September 11, 2026 • 22 mins
Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain speak to Rick Neuheisel about his experience on September 11th, 2001, get his thoughts on the Husky win in the Apple Cup, looking ahead to UW's matchup against Utah State, and whether Michigan should be worried about their quarterback.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Your home for College Football Saturdays is live with CBS
Sports Analyst Rick Neuheisel.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Powered by Taco Time.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Hungry?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
At Taco Time, it's easy to create exactly what you're craving.
And we wouldn't have it any other way. How do
you Taco Time? Customize your meal and order ahead on
the Taco Time Northwest app. Taco Time. Time for something different.
Now with Rick Neuheisel, here's Softie and Dick.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
All right, big thanks to our friends at Taco Time.
Find a Taco Time near you at TacotimeandW.com. This guy
looking to go 3-0 with his Taco Time pick of
the week, by the way, in a matter of minutes here.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
He's red freaking hot.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Had Nevada over Western Kentucky last weekend, so looking to
go 3-0 and get off to a sizzling, smoking hot start.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Rick Neuheisel back with us.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Normally Thursdays at 3-10, but he graciously stepped aside because
of the Seahawks game on Wednesday night allowed us to
react to all that.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
So he's here now on a Friday at 4. How
are you, man?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I am well. Congratulations to the Hawks. Wasn't exactly as advertised,
but really happy for Drew Locke. He's a great kid,
and he was ready when necessary.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Yeah, well, thank you. I thought Dick and I played
great in the game, by the way, on Wednesday night.
So I appreciate you finally recognizing.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
You two were awesome. No question.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Hey, Rick, before we talk football, I think it's appropriate
on the 25th anniversary of 9-11 to go back and
talk about what that day and what that season– What
that week really kind of meant for you. You guys
were all set to play Miami on that Saturday. And
then the world changed on Tuesday. And your game got postponed.
(01:40):
There was a plane accident just the next day. 16
Husky fans in Mexico lost their lives. They were down
there on a tour part of that whole week, by
the way. You guys rescheduled the Miami game for November. Obviously,
things didn't go well that day in November, but what
do you remember being a part of and your takeaways
(02:01):
for navigating your boys and the kids on the team
through that and the postponement and everything that came along with.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It, man? Well, it was a surreal day for those
of us who remember it.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I woke up, like always.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
On a Tuesday getting ready to go to work and
getting ready to put in a plan that, you know,
was going to be against one of the nation's best teams, Miami,
and knew that they were angry at having lost to
us the year previous. And and I woke up to
a radio alarm clock in the old days. You had
(02:38):
radio alarms.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Right.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
So the radio station came on. And as I'm getting
up and getting ready to go.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
To work, I listen.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I hear the radio voice say there's a plane that
hit the World Trade Tower. And I'm like, what did
he say? And, uh, my wife was still groggy and
she said, he said a plane hit the, one of
the world trade towers. And I said, turn on the TV.
And we turned it on and saw the smoke and
(03:07):
all that was happening. And like the rest of the
world watched in horror as the other tower got hit.
And I said, I got to get to work. I
got to get, this is, uh, bigger than any of us,
but I got to get and make sure that we
have a plan. We have a direction because the last
(03:29):
thing anybody needs on a day like that is, you know,
to feel alone, to feel like there's not a place
to go. There's not a place to feel safe. And
that's exactly what we tried to do for our team.
All those kids who were worried about family back East,
you know, was anybody in the air is we all
now vividly remember all the different planes that, uh, were
(03:50):
impacted on that particular day. And it was the horror
of horrors. But it led to something that I think
we all kind of miss as well, which was the
galvanization of us as a country. And we're in a
time and era right now where we're as splintered as
maybe I can remember, where it's red versus blue, it's
(04:12):
dividing lines and so forth. That incident created a A U.S.
of A. And it shouldn't take that for us to
feel that way. So I hope that people, as we
mourn the losses of thousands and thousands of people, both
impacted that day and then because of illness that was
(04:35):
contracted on that day, I think we also need to
remember how good it felt to be part of a team.
And we're in the most powerful team ever. on the
planet when we are a team. So, fingers crossed we
can find a way back to that.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
What was the uncertainty like? Because, I mean, we didn't
know at the time. Were we going to play NFL games?
