Huskies Have Comeback Win Down To A Science

And here we all thought it was a cat that had nine lives.

Well, the West Side Dawgs have proven us wrong.

The No. 6 Huskies have trailed in seven of their eight victories. In the last two weeks, Washington has won in the final minute. In the fourth quarter, the Huskies have outscored their opponents 130-61.

Against Cal three weeks ago, the Huskies rallied for 23 fourth-quarter points and a win.

Against Arizona last week, they got 22 fourth-quarter points to win.

“It’s unbelievable how this team has been able to do this week after week,” said wide receiver Wilbur Hooks. “It doesn’t matter what the situation is, we are going to find a way to pull through.”

“If you have to pick a quarter when you’re good then we’ve picked the right one,” said Washington coach Rick Neuheisel.

For goodness sake, Lazarus didn’t come back from the dead as many times as these guys have. Then again, Lazarus may not have had Neuheisel’s dramatic flair. Twelve of Neuheisel’s 15 wins at UW have been in come-from-behind fashion. Eight of those have been fourth-quarter rallies.

Really, this all should be expected. Neuheisel was on the sideline for the greatest college Hail Mary since Flutie to Phelan. Remember the Kordell Stewart bomb that beat Michigan in the early 90s? Well, Skippy was a Colorado assistant back then, skipping up and down the sideline telling his team how they were going to somehow win.

What else is to be expected from the former UCLA quarterback who rallied his team from a 0-3-1 start to a 7-4-1 season and a Rose Bowl win? Even last year he rallied the Huskies from a 0-2 start to a 7-4 regular season.

Now, he has his 8-1 team believing they can win in any situation.

“As long as there is time on the clock we feel anything is possible,” said Hooks.

Comebacks Part II

The Huskies opponent this week, UCLA, is no stranger to comebacks, either. The Bruins have trailed in all of their games this season but have won six times.

Additionally, UCLA has gone to the last minute with the outcome in doubt seven times. Combined, UCLA and UW have played 14 games this season decided by a touchdown or less.

“I think there are players, people and teams that are winners,” UCLA coach Bob Toledo told the Orange County Register. “And there are teams that are losers. When you have that winner mentality, you work extremely hard to try to find a way to get it done.”

Civil War significance

For all those who had to sit through Oregon and Oregon State’s 0-0 tie in 1983, this game is for you. Yes, finally, the Civil War means something. (Provided both teams win this weekend, which they are favored to do.) For Oregon a win would put them in the Rose Bowl. For Oregon State, a win would put them in the Washington State cheering section. You see, OSU needs WSU to beat Washington for the Beavers to make the Rose Bowl for the first time since facemasks were invented.

And, according to WSU players who played the Beavs and Ducks back-to-back the last two weeks, the Beavers have the edge.

Oregon state is a better team,” said WSU linebacker Raonall Smith. “Better lineman. Better team all around.”

“I feel that Oregon State had a lot better defense,” added WSU quarterback Jason Gesser. “They flew around a lot better, did a lot of different things. Oregon’s defense was really good. But I felt that Oregon State had a better defense. And they will go farther with their defense.”

Rose Bowl to thorns

For the third straight year the reigning Pac-10 champ will not only not make it the Rose Bowl, but won’t even be in a bowl game.

Stanford dropped to 3-6 and out of bowl possibility with a 37-35 loss to UCLA. It was the Cardinal’s fifth loss in six games. “Everybody’s down,” Cardinal receiver Luke Powell told the San Jose Mercury News. “We wanted to go back to the Rose Bowl, and we had that taken away.

“The consolation was going to another bowl game, and now we’ve had that taken away.”

The other two teams in the last three years not to make it to a bowl game after appearing in the Rose Bowl are UCLA and Washington State.

Notes

The average score of the five Pac-10 games Saturday was 36-32… . Arizona State has played in a record three straight overtime games… . Washington State has lost a record three overtime games this season… . The Pac-10 has had six overtime games this season. The record is eight in 1996… . The Pac-10 and the Big Ten are the only conferences that have three teams with eight wins each… . Oregon’s No. 6 ranking is its highest ever… . Stanford’s Riall Johnson has 13 sacks and leads the conference… . Four Pac-10 teams (Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and UCLA) are bowl eligible.