Neuheisel Can’t Say Enough After Beating His Old Team

Rick Neuheisel was so excited about scoring the most important win of his young career Saturday, he hugged player after player afterward in an emotional outpouring.

Later, Neuheisel even hugged some of his guys.

It took a late end-zone interception to stave off possible disaster, but Washington held on to beat Colorado, 31-24, before a crowd of 72,068 at Husky Stadium in a game that was so much about Rick vs. His Past that not a single Washington player last week received a national interview request.

It was the 600th victory in Washington football history, and the first at the school for Neuheisel, the Colorado coach for four years before bolting for Washington last January.

Then, some criticized Neuheisel for reading a hand-written statement to his team before taking his red-eye to riches. Later, he was criticized for tampering with former players.

Saturday, Neuheisel did his best to make amends.

“It was nice to at least say, legally, good luck to them,” Neuheisel would say later, the sarcasm dripping.

After cornerback Anthony Vontoure intercepted Mike Moschetti’s fourth-down pass in the Husky end zone with 1:07 left, securing the Washington victory, Neuheisel’s guard came crashing down.

At game’s end, he rushed the field, curtly engaged his opposing adversary--Colorado Coach Gary Barnett--then, almost in a frenzy, sought out his former players and associates.

Neuheisel wrapped a bear hug around tailback Damion Barton, then kissed Colorado sports information director David Plati on the cheek.

Neuheisel pulled linebacker Ty Gregorak’s head next to his and said, “Don’t let the press get between you and me.”

He grabbed linebacker Fred Jones and extorted, “You guys go play your butts off in league.

He told receiver Robert Toler: “I was right to take you. Now go win your conference!”

He told lineman Kane Cullum, “Man, I told you you had the tools to play,” and said to backup quarterback Taylor Barton, “You’re a great quarterback, don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

The matchup between unranked schools only improved Washington to 1-2 and dropped Colorado to 2-2, but the game was much more than blocks and tackles.

“It was more difficult than I imagined,” Neuheisel said, “being on the field with all the kids who I’d been in their living rooms with.”

Neuheisel’s post-game mind-set was swirling, knowing he’s sitting in Washington living rooms now.

After his processional with his former players, Neuheisel instinctively rushed to a group of prospective Washington recruits and screamed: “You come be dogs! Let’s get this rockin’ and rollin’! Get on the boat! Get on the boat!”

By the slimmest of margins, in the finest of games, Neuheisel could boast and gloat, knowing deep down how close he was to being 0-3 and having to explain it to the masses.

Neuheisel’s current team barely had survived his former one. He was taunted and haunted by players he had handpicked out of high school. Neuheisel kept seeing those faces.

After Washington took a 7-0 lead late in the second quarter, Colorado’s Ben Kelly returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

“Ben Kelly has come to my house [in Boulder] on more than one occasion,” Neuheisel said. “The only other school that recruited him was Eastern Michigan.”

Kelly did everything he could to wreck his former coach’s day.

With the game tied, 14-14, in the third quarter, Kelly scooped up a fumble by Washington quarterback Marcus Tuiasosopo and ran 38 yards for a touchdown.

But, in the end, a Kelly miscue ended up costing Colorado.

Washington mounted a 70-yard, 11-play drive from its 30 in the closing minutes with the score tied, 24-24.

On second and goal from the Colorado nine, Tuiasosopo found Chris Juergens open on an out pattern and fired the touchdown pass with 3:17 left.

The player Juergens beat on the play was Kelly.

But Neuheisel’s former players weren’t done yet.

Moschetti, whom Neuheisel had converted from safety to quarterback two years ago, led a valiant last charge with a badly sprained knee. Moschetti converted two fourth-down passes to keep the drive alive and got Colorado to within striking distance of a touchdown that might have forced an overtime.

But Moschetti clearly was hurting--”I’m not going to use that as an excuse,” he later said--and his final pass was his worst, a fourth-down floater from the Washington 21 that Vontoure easily intercepted to end the game.

Washington players shared Neuheisel’s relief.

“He took everything and kept it inside,” said Tuiasosopo, who completed 12 of 23 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 56 yards. “He didn’t really get excited until after the game, in a team meeting. You could see the relief.”

Neuheisel, according to locker room reports, jumped up and down and led his players in chants.

“I get a little caught up,” he admitted. “I’m a guy who has to hide my eyes at the end of ‘Little House on the Prairie.’ ”

Juergens, who caught the game-winner, summed it up best.

“You could just tell this was not an ordinary game.”