Were we going to play college football games? What was
that uncertainty like for you guys as a team?
Speaker 3 (05:01):
You know, I had a young girl that was working
in our office whose father was a general. And he
was in the Pentagon that day. And I remember... talking
to her, trying to get on the phone to her
family so that she could be comforted. It's just one
(05:24):
of those deals where you just kind of go on
autopilot and you just try to be there for folks. Obviously,
we weren't going to play that week. It was eerie.
Husky Stadium and practicing their there in Montlake, you see
planes flying over you all the time. For the next
five days, there was not a plane in the sky.
(05:44):
And it was a surreal deal that our world had
been totally changed. It was never going to be the same.
And that was haunting. That was really haunting. And yet,
as a person in a position of leadership, you had
to man up and be ready for that. And, you know,
we responded. We got the kids organized, and we got
(06:07):
all the families contacted, and we got it done. But
I just remember this is way bigger than any of us.
This has to be all about– Again, being on that
big team called the US of A.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Well, I remember, Rick, when that Miami game got canceled.
I think you and I have had this conversation before
that Coach Baer is on the air. He's saying, we
can't play that game. We just got to squash it
and not play it. He just thought it was a
mistake to go to Miami after the Apple Cup.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And play the game.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
And I remember talking to you at the Orange Bowl
when the game was over and somebody asked you, do
you want to see the series with Miami continue?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
You said no. Within like seconds, you said no.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
So, I mean, looking back on that, I mean, God,
you played a pretty good Texas team and fought tooth
and nail with them. You beat a good Michigan team.
You beat a top 10 Stanford team. You beat a
top 10 Wazoo team in the Apple Cup. That Miami
game just for some reason just had no juice.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Why? We were wore out. And remember, every team up
until that time, I think it was after that year
that we went to 12 games as a regular season.
Every year ended before Thanksgiving. And kids normally got to
go home for Thanksgiving. And it was just basically after
(07:27):
the win over Washington State, it was basically kind of like,
What are we staying around here for? I thought we
prepared well, but we just didn't have the juice when
we got out there, and they certainly did. That was
senior night for them, and they had been beaten, and
they ended up winning the national championship that year. They
were damn good, but it was a massacre, unfortunately.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Well, it was not a massacre last week as we
thought it might be in the Apple Cup.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
What did you make of what you saw from the
dogs in that game?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I saw enough. I mean, I feel badly about the
two running backs that are out for a while. And
so Jed's got to cobble together a running game. And
DeMond Williams will probably be part of it, but he
doesn't want to overuse that because of the rigors of
Big Ten play that lie ahead. But there were some
missed opportunities to make that game a little bit more one-sided,
(08:25):
which was the expectation going in. But you have to remember,
that's the healthiest that the Washington State team will be too.
The group of six teams now struggle with depth. But
their first game usually is a spirited one. And when
you put them in the same stadium with their in-state rival,
you're going to get their very best. And I thought
(08:45):
that was exactly what Kirby Moore got out of his team.
We'll wait and see how they do. I think they're
at Kansas State this week. But getting that win was important,
as it will be again this week against Utah State.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Well, Rick, when you say you saw enough, let me
translate that. Enough to not be totally freaked out and
concerned about where Washington's heading in 2026? Is that what
you mean by you saw enough? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I still think that the schedule sets up as long
as they can patch together and whatever is going to
be the running back rotation, Trey Cooley and whomever, if
they can– you know, manufacture enough of a running game
to support DeMond Williams with his throwing game, I think
he's talented enough for them to win. And I know
(09:33):
that Ryan Walters is excited about that defense. So I'm
not too concerned right now.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
On DeMond's performance, I know there's a lot of Husky
fans that are really going to have to get back
into his good graces or vice versa because they were
really critical of his game on social media after the game,
even though I thought the fourth quarter, he can't do
better than six for six and a touchdown, 145 yards.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
So overall, what'd you think of DeMond's play?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Listen, what was interesting to me was seven carries for
61 yards because to me that's the key. When he
is a part of the running game and you have
to defend him with a hat in the box, meaning
that he creates an extra gap in the defense, that's
when he's going to create opportunities to get down the field.
(10:20):
It's very much what Marcus Tuiasosopo did for us when
we transitioned to the Vier after trying to incorporate our
Colorado offense into and not really having all the pieces.
