Runnin' with the Pac,Week Eight
By: Lotti Bull, Posted 15 October 2002

Is Rick Neuheisel the John McKay incarnate? What is Woody Paige of the Denver Post saying about Coach Neu? Are the youthful Huskies riding a teeter-totter? What about “one-yard Willie”? What does Ruth Robbins have to say about Malamute's golf game? Is Reggie one way to skin a 'Cat? What do fruit baskets have to do with the Colorado coaching staff? Should the coach wear a wool muffler and Quasimodo mask? Lotti has all the answers.

 Dear Mal,

• In a recent column, Woody Paige of the Denver Post referred to Neuheisel as "Tricky Ricky Neuweasel."

  Comment: The following quip could have come from the late John McKay, Mal.

  Referring to that attack and other personal attacks from the Colorado press during his weekly press conference, Rick Neuheisel said, "No. The level of venom did not surprise me. The only thing that disappointed me was when they misspelled my name."

• Neil Woelk (Scripps-McClatchy Western Service) writes, “Fact is, Neuheisel actually broke very few rules. Rather, he was punished by the NCAA for pushing the envelope, for being creative, for breaking the "spirit" of the rules. In other words, Neuheisel is being punished for being smarter than the sanctimonious frauds who sit on the NCAA committees, those people who refuse to take reality into consideration.”

  Comment: Give me a break, Mal. He got caught talking too loudly within earshot of one prospect and used a cell phone to talk to another, who might have seen him in the darkness outside his home? Why doesn't the NCAA make him wear a wool muffler and a Quasimodo mask?




• The youthful Huskies may be riding a teeter-totter. Of their six remaining opponents, the teetering Huskies--who may be tottering after next week's game against USC--look capable of beating OSU and, perhaps, ASU. The rest (Oregon, UCLA, USC and WSU) will be toughies to win for a team that is one-dimensional, on both offense and defense. 

• Something’s got to give in L.A. this Saturday, when the Huskies play the Trojans. USC leads the Pac-10 in total defense and passing defense; Washington leads the Pac-10 in total offense and passing offense.

• Although tailback Sultan McCullough of USC was voted Pac-10 offensive player of the week, Washington wide receiver Reggie Williams stole the show against the Arizona Wildcats last week, catching a short pass from Cody Pickett and turning it into an 80-yard touchdown gallop, with a little over two minutes left in the game and the Huskies behind 28-26. The Dawgs went on to win 32-28.

  Comment: Call Reggie, the ‘Cat burglar; he’s one way to skin a ‘Cat.

• Another quote from Neuheisel (The Seattle Times), "We were looking at the tape of the (USC game) a year ago, and there's Willie Hurst zipping and zagging and making great plays. We just haven't had that. It's not a knock on anybody, but we just haven't had that.''

  Comment: “One-yard Willie,” as many fans called him during his career at Washington, has to be one of its most underrated backs ever. All three Husky tailbacks, this season, have been running into brick walls because they are straight-ahead runners. Washington needs a back who has some moves after he hits the hole and/or one who can find some cut-back lanes like Joe Igber of Cal did against the Dawgs. As far as run blocking goes, having a shake-and-bake runner to block for would motivate the offensive line a whole lot more.

• Although the Pac-10 is a wacky, pass-happy conference, teams with the best running attack have either gone to the Rose Bowl (Washington, first in rushing 2000) or won the conference title outright (Oregon, second in rushing 2001) the last two seasons. Unbeaten Oregon is leading the conference in rushing this season, although it is ninth in Total Passing. 




• Washington may appeal the NCAA ruling against Neuheisel, who was barred from recruiting off-campus until May 31, 2003, for recruiting violations committed while at Colorado. If the Huskies appeal the ruling, most likely they’ll submit an alternate punishment for consideration, according to the Seattle Times.

  Comment: That ruling punishes the Dawgs more than Neuheisel, who can stay at home this winter, catch up on the family, and practice walking across the lake to work, like they said of Jim Owens. What would an alternate punishment be? Make the coach buy some fruit baskets for the following: the Denver press, the Colorado coaching staff, the Pac-10 committee and the members of the NCAA. Then those sanctimonious, hypocritical twerps can have their own fruit-basket scandal. *

Ciao, Lotti

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* The sanctions levied against the Washington program by the Pac-10 conference in 1993 have been widely referred to as the "Fruit Basket Scandal." According to the Notice of Charges against the Dawgs, "It is alleged that fruit baskets and 'Welcome to Washington' placards regularly have been provided to prospective student-athletes by Seattle area hotels when the prospects made official visits to the University." 

Ruth Robbins (realdawg.com) on Malamute's golf game: "I hear you play 'Husky golf,' Mal. You know, 'ruff, ruff.'"

Acknowledgement:

Photo of fruit basket taken from “All day gift baskets.”

http://www.anydaygiftbaskets.com/products/photo_gallery_1.asp