Washington, Florida to Settle Differences : Freedom Bowl: The Huskies will pass and the Gators will run in game at Anaheim Stadium.

Washington and Florida, two football teams with very little in common, will meet today in the Freedom Bowl at 11 a.m. at Anaheim Stadium.

About the only similarity is the 7-4 record each team has posted this season.

The differences are many:

--Washington relies heavily on its passing game. Florida likes to run.

--Washington has a two-year starter at quarterback, Cary Conklin, who is the school-record holder for passing yardage in a season. Florida alternates freshmen quarterbacks Lex Smith and Donald Douglas. Gary Darnell, the Gators’ interim coach, isn’t saying who will start.

--Don James, in his 15th season at Washington, is the dean of Pacific 10 coaches. Darnell is in his seventh, and most likely last, game as Florida’s interim coach.

--Washington has gone through the season in routine fashion. Florida has endured a scandal-ridden season, marked by charges of assault, drug use, gambling and illegal payoffs against Gator players and former coach Galen Hall.

--Washington began by losing three of its first five games. Florida finished by losing three of its last four.

The teams will meet for the first time against this contrasting backdrop in the first Freedom Bowl to be played in the daylight and on network television--NBC.

The most recognizable difference between the teams will be their offensive styles.

Washington’s one-back, NFL-style offense features Conklin at quarterback and Andre Riley at wide receiver.

Conklin, a senior, threw for 2,569 yards to break Sonny Sixkiller’s school record of 2,303 set in 1970. He threw for 16 touchdowns, but 17 interceptions. He threw for a Washington-record 428 yards against Arizona State, but the Huskies lost, 34-32.

Riley, a senior who suffered a serious knee injury last season, caught 53 passes for 1,039 yards and four touchdowns.

“We’ve got to move the ball,” James said. “We can’t allow (Florida) to hang onto the ball for 90 snaps. I don’t think we can give up the big plays.”

Florida’s offense has revolved around Emmitt Smith, a junior running back who has rushed for 1,599 yards, second-highest in school history. Twice, Smith has finished in the top 10 in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

Even before quarterback Kyle Morris was suspended from school for betting on professional and college football games, the Gators relied on Smith’s running.

And why not? His average of 126 rushing yards a game ranks second in Southeastern Conference history. Only Herschel Walker averaged more yards a game (159.4 while at Georgia).

Darnell, who took over when Hall resigned Oct. 8 in the face of charges he made payoffs to assistant coaches in 1986-88 and to a player in 1987, is probably coaching his final game as Florida’s head man.

Steve Spurrier, a Heisman Trophy winner while Florida’s quarterback in 1966 and the current Duke coach, will reportedly be named the new Gator coach.

Nevertheless, James has been impressed by what Darnell has done.

“To have a person go into a situation like that and keep the guys from fragmenting is really something,” James said. “I think (if Darnell doesn’t stay at Florida), he’s going to be at the top of people’s lists.”

Freedom Bowl Notes

There is one other similarity: Each team has a number of players looking to improve their status in the eyes of NFL scouts. For Washington, it’s quarterback Cary Conklin and defensive tackle Dennis Brown. For Florida, it’s running back Emmitt Smith. “It’s important for me to move up and increase my value,” Conklin said, “but I’ve had a pretty solid year, so I don’t think this game is going to make or break it.” Brown was thought to be an All-American candidate when the season began but failed to live up to expectations. Conklin and Husky wide receiver Andre Riley will play in the Hula Bowl. Brown will play in the East-West Shrine game.

Rumors abound concerning Smith’s possible jump to the NFL. Smith has not announced his decision. “I do want, as I said as a freshman, to win the Heisman Trophy,” he said.

This is Washington’s second appearance in the Freedom Bowl. The Huskies defeated Colorado, 20-17, in 1985.