Huskies Can’t Do Enough Without Huard and Shehee

The Oregon Ducks hope Washington felt this one.

“I hate the UW,” Pat Johnson said. “Nothing personal against any of the players on their team.”

Johnson delivered the final blow to the No. 6 Huskies on Saturday, catching a 29-yard touchdown pass from Akili Smith with 2:33 to go to give Oregon a 31-28 victory after the Ducks blew a 21-point first-half lead.

“The throw was absolutely perfect and the catch was even better,” Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti said.

Washington, playing without standout running back Rashaan Shehee, also held out starting quarterback Brock Huard because of a sprained left ankle. The Huskies will start Huard against UCLA.

Asked if there was any chance Huard wouldn’t be 100% for the UCLA game, Coach Jim Lambright said: “No.”

Shehee is sidelined with a knee injury and will not play against UCLA.

The Ducks, 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Pacific 10, led 17-0 and 24-3 in the second quarter, but Washington (7-2, 5-1) rallied to lead, 28-24, on a 41-yard touchdown pass play from Marques Tuiasosopo to Ja’Warren Hooker with eight minutes left.

Oregon, a 21-point underdog, ended Washington’s 12-game Pac-10 winning streak and beat the Huskies for the third time in four seasons.

Oregon’s victory over its high-profile Pacific Northwest rival helped take the sting out of Pac-10 losses to USC, UCLA, Washington State and Stanford.

“This was the best day of my life,” said Oregon linebacker Peter Sirmon, the Pac-10’s leading tackler. Sirmon, a Walla Walla, Wash., product who wasn’t recruited by the Huskies, had an interception and a fumble recovery.

“Twenty-one points is a pretty big spread,” Sirmon said. “Yeah, we were mad.”

“I know everybody was down on us,” said Duck tailback Saladin McCullough, who had his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game.

Despite losing to Nebraska at home, Washington felt it was in the national championship picture. Saturday’s defeat ended that.

“Everything was on the table for us to go and take, but we didn’t do it,” receiver and team Jerome Pathon said.

Still, the Huskies can go to the Rose Bowl by winning their final two Pac-10 games, next Saturday at UCLA and on Nov. 22 against Washington State.

After the Huskies’ go-ahead touchdown on a 10-play, 84-yard drive, Smith marched the Ducks 73 yards in 10 plays in 5:27 for the winning touchdown. On third-and-20, Smith threw a pinpoint spiral into the end zone to Johnson, who beat Washington cornerback Mel Miller.

Smith completed a 23-yard pass to tight end Blake Spence and a 27-yarder to Donald Haynes in Oregon’s winning march.

Washington got the ball back with 2:26 left, but gave it up on downs at its 39 with 1:20 left.

Smith was 15 of 25 for 193 yards and three touchdowns. McCullough rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown in 28 carries.

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NEXT FOR UCLA

WHO: Washington

WHERE: Rose Bowl

TIME: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

TV: Channel 7

RADIO: AM 1150