By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SEATTLE — So, what possibly could be next?
What ways haven’t the Washington Huskies found to win? How many more fourth-quarter comebacks does the team have in it? How many UW fans have gnawed off their fingernails and started on their toes?
Washington’s wild, 27-24 victory on a 32-yard field goal by John Anderson as time ran out Saturday was just the latest in a thrill ride now well into its second season. Before 72,946 breathless fans at Husky Stadium, the 11th-ranked Huskies (4-0, 2-0 Pacific-10 Conference) won their third game of the season in which they trailed going into the fourth quarter.
But then, that’s been the norm since Rick Neuheisel took over as head coach before the 1999 season. Of Neuheisel’s 21 victories at Washington, 16 have come on games in which Washington has been behind, 11 times while having to come back in the fourth quarter. They’ve won through last-gasp drives, electrifying special-teams play and defensive pyrotechnics.
"Just another day," UW offensive coordinator Keith Gilbertson said, grinning.
Well, maybe not.
This one came on the last play, the first time that’s happened since Oct. 18, 1980, when Everett’s own Chuck Nelson booted a 25-yard field goal to beat Stanford, 27-24.
Anderson duplicated that with a cool head and an ability to shrug off past failure. It was the first time he ever won a game with a kick at any level, he said.
"When I keep my head down, I make most of my kicks," Anderson said. "I put my head down, closed my eyes and heard a scream. I thought to myself, ‘Thank God it went in.’"
The big wrinkle in Saturday’s epic was that moments before, Anderson blew one from 35 yards out that would have given the Huskies a 20-17 advantage with 8:32 remaining.
But no matter, right? The UW defense held. Washington backup quarterback Taylor Barton, inserted in the second quarter when starter Cody Pickett went down with a separated shoulder, marched the offense 66 yards on five plays and capped the drive with a 14-yard TD off a nifty screen pass to tailback Willie Hurst, who leaped over two Trojans at the goal line to give Washington a 24-17 lead with 5:35 left.
But that was before USC quarterback Carson Palmer and wideout Kareem Kelly connected on a 58-yard touchdown pass that tied it at 24 with 3:47 remaining.
This was Barton’s test. This was the reason he prepared himself so diligently as Pickett’s backup. He’d always said that he was one snap from getting into games. This was his first major chance in a UW uniform.
The Huskies were 65 yards away from the goal line. They had 3:42 left. Time enough for Barton to erase the humiliation of fumbling three snaps in a hellish four-play span in the second quarter.
"Coach Neuheisel told me that we were going to work the clock and we were going for a last-season field goal," Barton said. "I just walked into the huddle, looked the linemen in the eyes and just said, ‘Hey, fellas. This is on you. We have got to run the ball, get some first downs and keep the chains moving."
It took nine plays for the Huskies to reach the Trojans 16. Hurst, who finished with a season-high 102 yards on 19 carries, bore the brunt of the work with 29 yards on six carries. Also, Barton connected with Todd Elstrom on an 18-yard completion to the Trojan 25, which put Anderson within field-goal range.
Two plays later, Washington ran the clock down to three seconds remaining before it called time out. Anderson trotted on, buoyed by encouraging words from his coach and teammates.
"Coach Neuheisel tells me to relax and talks to me about fishing," Anderson said. "Everyone just told me to concentrate on the next one. I love having my teammates around me. I couldn’t tell you how many people came up to me and told me to forget about the miss. Everyone said, ‘Come on, John, knock it through.’"
The kick was perfect. Anderson raised his arms and ran around. He first found receiver Wilbur Hooks and hugged him like Hooks was giving him a lottery check. Then their teammates mobbed them both.
The loss was USC’s third straight, dropping the Trojans to 1-4, 0-3 in Pac-10 play. Their four defeats have been by a total of 14 points.
"It’s not a mystery," first-year USC coach Pete Carroll said. "You have to make plays at the end of the game. We didn’t stop them."
The Trojans let a 17-14 lead slip away. They had knocked Pickett out of the game, they had re-established a dormant running game and apparently had momentum on their bench after Kelly’s TD.
But Washington’s depth combined with its established playmakers to offset whatever advantages USC had. Besides Hurst’s exploits, Barton was 11-for-20 passing for 197 yards and a pair of touchdowns and freshman receiver Reggie Williams caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Washington’s offense had its best day of the year (not counting outmatched Idaho), rolling up 441 yards, 191 on the ground. The Huskies had the ball nearly six minutes more than USC, despite the Trojans’ improved ground game spearheaded by Sultan McCullough’s 132 yards on 32 carries.
The UW offense was at its best on the final drive, which reminded more than one observer of what Marques Tuiasosopo made his trademark.
"I thought we handled the clock really, really well towards the end of the game," Neuheisel said. That is a tribute to all the coordinators and the assistants. I thought it was well done and well conceived."
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