Gilbertson Won’t Be Back at Washington

Keith Gilbertson took over Washington’s football program in turbulent times, filling a void left when his boss, Rick Neuheisel, was fired for gambling on NCAA basketball.

On Monday, Athletic Director Todd Turner said that Gilbertson would step down at the end of the season, ending 15 months as Neuheisel’s successor.

“The way I got this job, when I saw Rick’s situation, it was not a dream job,” said Gilbertson, 56, a Washington native who spoke proudly of his family’s four-generation links to the university.

“I do love this place. I have a great passion for Husky football. I do feel I made a contribution, but this was not a dream situation.”

The Huskies lost, 31-6, at Oregon on Saturday, dropping to 1-7 overall and 0-5 in the Pacific 10 Conference. It’s the worst season in 35 years for a school that shared the 1991 national title.

Gilbertson is 7-13 at Washington.

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Missouri tailback Damien Nash was reinstated by Coach Gary Pinkel, ending a one-game suspension for the team’s leading rusher.

Pinkel did not say whether Nash, a junior who has 610 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, would be in the starting lineup Saturday when the Tigers play host to Kansas State.

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Senior quarterback Chris Rix will start for No. 13-ranked Florida State on Saturday against Duke, returning to the job he lost six games ago to Wyatt Sexton.

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Nebraska tight end Matt Herian is out for the season after having surgery Saturday on his broken left leg.

Herian, the Cornhuskers’ leading receiver with 24 catches for 308 yards, was injured in the team’s 24-3 win over Missouri.