Huskies Will Start With Special Play

So who is going to call the first play from scrimmage for the Washington Huskies in today’s Rose Bowl?

Coach Rick Neuheisel?

Offensive coordinator Keith Gilbertson?

The answer is Peggy Watson.

Watson might not be very well known outside the Washington campus, but to those within the football program, she was a unifying presence during both troubling and triumphant times. Watson was the administrative assistant to coaches Don James, Jim Lambright and Neuheisel over nearly two decades.

Watson died of cancer Friday at 52.

In his last visit with her before coming south, Neuheisel asked Watson if she had a favorite play she’d like to select to open up today against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Becoming enthusiastic and animated at the idea, Watson made her selection.

“Based on where the hash mark is,” Neuheisel said, “we will call it Peg Left or Peg Right.

“I think it’s important for her family to watch and know that she called a perfect play. We feel she’ll be watching us from her special sideline seat at the 50-yard line.”

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Add Watson: “Her husband thinks she will be the first woman to select a play in the Rose Bowl,” Neuheisel said, “but there are wives of a lot of coaches who might disagree.”

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If the Huskies were to win today to boost their record to 11-1, and Oklahoma was to lose to Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Wednesday, leaving both those schools with one loss, could Washington rightfully claim the national championship?

“We can claim it until we are blue in the face,” Neuheisel said, “but I don’t think we are going to get it. It would be fun to talk about, but we have a lot of work to do before that.”

Neuheisel would have at least one supporter.

“If Florida State beats Oklahoma [and the Huskies win the Rose Bowl],” Tiller said, “I would say that Washington can lay claim to the national championship.”

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Neuheisel has been telling the food poisoning story over and over this week, how he and half his UCLA teammates came down with food poisoning on the eve of the 1984 Rose Bowl. Although terribly ill in the hours leading up to the game, Neuheisel, a quarterback, nevertheless found the strength to lead the Bruins to a 45-9 victory over Illinois, and was named that game’s most valuable player.

With that memory still so vivid, was Neuheisel making sure his players don’t go anywhere near the place where he ate?

“I’ve told Joe [Tiller] exactly where it is,” Neuheisel said with a big smile. “I’ve given him directions and even told him what to order.”