Huskies do it again

Tempe, ARIZ -- The scene was quite familiar for Washington fans. Husky coach Rick Neuheisel celebrated, fists raised in the corner of the stadium, rousing the Husky faithful to celebrate with him after a nail-biting, palm-sweating win. It happened three weeks ago against USC. It happened last week against Arizona. And it happened again Saturday -- this time at the northwest (how appropriate) corner of Sun Devil Stadium -- as the UW once again won in the final seconds when kicker John Anderson nailed a 30-yard field goal to beat Arizona State 33-31.

"It was a slugfest," Neuheisel said. "But I believe our kids earned the victory."

It seems the Huskies just don't know any other way. In the second half, it was as if the UW looked across the field and into the looking glass to see itself. This time it was the Sun Devils who were down two touchdowns at halftime. It was the Sun Devils who would outscore the Huskies 21-9 in the second half. And it was the Sun Devils who took the lead in the fourth quarter, a la contemporary UW football.

But the student did not become the teacher. That job still belonged to the Huskies and their quarterback Cody Pickett.

The UW's game-winning drive had as much grit and drama as a Scorsese film. Down 31-30, the Huskies had the ball at their own 10 with 7:12 left to play. This put the team in a precarious position. If forced to punt, the UW would give ASU a short field and a chance to add to its lead. If the UW took too much time off the clock and failed to score, the game would be over.

Pickett entered the huddle confident, telling his teammates, "We've done this before; we can do it again." On a crucial third and eight, the UW desperately needed a first down. The play called for a pass, but the pocket collapsed, forcing Pickett to scramble. He eluded several tacklers for an 11-yard gain and the first down.

"It was an unbelievable effort," Neuheisel said. "You hate to come to expect that kind of stuff, but we've had quarterbacks in the last couple years that have done that for us."

Six plays later, on another third down, Pickett optioned to his right and accidentally bumped into blocker Todd Bachert, but had enough instinct and gall to pitch the ball to Rich Alexis, who raced 13 yards for another first down.

The UW drove down to the Arizona 12-yard line with 51 seconds left and prepared to kick a field goal. But Arizona jumped off sides, allowing the Huskies to run down the clock to three seconds.

"It was a fortunate play for them to jump off sides with 51 seconds left," Neuheisel said. "It would have been nail-biting if we had given them the ball with so much time."

Instead the UW shaved 7:09 off the clock in 18 plays. Needless to say, it was impressive. Anderson's field goal was his second game-winner of the season. Three weeks ago, he beat USC with a 32-yard kick.

For most of the second half, it looked as if ASU would complete a dramatic comeback. The Sun Devils played with a renewed intensity from the first half. On their first drive after halftime, they marched 80 yards on 10 plays and scored a touchdown on a Tom Pace three-yard run. That pulled them within a touchdown at 24-17 and gave them the momentum.

Four plays later, the Sun Devils blocked a UW punt, resulting in a safety. After receiving the ball on the ensuing free kick, they scored a touchdown with relative ease in six plays, capped off by a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Krohn - who lit the Husky secondary for 320 passing yards - to Shaun McDonald.

To the Huskies' credit, they withstood the punches and aerial attacks of ASU. The UW bounced off the ropes, relying on the legs of Hurst, who had his best day as a Husky. Late in the third quarter, Hurst rushed six times for 41 yards and a touchdown, putting the UW ahead 30-25. He ran for a career-high 185 yards on 21 carries.

The shootout continued as ASU responded with a touchdown drive. The Sun Devils attacked the Husky secondary, burning it for 73 yards on two passes. Delvon Flowers, who finished with 64 yards on 19 carries, powered his way into the end zone to give his team a one point lead after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

But even ASU knew that a late fourth quarter lead against the Huskies meant little. "They do it every week and they did it to us," Krohn said.

On the last drive, Pickett made smart decisions in the clutch and managed the clock well. However, most of his yards came in the first half when the Huskies built a 24-10 lead. They began with a flurry, teasing fans with a blowout. Pickett connected with Paul Arnold seven times for 94 yards, and all three of his touchdowns - two passing and one rushing - came before the break. He finished the game completing 19 of 36 passes for 252 yards.

Comparisons to last year's Huskies are natural. So is the comparison between Pickett and former Husky quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo. But in the past weeks, Pickett has emerged from Tui's shadow, demonstrating that he, too, can win on the last hand when all the chips are on the table.

For some, these wins are frustrating, but the No. 11 Huskies are 6-1 and have a chance to win the conference title and play in the Fiesta Bowl -- something few thought possible last week. And if the Huskies do win the title, they might be back in Tempe, in Sun Devil Stadium, celebrating not in the corner of the field but on center stage.