When all of a sudden you put a quarterback run
threat in there, all of a sudden there's unbelievable play-action opportunities,
and that's exactly what ignited our offense, and we won, what,
(10:41):
20 of the next 24 games.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Right.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Well, Rick Neuheisel's with us, and I always wonder, a
game like this against Utah State, who lost to an
FCS team last weekend, by the way, in Idaho State.
How much can you really glean talent-wise, right, from a
team like that when you're playing a team like that?
I mean, let's not have a delay a game to
start the second half. Let's not have guys getting unsportsmanlike penalties.
I don't care who you're playing. But as a coach, honestly,
(11:05):
you got Utah State and then Eastern. How much can
you really learn about how good your team is when
you play games like this?
Speaker 3 (11:17):
It's difficult, but you have to be all about you.
This can't be about what the Aggies bring to the table.
This has to be about what Washington does to improve.
And that's exactly how Jed will be approaching it. As
you keep getting better, you know, awaiting Minnesota, who will
(11:37):
be here before you know it, you've got to get better.
And with two running backs down, that running game is
going to be the number one priority.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
Rick, I was trying to think of anything like what
we saw in that Michigan-Western Michigan game. I got to
go back to the fifth down game between Colorado and
Missouri before I can find a college football game that
had that controversial a finish.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
And they tried to get them to overturn that one, too.
And Bill McCartney said, they fooled us as well. Yeah,
you're not going to get it back, and it's a
shame because we all saw Western Michigan win the game.
We are going to get changes. The Big Ten is
now going to have live cameras in their replay room
(12:28):
so that we're going to get the conversation as the
ACC is getting currently. And that was a byproduct of
the problem that they had with that Virginia Tech-Miami game
a couple years ago where they overturned a play without
any concrete evidence. that they should overturn it. It's what
everybody should be doing, but better late than never. Michigan,
(12:51):
I think, is going to be really dangerous this week.
I think everybody's going, they have no offense. They don't
have this. They don't have that. That's when they're dangerous.
You remember those Michigan versus everybody t-shirts? I guarantee you
they'll be wearing them again. And I think Kyle Whittingham
and company are going to pull an upset over Oklahoma.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Yeah, well, that'd be pretty significant, man, no doubt. But,
I mean, they've got to get their quarterback to play better.
I mean, God, 12-22, 170 yards, touchdown pick, 55% against
Western Michigan. The guy's making, he's got a $ 12. 5 million
NIL deal. How much has Kyle Whittingham literally just stuck
with this guy because of how much he's getting paid?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Well, that's exactly right. It's like a first-round draft choice.
They have to play, right? They have to get in there,
and if they're not worth it, then how long do
you have to ride with them? Listen, Bryce Underwood is
a hell of an athlete. He's much like Terrell Pryor
from days gone by. And you remember Terrell Pryor ended
up being a wide receiver in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
This is one of those guys that you have to
build an offense for. And the good news for Michigan
is they have Jason Beck as their offensive coordinator. who
came to Utah last year with his quarterback from New
Mexico by the name of Devin Dampier. And that's a
run-first quarterback. He was a 1,000-yard rusher at New Mexico
(14:09):
before coming to Utah and helped the Utes get to
10 wins last year. I'm going to look for a
transition of an offense that gets a bunch of tight
ends in the game that allows– Bryce Underwood to be
a running back as well as a quarterback and then
get one-on-one opportunities outside because of the box ganging up
on that will be forced to Brennet Venables when you
(14:30):
see that many tight ends in the game. And I'm
going to see if Underwood can hit one-on-one passes, but
I do like the Wolverines in front of 110,000 people
in the big house.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Rick is the LSU situation settled now or cooler heads
prevailing and we won't have pro players playing and we
won't have LSU kicked out of the SEC.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Yeah, I think we're past it. I think it was
the ultimate game of chicken. I feel badly for the
NFL players that came back because they were not given
the choice to stay in college. They didn't get drafted.
