10 41 9 8 4 4 Date 2 December 2016 | 9 9 4 4 Colorado 7 Stadium Levi's Stadium | |
Location Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California, United States | ||
2016 pac 12 football championship game washington takes home the trophy
The 2016 Pac-12 Football Championship Game was played on Friday, December 2, 2016 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It was the sixth championship game in Pac-12 Conference history. The game featured the South Division champion Colorado Buffaloes against the North Division champion Washington Huskies. The Huskies defeated the Buffaloes by a score of 41–10 to earn their first conference championship since 2000 and their first outright conference title since 1991.
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2016 pac 12 football championship game washington revels in conference title afterglow
History
Both Washington and Colorado made their first appearances in the Pac-12 Championship Game. This was the first Pac-12 Championship game not won by Oregon or Stanford.
Washington (North)
Washington advanced to the Pac-12 Championship Game after beating in-state rival Washington State 45–17 in the 109th Apple Cup. Washington became the first team other than Oregon or Stanford to win the North Division.
Colorado (South)
Colorado clinched their first appearance in the Pac-12 Championship Game with a 27–22 win over Utah in the final week of the regular season. This was Colorado's first division championship since they won the Big 12 North Division in 2005.
Scoring summary
The 2016 Pac-12 Championship Game featured the #8 Colorado Buffaloes (10–2) against the #4 Washington Huskies (11–1). The Huskies opened the scoring just three minutes into the game when Lavon Coleman ran for a 1-yard touchdown. The Buffaloes responded with a 3-yard rushing touchdown of their own, and the first quarter ended 7-7. The second quarter saw only one score: Jake Browning threw his first touchdown pass of the night to put the Huskies up 14-7 going into halftime.
On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Washington safety Taylor Rapp intercepted a pass from Sefo Liufau and returned it for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 21-7 lead. On Colorado's ensuing drive, Rapp intercepted another pass from Liufau returned it to the Buffaloes' 25 yard-line. Washington kicked a field goal to push their lead up to 24-7. Browning threw his second TD pass later in the third quarter to make the score 31-7. A long return on the ensuing kickoff gave Colorado possession at the Huskies' 2-yard line, and the Buffaloes kicked a field goal on the drive. Liufau threw his third interception as time expired in the third quarter. The Huskies added another field goal and touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal a 41-10 victory and their first conference title since 2000.