Play the audio call by Jerry Allen ... to put you in the right mood!
Here in Seattle, the aftermath of my previous article was somewhat on the gloomy side.
I had written about the fabled “Leap by the Lake”, and Arizona’s remarkable last-second victory over the Washington Huskies in 1998. I heard some comments of anguish, as well as a handful of people asking me why I would put myself and others through the pain of that experience once again. I was even told that someone on the message boards of Dawgman.com had said of me, “it is good to know that the reincarnation of the Marquis de Sod is alive and well.”
So call me a glutton for punishment, because here we go again.. For I am shackled to the professional obligation of offering a fair and unflinching look at all the teams of the Pac-10. In the series of articles called ‘Great Moments from the Pac-10 Time Capsule”, the clock has indeed struck midnight, and it is Oregon’s turn to be featured.
As always, on one shoulder of mine, sits a little angel that quietly guides me in the proper direction in life, and who will guide me through this dark tunnel of a story in a professional manner. On my other shoulder, however, sits a devilish kind of character, a cantankerous old Husky Honk named Grant, sporting a thicket of nose hair and with bad eyesight; who gets irritated easily and at times tries to sway me from the right path.
With this stated, it is time to talk about the most exciting play in Oregon football history.
If you asked 100 Oregon Duck fans which play is the greatest ever in team history, 99 of them will immediately respond by saying “The Pick” from 1994. (One of them might be an oddball and refer to Pat Johnson’s incredible touchdown catch late in a 1995 game that sank Washington).
To set the record straight (for fans reading this across the country), the term “The Pick” does not refer to the famous “Seinfeld” episode, where Jerry is sitting at a stoplight with his finger up his nose (thinking he is alone) only to be spotted by his horrified model girlfriend, who (unbeknownst to him) was riding in a cab alongside his car. No, my friends, I am afraid we are speaking of something much more sinister and disgusting than that... This is about an Oregon victory over Washington.
Washington came into the game with a record of 5-1 and was ranked #9 in the country. They had beaten Ohio State 25-16 and Napoleon Kaufman had rushed for 211 yards. They had beaten UCLA 37-10 and Napoleon Kaufman had rushed for 227 yards. Finally, they had beaten the Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl 38-20, snapping the NCAA-record 58-game home winning streak. The Huskies were rolling right along.
The Ducks came in with a record of 4-3. A 22-7 victory over USC was their crown jewel to that point.
(Husky Honk Grant: “Yea Johnson, tell everybody how they had lost to Hawaii, Utah and Washington State, fer crissakes.”)
(Guardian Angel: “Grant, hush now, let the poor boy write his article.”)
(Husky Honk Grant: “Oh, put a cork in it, cupcake.”)
The game came down to a 4th quarter battle. An interception gave the Huskies the ball deep in Oregon territory, with Richard Thomas going in for a 10-yard touchdown run. Washington led 20-17, with 7:44 to play.
A personal foul was committed by an Oregon Duck, who was ejected from the game and allowed the Huskies to “pooch kick” the ball up in the air right down to the goal line.
(Husky Honk Grant: “Ughhh... Typical of those tree-hugging bastard Ducks to do something dirty.”)
(Guardian Angel: Now, Grant, in all fairness to the people from Oregon, don’t forget that Washington was on probation at the time. We were no angels, and certainly in no position to criticize others.”)
(Husky Honk Grant: “ughhh, that probation thing was a #@%!$# Pac-10 witch hunt, and you know it.”)
In fielding the pooch kick, Oregon’s Pat Johnson had his knee accidentally touch down at the 2-yard line, and things started to seem bleak for the home team. It must have seemed like it was 1st down and 98 yards to go.
However, senior quarterback Danny O’Neil and Co. mounted a magnificent 11-play, 98-yard drive, that was culminated by a 12-yard touchdown run by Dwayne Jones. With 2:44 left to play, the Ducks led 24-20.
Damon Huard guided the Huskies on an eleven-play drive of their own that included a 14-yard pass to Eric Bjornson on 4th and 10, as well as an 11-yard scramble on 3rd and 10. The Huskies moved the ball all the way to the Oregon eight -yard line.
Stop the tape right here.
