Husky Breakdown

Herald Staff

TURNING POINT

Washington quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo was stopped short of the goal line on third down, but OSU was penalized for being off sides. Rich Alexis’ 1-yard TD plunge gave the Huskies a 26-21 lead.

HIT OF THE DAY

Chris Massey crushed Beavers receiver Robert Prescott late in the second quarter to hold the senior to a short gain.

CRAZIEST PLAY

Ahead 26-21 in the fourth, Washington went for a 2-point conversion after an Alexis touchdown. Tuiasosopo fumbled the snap, and it was picked up by the Oregon State’s Keith Heyward-Johnson, who took it all the way back to give OSU two points.

BEST AND WORST

Craziest return: Derrick Johnson fielded the opening kickoff six yards deep in the end zone. The crowd of 73,145 groaned when the true freshman brought the ball out rather than taking a knee, but Johnson returned the ball to the Washington 37 to give the Huskies good field position.

Best return: Johnson returned another OSU kick 39 yards in the second quarter. The Huskies took advantage and scored a touchdown to tie the score at 14.

Worst officiating: OSU was robbed of two apparent receptions on its first drive. T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught a Jonathon Smith pass, but the official ruled that he trapped the ball against the turf. Tight end Martin Maurer then caught a pass on the sideline, but officials thought he was bobbling the ball on his way out of bounds. Replays showed both plays should have been ruled receptions.

Best takeover: Alexis, who began the season as Washington’s No. 4 tailback entered the game with the Huskies trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter. The true freshman carried three times for 47 yards on his first drive as Washington evened the score. Alexis gained 87 yards on just seven first-half carries, and scored a fourth quarter touchdown.

Worst coverage: Robert Prescott found himself a couple of area codes behind the Washington secondary, hauled in Smith’s pass and jogged for an easy 48-yard TD to give OSU a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

Best mirror play: Alexis’ first two carries netted 46 yards. The first was a 23-yard option left run, the second a 23-yard option right.

Best comeback: True freshman Justin Robbins was caught holding near the OSU goal line late in the first, but caught a 16-yard touchdown pass on the next play.

Best Marcus Allen impression: Alexis hurdled his body over the top of the OSU defense to score Washington’s second touchdown from a yard out.

Best tip drill: Paul Arnold tipped Tuiasosopo’s pass twice then hauled it in. Tuisasosopo, who was under a heavy rush from the Beavers defense deep in Washington territory, threw desperately to Arnold, who turned the short fling into an 18-yard gain on third-and-10.

Best strip: OSU’s Ricky Walker was stripped by Greg Carothers on the way by the true freshman safety, but the Beavers recovered the loose ball at their own 15.

Best catch: Despite solid coverage by Washington’s Omare Lowe, Chad Johnson leaped high and came down with Smith’s 36-yard pass in the second quarter.

Best non-catch: Todd Elstrom made a spectacular catch in the end zone, but both feet landed just out of bounds. The Huskies wound up kicking a field goal for a 17-14 lead.

Best run: Tuiasosopo dropped back to pass on third-and-5, but took off for an 18-yard gain on the way to Washington’s field goal drive to close out the first half.

Best clock control: Washington ran 50 first-half offensive plays and kept the ball for 19:53 of the first half’s 30 minutes.

Best sack: OSU had some success running the ball on its first drive of the second half, but Tyler Krambrink’s shoestring sack of Smith on third-and-13 the ended the drive.

Best dance: Cascade graduate Toure Butler fielded a punt, appeared to have nowhere to go, but danced to his left then back to his right for a 12-yard return in the third quarter.

Best swat: Dennis Weathersby dove in front of a Tuiasosopo pass to rob Elstrom of a reception on third-and-3 on Washington’s first second-half possession.

Worst tackling: Prescott slipped a Lowe tackle and turned a short pattern into a 48-yard gain to the Washington 9 in the third quarter.

Best confusion: OSU had third-and-goal at the Washington 1-yard-line, but committed two penalties and burned a timeout. Houshmandzaheh then caught an 11-yard TD to put Oregon State ahead 21-20 late in the third.

Worst pass protection: Tuisasosopo was taken down on third-and-9 by DeLawrence Grant before he could even finish his five step drop, ending a promising Washington drive on its first possession.