By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – Elliott Zajac says he won’t do it again.
The Washington Huskies’ snapper for field goals says his inaccurate snaps during Saturday’s 31-28 victory over California are in the past. He also took exception to UW coach Rick Neuheisel’s theory that, because Zajac is unaccustomed to playing every offensive down at guard, he was tired.
“It had nothing to do with fatigue,” Zajac said. “That’s not the case.”
Zajac said he wants to remain the snapper for field goals, a position he has held down since last season. Linebacker Ben Mahdavi is the snapper for punts.
Against Cal, Zajac snapped the ball high once to holder Cody Pickett for a field goal by John Anderson. His next two snaps were low. Anderson missed two of the three.
“It’s something we’re going to address this week,” Neuheisel said. “… That could have been disastrous.”
Neuheisel surmised after the game that Zajac was tired. He said Zajac told him that Cal defenders were illegally pawing at the ball before the snaps.
“There are a lot of excuses, but I just messed up,” Zajac said. “It was my fault.”
Still, Zajac said, there were problems related to the temperature, which hit 80 degrees during game time.
“My hands were extremely wet,” he said. “In the past, I’ve never gone out there with wet hands. Now my hands were soaked. Everybody was sweating. But that’s no excuse.”
And did Cal pull any shenanigans?
“They were kind of crowding the ball,” Zajac said. “They’re not supposed to be lining up over me, but that wasn’t breaking my concentration. Their hands were getting a little close. I don’t know for sure if they got one, but I know that they were swatting at it because I was watching them. But that’s part of the game.
“The grass kind of messed me up, too, but it’s my fault.”
Oh.
Moses returns: The Huskies will cross paths Saturday with Wayne Moses, who was their running backs coach the last four years before accepting the same position at USC.
“Wayne is an excellent coach,” Neuheisel said. “He and I were coaches at UCLA prior to our relationship here at Washington. He does a great job with the running backs. He not only is a good motivator, but he’s also a great teacher. It’s obvious he’s doing a great job again with USC’s backs.”
Punter honored: UW punter Derek McLaughlin was named Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week. Against Cal, McLaughlin averaged 49.7 yards on seven punts, including a school-record 74-yarder. He also had another punt downed on the 2-yard line.
Short routes: The American Red Cross drive during the Idaho game at Husky Stadium netted $40,000 in donations and will be used to help families affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist strike, UW officials said … Those going to the USC game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday should arrive early because of security precautions. Security personnel will be checking bags and backpacks at all the entry gates … Washington’s game against UCLA Oct. 13 at the Rose Bowl will be televised regionally by ABC and will have a 12:30 p.m. start.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