Someone once said of life, that it isn’t one thing after another, but rather it is the same damn thing over and over. That is how Duck fans felt at this point. One minute to go, and it seemed that the Duck faithful, ever-famished for Husky blood, were going to see their dreams disintegrate once again into a cloud of feathers. Even former Duck QB and future broadcaster Mike Jorgenson would literally leave the stadium, going to the nearby Casanova Center, as he found it too unbearable to watch the Huskies’ final drive.
The ghosts of defeats past were parading back into consciousness; UW’s Mark Lee returning a punt 59 yards for touchdown in 1979 to give Washington a miracle win; holding the Huskies to 109 yards and 3 first downs in 1984, and still losing 17-10; The Duck wide receiver who failed to turn around on the perfectly-thrown Chris Miller pass in the endzone, a pass that would have beaten Washington in 1985, but instead was a 19-13 loss.
This is not to mention the routs suffered over the years... 66-0 in 1974, 54-0 in 1977, 32-3 in 1983, 38-3 in 1986 and 38-17 in 1990. Washington had won five in a row, and 17 of the last 21 matchups against their rivals to the south.
So there was a broad sentiment (rooted in history) of “here we go again” as Washington had the ball first and goal at the Duck 8-yard line.
Roll the tape... (because once is never enough, play the audio call by Jerry Allen)
Huard took the snap and immediately looked left. An out-route had been called, and wide receiver Dave Janoski broke toward the front pylon in the upper corner of the end zone. Freshman defensive back Kenny Wheaton made a terrific break on the ball and stepped in front of the Husky player, picking it off cleanly and racing suddenly up the right sideline. It was at this moment that things changed forever in the minds, hearts and psyches of everyone associated with Oregon football.
Kenny Wheaton ran in a zigzag pattern all the way down the field as the Duck faithful went delirious. As he made his way down toward the end zone, every Duck fan ran right along with him in spirit. This was right out of their wildest fantasy.
Time soon expired and the University of Oregon was celebrating the 31-20 triumph. It would prove to be a springboard. The very next week, #8 Arizona came to town, and the Ducks, with their “Gang-Green” defense, throttled the Wildcat offense en route to a 10-9 win. Ultimately, Oregon would win its final six games to carry them to their first Rose Bowl in 37 years, where they faced #2 Penn State.
At Autzen Stadium, they always show highlights of recent games on the scoreboard. To this day, this segment is always finished up with “the Pick”. A Duck friend of mine, let’s call him Dave, says to me that “it always brings down the house... You could be a blind person sitting there, and would have no trouble knowing when they are showing that play.”
It was the most exciting play in Oregon history, amid one of the most glorious seasons in the history of the university.
(Guardian Angel: “Good for them! It’s neat to see something like that happen to inject excitement into their program. Just look at the carry-over effect since then... Bowl games, and they even won 10 games last year. They’re really on a roll.”)
(Husky Honk Grant: “Ughhh... Who gives a rat’s ass? Everyone acts like they’re a dynasty or something, they haven’t even won a conference title in seven years.”)
(Guardian Angel: “Well, they beat us last year, Grant. In fact, they have beaten us...”)
(Husky Honk Grant: “I know, I know!.... They have beaten us five out of seven... I hear them chirping on the message boards all the time.)
(Guardian Angel: “Well you have to hand them that!”
(Husky Honk Grant: “I ain’t handing them jack! Listen up putz, what side of the football fence are you sitting on, anyway?”)
(Guardian Angel: “Just what are you insinuating, Grant?”)
(Husky Honk Grant: “Ughhh... You know what I am saying... You, sir, are a traitor!”)
(Guardian Angel: “I am not a traitor! I just think that it is so great that Oregon, Oregon State and Washington are all doing so well simultaneously. Representing the Pacific Northwest in a special way.... Why can’t you feel the same way about the other Northwest schools, Grant?”
(Husky Honk Grant: “The recruiting wars, you stupid #&*%$!)
(From his perpetual perch upon my shoulder, Husky Honk Grant suddenly rears up and lunges at the Guardian Angel. The two tangle amid fisticuffs behind my neck, before I reach back and manage to pull them apart)
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