| Year Game Played: | 1997 |
| Game Name: | Aloha Bowl |
| Football Season: | 1997 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Washington |
| Visitor Nickname: | Huskies |
| Visitor School: | University of Washington |
| Home Name Short: | Michigan State |
| Home Nickname: | Spartans |
| Home School: | Michigan State University |
| Visitor Record: | 7-4 |
| Home Record: | 7-4 |
| Visitor Coach: | Jim Lambright |
| Home Coach: | Nick Saban |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 21 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 23 |
| Visitor Rank Bowlalliance: | 21 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 25 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 25 |
| Home Rank Bowlalliance: | 25 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 14 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 17 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 13 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 3 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 6 |
| Date Game Played: | December 25 |
| Stadium: | Aloha Stadium |
| City: | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Mvp: | Rashaan Shehee |
| Anthem: | 1st Grade |
| Halftime: | School marching bands |
| Attendance: | 34,419 |
| Us Network: | ABC |
| Us Announcers Link: | List of announcers of major college bowl games |
| Us Announcers: | Brent Musburger, Dan Fouts and Jack Arute |
The 1997 Aloha Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 25, 1997, in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was part of the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the Washington Huskies of the Pac-10 and the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten. It was a matchup of top 25 teams. Washington got off to a strong start quickly, capitalizing on a 33-yard touchdown run from running back Rashaan Shehee to take a 7–0 lead with just 1 minute elapsed. Shehee would finish the game with 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Just 5 minutes later, Washington quarterback Brock Huard threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Fred Coleman as the Huskies built a 14–0 lead.
Michigan State finally broke onto the scoreboard after Todd Schultz threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Gari Scott, and Michigan State trailed 14-7 after the 1st quarter. 44 seconds into the second quarter, Washington struck again, with another touchdown pass from Huard to Coleman gave the Huskies a 21–7 lead.
A 41-yard field goal from Nick Lentz increased Washington's lead to 24–7. With 2 minutes left in the 1st half, Michigan State's Paul Edinger kicked a 43-yard field goal making the score 24–10 Huskies. Michigan State would get the ball back again, but Tony Parrish returned a Michigan State interception 56 yards for a touchdown, as Washington built a 31–10 lead at halftime.
In the third, Shehee scored on a 15-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, and Washington held a commanding 38–10 lead. Michigan State answered quickly when Schultz found Gari Scott for a 28-yard touchdown pass making it 38–17. Washington put the game away, with a 64-yard touchdown run from Mike Reed giving the Huskies a 44–17 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Lester Towns returned another Michigan State interception 66 yards for a touchdown, making it 51–17. With just 2 seconds left in the game, Michigan State scored a meaningless touchdown on a 21-yard pass from Bill Burke to LaVaile Richardson. The ensuing extra point missed, and Washington won by a 51–23 final.[1]
| Statistics | Michigan State | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 15 | 23 |
| Rushing yards | 47 | 298 |
| Passing yards | 296 | 179 |
| Total yards | 343 | 477 |
| Passes (att-comp-int) | 35–20–3 | 30–18–0 |
| Punts–average | 3–30.0 | 6–39.8 |
| Fumbles–lost | 6–2 | 2–1 |
| Penalties–yards | 4–28 | 13–126 |