Time Flies Too Fast Cougs Miss Chance At Final Play
All Mike Price wanted was to get in his two seconds’ worth.
“One thousand one, one thousand two - or one Mis-sis-sip-pi, two Mis-sis-sip-pi,” he said, drawling out the second count as if he were a sandlot pass rusher.
Or a Southeastern Conference official.
But time isn’t counted out in college football, and the SEC official in charge Saturday - referee Dick Burleson - decided time had expired before Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf could spike the ball and stop the clock for one more play in the Cougars’ 21-16 Rose Bowl loss to Michigan on Thursday evening.
The Cougars had worked a small miracle in getting from their own 7-yard line to the Michigan 26 on a Hail Mary pass from Leaf to Nian Taylor and a hook-and-lateral that went from Leaf to Love Jefferson to Jason Clayton. But WSU was out of timeouts and the clock read :02, and once the chains were moved and the ball was set, Leaf had to get the ball spiked in half of that.
Price felt he did.
“Obviously, you can down that clock in less than 2 seconds,” he said. “I don’t know what happened, but I thought it was the official’s mistake, personally.
“We still would have had to make the play, but it would have been nice to have gone out there and tried it.”
Price said he considered eschewing the spike and just throwing one deep in the end zone “but I don’t know if we could have gotten the ball snapped in 2 seconds, the way it was blown.”
Cougars center Lee Harrison said the team practices the spike play in its 2-minute drill “all the time.
“As soon as the ref stepped out of the way, I snapped it. I didn’t turn it or rotate it, I flat-palmed it and snapped it. So I don’t see where it takes up all that time. I wasn’t hesitating at all.”
Leaf seemed to take the lost opportunity better than anyone.
“You can’t fault the officials for that - it’s so noisy and everything,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to make that call. That’s a difficult position to be in. They made the call they felt was right, and I think they did a great job all game. I just wish we had another second left.”
Cornerback Ray Jackson, who watched from the sideline as the drama unfolded, wasn’t so sure.
“Unfortunately at the end, we kind of got screwed a little bit,” he said, “but things like that happen all the time.”
Hail to the Cougars valiant
If you want to be part of the greeting committee, Washington State’s team charter is scheduled to arrive at Spokane International Airport today between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
The last of Leaf?
The Cougars quarterback called an 8 a.m. press conference for today at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel to announce his decision on whether he’ll pass up his senior year and make himself available for the National Football League draft.
“I’m doing it (then) because I want everything today to be about what this team’s accomplished,” he said, “and what it’s meant to people all over. This team deserves that. We can talk about me another time.”
No secret ballot
Michigan must wait out today’s Orange Bowl game between Nebraska and Tennessee and then the overnight polling of writers, broadcasters and coaches to learn whether it will win its first national championship since 1948.
“But I don’t think there’s any question about it,” said Price. “Michigan’s No. 1. They’re getting my vote.”
These men are an island
It was one of those longest days for the WSU secondary. Three big passing plays accounted for all the Michigan points, and each time a defensive back took the fall.
Senior Ray Jackson let Tai Streets get behind him on a second-quarter streak that covered 53 yards, and in the third quarter Streets did the same thing to Dee Moronkola on a crossing pattern that resulted in a 58-yard touchdown.
And the winning touchdown came on a bootleg pass from Brian Griese to Jerame Tuman - who had worked free when free safety Lamont Thompson bit on a playaction fake.
“Nobody has to take the blame, but if anyone does, I will,” said Jackson.
“We studied their plays exactly how they ran them and just got froze up. When we stopped their run, they went to the passing attack and some guys jumped instead of covering and that’s going to happen.
“I feel responsible for giving up one of the big plays and I feel sad because I’m a senior.”
Fab Five drops the ball
Scattered among the usual array of outstanding catches were at least five ugly drops by WSU’s Fab Five receivers.
Chris Jackson, who caught eight passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns in the Apple Cup, dropped two first-half passes as the Cougars struggled to get going.
He finished with five catches for 89 yards.
Nian Taylor, Shawn Tims and Shawn McWashington also dropped passes in the first half.
“It’s just focus,” Jackson said. “It had nothing to do with nerves. When you’re worried about making moves before you catch the ball, that’s all it is. One second of taking your eye off the ball, you’re not going to catch the ball.”
Quotebook
“I swung out of the backfield and looked at the touchdown, and when I landed on the leg, it just went out. It felt like the bone was trying to come out. It felt like a nerve or something was getting ripped.”
- WSU tailback Michael Black, who was injured on WSU’s first touchdown play.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo