Former Georgia coach Jim Donnan and former Arizona coach Dick Tomey will put their coaching knowledge and skills to the test on Verge Friday on ESPN.com during the Culligan Holiday Bowl (Fri., Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Donnan and Tomey will also be contributing articles on bowl preparation and provide their game plans on Washington and Texas.

First things first, this game could have been one of the BCS games, these two teams had a shot to be there but came up just a little short. It should make for a great matchup.

After attending the last practice of the season on Wednesday, I was impressed with the intensity UW had. Anytime you watch another team practice after coaching for so long, you see things right away that impress you. They were very businesslike in their approach, yet very relaxed. They even had music during warm-ups. Of course being the Huskies, the Atomic Dog was the song of the day, and I liked it! It was very upbeat. Practice started at 5:30 p.m. to coincide with the game time on Friday. After working on a lot of what-if situations, they ended on a tradition a lot of teams have, the Senior's Last Hit. The players line up on each side and the seniors run down the middle and hit a tackling dummy. Each guy had their own way to hit the dummy so it was a good, fun way to wind down.

Game Plan: Washington Huskies

Offense OL is not as strong as Texas. Four-man rush won't work. Gang up. Establish Pickett early and protect him so he can get his rhythm and confidence. Get Reggie Williams the ball. He is a difference-maker. Defense Get to Major Applewhite, or else. UW's secondary can't keep up with the Longhorn's receivers. Take some chances to offset Texas' strength advantage. Remember it's OK to punt. Don't give Texas anything easy. Players Williams caught nine balls in the first half against WSU. Look for him on man coverage. Tripplett may be one of the best players in the country. He can prove it by keeping the Texas OL in check. Pickett needs some early completions. Protect him with your life. Special Teams UW has the better kicking staff. Use them. Coaches Neuheisel has done some quality damage control following Miami. Did it work?

After talking to Coach Neuheisel, and talking to some of the players, they know that wasn't their team that lost 65-7 to Miami. And they are very respectful of Texas and know they have similar personnel as Miami and if they don't play well there could be a similar outcome. When Texas comes on the field there aren't many teams you would trade their players for.

One thing that is very evident is they need to get pressure on Major Applewhite. When they can get to the quarterback they have been successful. When they haven't, they have been burned by accurate passers. And UW is expecting a very steady and accurate passing game with Applewhite at the helm. They can't rely on a four-man rush, they have to get outside pressure. The 5-, 6- and 7-man rushes will be important against a team like Texas that has a size advantage and can run the ball. Texas will have to mix up their protections in order to deal with Larry Triplett. He is one of the best players in the country. That matchup with the Texas offensive line will be huge.

As for Cody Pickett, he has to establish himself early. Coming off the Miami loss, as soon as you don't do something, those memories come back. To help with that, they have to make some big plays in the running game. With Texas man coverage they have to break the line of scrimmage and make some big plays. When you have the chance to make a play against a team like Texas you have to do it. They react so quickly and get off the blocks. I was impressed with Pickett's accuracy both on tape and in person. He is even stronger that I had imagined.

UW plays around the QB's strengths. He's not a very athletic QB but he makes good decisions and they have a wealth of protection schemes and can launch the ball so many different ways. But they have never seen a rush like Texas. You can't simulate that speed Miami and Texas has. That will be a real key. The threat of the option could hurt Texas, even though they don't run it much. The things they do best are getting the ball to Williams and protecting their QB. They also do a good job of mixing up their backs. Neither back is great but they are solid. The TE is capable of having big plays but he has been sporadic.

To win this game, UW has to get to Applewhite and at the same time, avoid the big negative plays. If Texas can hold onto the ball it will be tough for UW. Texas will not make many mistakes so UW has to go out and win this game, not wait for Texas to hand it to them.