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A most exciting beginning

Neuheisel, Washington can only wonder what if

Posted: Tuesday September 03, 2002 6:41 PM
  Ivan Maisel - Inside College Football

There I was getting excited about the Washington State-Ohio State game on Sept. 14 as a possible Rose Bowl preview. Turns out the game I saw Saturday may have beat the Cougars and Buckeyes to the punch.

In the aftermath of Michigan's improbable 31-29 victory over Washington, Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr couldn't gloat. "I feel really badly for that Washington team," Carr said. "I have been on the other side. It is heartbreaking." Carr coordinated the Michigan defense in 1994 when Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart threw a 64-yard Hail Mary at Michigan Stadium with no time remaining to win 27-26.

After that game, the young, unknown Buffaloes offensive coordinator, Rick Neuheisel, stood in the doorway of the visitors' interview room and quietly attempted to explain the unbelievable. Last Saturday Neuheisel spoke, literally and figuratively, from the other side of the room. His voice thick with emotion, Neuheisel said, "I'm in a little bit of shock about what took place in the last couple of minutes."

Neuheisel already had begun to go over the what-ifs, none of which had anything to do with the 44-yard field goal that Phillip Brabbs had made after badly missing two first-half three-pointers.

  • The high snap on the Huskies' first extra point, which kept them a point down all day and forced them to go for two in the fourth quarter. When they failed, Michigan had its eventual margin of victory.

  • :32 to play. As Michigan tried to line up for a fourth-and-2 play at midfield, Washington safety Greg Carothers lay sprawled on the ground with a leg cramp. Officials stopped the clock to get him off the field. If Carothers doesn't cramp, the clock doesn't stop and Michigan may not have enough time at the end for Brabbs to kick.

  • :12 to play. On third-and-10 at the Washington 42, Neuheisel called time in order to remind his players that any tackle short of a first down would end the game. The Washington coaches, expecting Michigan to return to the field with four wideouts, told the dime defense (six defensive backs) to get ready. When the Wolverines deployed three receivers and a tight end, Huskies defensive backs coach Bobby Hauck switched from the dime to the nickel. But 12 Huskies ran onto the field. "That's on me," Hauck said. "If one guy didn't hear, I didn't talk loud enough." Michigan quarterback John Navarre threw wildly downfield, but the illegal substitution resulted in the 15-yard penalty that gave Brabbs a chance.

    After the game, Neuheisel told his team to think about seeing the Wolverines again in Pasadena. Both of these clubs have questions to answer. The Huskies offensive line opened little room for tailback Rich Alexis, and Navarre gave a journeyman's performance. The junior may have thrown for 268 yards and a touchdown against Washington, but how does a 6-foot-6 quarterback have four passes batted down at the line? Those questions can be answered later. In the meantime, what happens when a season's most exciting game is played on Aug. 31?

    Extra points

    Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer told me last week that he doesn't believe the decision to increase the amount of hitting the Vols did during preseason practice had much to do with losing five players for the opener against Wyoming. After linebacker Kevin Burnett tore his ACL last Saturday, I believe Fulmer. Sometimes it's just not your year. The Vols lost two defensive starters to knee injuries (DE Constantin Ritzmann is the other) before Labor Day. ... USC beat Auburn 24-17 on Monday night by controlling the ball in the fourth quarter. No team can do that without a running game that demands respect. After the Trojans barely gained 1,000 yards rushing last season, both Sultan McCullough and Malaefou MacKenzie looked credible against the Tigers. And Justin Fargas will get his share of carries once his hamstring heals. ... The SEC West went 2-3 last weekend. Why not switch the clubs in that division with the top six teams in Conference USA? Would anyone notice? ... Miami (Ohio) finished last season tied for No. 103 in the nation by recovering only six fumbles. The RedHawks recovered six last Saturday in their 27-21 victory at North Carolina. (Yes, they're first in the nation.) Coupled with Northern Illinois' 42-41 overtime defeat of Wake Forest, the Mid-American Conference is 2-0 against the ACC. The MAC knocks off several BCS teams every year; maybe we ought to stop billing the games as upsets. ... Three of the four teams that began the season with double-digit losing streaks -- Duke (23), Houston (15) and Navy (10) -- all ended their slides Saturday, against Division I-A opponents. That leaves Tulsa -- which lost No. 11 in a row last Friday, 37-0, to No. 1 Oklahoma -- with the longest streak. Good news! The Golden Hurricane play Arkansas State (0-2) this week.

    Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers college football for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send a question to his Mailbag.

     
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