By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SEATTLE — Ben Mahdavi knew what was coming.
The Washington State Cougars had shredded more than five minutes in driving toward the Washington Husky goal line in the first quarter, an impressive 80-yard march that took the Cougars to the UW 1-yard line.
It was fourth-and goal from the 1 on the 11th play. The decision to go for the touchdown appeared sound. The powerful Cougar offense had gone this far. Why shouldn’t it bust over the rest of the way?
After all, Dave Minnich, the Cougs’ 220-pound tailback, had made a career out of diving over the top of the pile for a touchdown. Besides, it still was only the first quarter in a scoreless contest. Yes, there was risk, but plenty of time to compensate if it were to fail. And if the Cougars scored, what momentum they would possess, cockily scoring on a fourth-down play.
Mahdavi, the Huskies’ heady, energetic inside linebacker, ruined everything for them.
Minnich took the ball from quarterback Jason Gesser and launched. With his toes on the goal line, Mahdavi saw what was happening and timed his leap.
Mahdavi and Minnich hit at the apex, a foot short of the goal line. The Cougs had been stopped.
"We knew what they were going to do, because we had watched film of what happens in that situation," Mahdavi said. "It’s a linebacker’s dream come true. I knew what they were going to do, and I’ve got to beat him in the air. That’s exactly what happened."
It was an omen of what was to come in a 26-14 UW victory before 74,442 at Husky Stadium Saturday that not only likely sent the Huskies (8-2, 6-2 Pac-10 with a non-conference game at Miami coming Saturday) to the Holiday Bowl Dec. 28, but ruined the Cougars’ hopes for a share of the Pacific-10 Conference title with Oregon and a possible Bowl Championship Series bid. Now, the Cougs (9-2, 6-2) must settle for an invitation to either the Sun Bowl or the Seattle Bowl.
In the Huskies’ convincing beating of Washington State in the 2001 Apple Cup, Washington turned back the Cougars three times when WSU had penetrated as far as the Washington 6-yard line.
In between, the opportunistic Huskies, spurred on by a marvelous day by quarterback Cody Pickett (25 of 38 passing for 371 yards, an interception and a touchdown) and receiver Reggie Williams (11 catches, 203 yards), took advantage of two WSU fumbles to score 12 points in a 1:10 span between the second and third quarters.
It wasn’t that the Huskies didn’t give the Cougars opportunities. WSU special teamers either blocked or deflected three Derek McLaughlin punts and the defense intercepted Pickett once. But off those chances, the Cougars could muster just seven points.
"It’s real tough to take," WSU coach Mike Price said. "We did some things that we normally haven’t done in the other nine games this year."
The decisive run started after the Huskies took a 10-7 lead on a 29-yard field goal, by John Anderson with nine seconds left in the first half. On the kickoff, returner Jason David decided to run it out despite receiving the ball 5 yards deep in the end zone and promptly fumbled, a bobble recovered by the UW’s Aaron Butler on the Coug 18 with a second left.
Time enough for Anderson to convert a 35-yard field goal that gave the Huskies a 13-7 halftime lead.
"I didn’t think the ball should have been taken out of the end zone," Price said. "The kid just made a mistake."
The next mistake dug the Cougars in deeper.
On the Cougars’ second play of the second half, Minnich fumbled on his own 6 and UW safety Wondame Davis recovered and advanced it to the 1. Tailback Willie Hurst burst through one play later and the Huskies had a 19-7 advantage with 13:59 left in the third quarter.
Certainly, it was time enough for the Cougars to put up some points. Indeed, they drove to the Husky 6-yard line on their next possession, but Mahdavi recovered a fumble by Gesser, once again thwarting a promising drive.
"It was a running play and Minnich fell in the backfield," Gesser said. "I tried to get back to the line of scrimmage, but the ball was knocked loose."
The Huskies took over and executed a crunching, 12-play, 88-yard drive that ended with Pickett hitting tight end Jerramy Stevens with a 7-yard TD pass that made it 26-7 with 10:23 left in the game.
That drive, along with the 99-yard, 10-play march in the first quarter after Minnich was stopped short of the goal line, contributed mightily to Washington’s seven-minute advantage in time of possession, the Huskies’ best effort of the season.
It was a far cry from the bumbling, passive Huskies of a week prior in a 49-24 defeat to Oregon State.
"It was a great week for us because we had to become a little introspective, given the defeat in Corvallis a week ago," UW coach Rick Neuheisel said. "We kind of had to have a gut check of sorts from top to bottom, from the coaches all the way through the players. I thought that every guy gave his best effort."
The Cougars most certainly did not.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
