the East-West Shrine Game.

“It feels good to come home and play my final game as a Husky here,” he said.