SEATTLE, Wash. ““ There was silence. Only the rustle of
parkas heading for the exits could be heard. Husky Stadium fell as
quiet as the bay beside it, except for a giddy Bruin bench.
They slapped helmets, congratulating the defense on redshirt
freshman linebacker Spencer Havner’s interception return for
a touchdown on fourth-and-five that made the game 34-24 with 1:17
left to play.
“That was the game right there,” freshman safety
Jarrad Page said of the crucial fourth down.
Just a minute earlier, the roar of 72,017 Husky fans shook the
stadium from the freezing turf to the sky-high aluminum rafters.
But UCLA defensive coordinator Phil Snow had a decision to make.
With 2:19 in the game remaining, he had lost his first and second
string right corners ““ sophomore Matt Ware and senior Joe
Hunter respectively ““ and was up by three on a Husky offense
that had already passed for over 300 yards. The defense knew it
would win or lose the game on this drive.
“I put (redshirt freshman Marcus) Cassel in and then I
thought, “˜You know, this other kid (Short) has
played’,” Snow said. So he turned around and called
Cassel out.
“Come on, Keith. Go in the ballgame.”
That would be junior corner Keith Short who played on the scout
team all week.
The same Short who, at barely 5-foot-10, lives up to his name
against one of the Pac-10’s best receiving corps.
“At the end we started running out of players,” UCLA
head coach Bob Toledo said.
But it was the same Short who played in the Sun Bowl in 2000 as
a true freshman, stepping in for an injured Ricky Manning Jr.
“He plays on the scout team only because he doesn’t
want to stand around,” Snow said.
On first down from their own 13 yard line, Husky quarterback
Cody Pickett (29-of-60 for 429 yards) completed a 17-yard pass to
wide receiver Patrick Reddick. The stadium continued to vibrate as
the momentum swung to Washington’s side as Hunter gave up a
66-yard touchdown on a short pass. Husky wide receiver Paul Arnold
jumped outside Hunter, then sped down the sideline untouched for
the score.
“When Ware went down we gave up ten points in a short
period of time,” Snow said.
Hunter left with a bruised chest after the play.
“They were probably licking their chops when Joe went
down,” Manning said.
Enter Short. Luckily for him, Washington was hit with a
five-yard penalty before completing a ten-yard pass on
first-and-fifteen. On second-and-five, Short broke up the pass
““ he almost intercepted it, but dropped the ball.
“I was thinking ““ stop them. Let’s go home and
celebrate the win,” Short said.
The game was anything but over. The Huskies had successfully
made seven-of-16 third downs and converted their only fourth-down
conversion attempt.
On third-and-five, Washington knew it could win the game, but
tight end Kevin Ware dropped a pass, sending the rabid Husky fans
into a frenzy.
Washington set up for fourth down and 72,017 people collectively
held their breath until Havner’s interception.
In the hushed grumbling and swish of goose down, Snow heard only
Short’s words.
“Coach, thanks for putting me in.”