They went and tried to make a team because that
was the only option for them. The Louisiana State judge
agreed with that, but the SEC put their foot down,
(15:12):
along with all the other powerful conferences, and.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
They said no.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
And LSU looked like they were going to force their hand,
but then all of a sudden it was, okay, you
play that game, we're kicking you out. And we have
a right to do so as a voluntary organization. It
would have been interesting to see how those machinations would
have played out in court, but I think LSU saw the,
and first of all, they played without them that night,
(15:37):
151 to 10 over Clemson. I think they think they're
going to be okay without them. And I'm glad we
averted that. I'm also glad that the SEC didn't fine
them or force any more punishment. I think it was
just a stare down and hopefully we're behind it because
there is no more class of 22 issues. But there
will be another issue when it comes to basketball season.
(15:58):
You watch and see. There will be basketball players that
will be trying to do the exact same thing.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Well, Rick Neuheisel is with us, and Rick, as much
as we love Texas playing Ohio State this weekend.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Should they be playing each other?
Speaker 4 (16:11):
I mean, if you're Ryan Day and Steve Sarkeesian, you're like,
wait a minute, if we lose this game, we can
probably afford one more loss the rest of the year.
I mean, Sark's got Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU,
A & M. He's got six ranked teams left. Ryan
Day's got four, Iowa, Indiana, USC, Oregon. Meantime, a school
like Indiana, for example, is playing North Texas, Howard, and
(16:32):
Western Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
In their non-conference season.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
So as much as we love watching games like this,
would you play this game if you were in the
SEC or the Big Ten?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
You've hit the nail on the head. We've got to
force the issue with the non-conference season. We've got to
take a little page from the NFL and play inter-conference
games that basically pair the Big Ten against the SEC
and the ACC versus the Big 12 and round-robin those
in home-and-home and take two of the non-conference. We're at
(17:05):
the point now where everybody's playing nine conference games, at
least most teams are. There's a few in the ACC
that still aren't. But by virtue of playing that, then
you take two of the non-conference and you play these
games where wherever you finished in your conference, you play
that team and you do SEC home and Big Ten away,
(17:27):
Big 12 home, ACC away, and then you flip it
on the other game. So everybody's getting one and one.
And we have games that the fans are going to enjoy.
And it will make for some interesting matchups. I mean,
like this weekend, we've got Minnesota hosting Mississippi State on CBS.
That's a fun game. Camario Taylor, the quarterback for Mississippi State,
(17:49):
they're saying he's Battlestar Galactica. He's Cam Newton. I can't
wait to watch him play. And Drake Lindsey, the quarterback
for Minnesota, is– is a, you know, highly sought after and,
and a highly thought of quarterback. So that's going to
be an interesting game, a matchup that, you know, kind
of is a strange one, but that can happen. And
that's what needs to happen here sooner than later.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
Who's going to win Texas, Texas, Ohio state.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I'm taking Ohio state. Here's why I listen, both teams
have game records and in terms of the ability to
make big plays. J.J. Smith is absolutely bona fide for
Ohio State. The quarterback was a 77% passer last year.
Arch Manning has moments in the sun that make him.
He was 20 of 27 last week. I mean, and
(18:38):
they've got this kid, Cam Coleman, that they just got
from Auburn through the portal. Ryan Wingo is a speedster. Listen,
it's going to be big play, big play. It's going
to be a much better game than the 14-7 snoozer
we saw a year ago. But Ohio State has the
ability to stop the run. They held Ball State to
45 yards. Texas State had 160 yards rushing against Texas. Listen,
(19:04):
that can't happen. If Ohio State runs the ball, that
will slow down. They can possess the ball and play
keep away. I'm going to take the Buckeyes on the road.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Hey, Rick, before we get your taco time pick of
the week, I got to ask you about Dabo, man.
We played a clip on yesterday's show where he went
after a reporter for asking about his approach to NIL.
And I thought he came across looking terribly. I mean,
this is a guy who has almost become famous now, right,
for going against the grain and being anti-NIL.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
And it's not working.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
He's lost 15 games since the start of 2023. I mean,
at what point does Dabo wake up and embrace this?
Or at what point does Clemson run him out of there?
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Well, it used to be baseball, hot dogs, apple pie,
and Dabo Sweeney. Right. And it isn't anymore. He has
to wake up and realize that you have to keep
remaking your roster each and every year. I don't think
he believes that is the way to do things. I
think he wishes for days of yore where kids were
(20:10):
developing in your program and if you made a mistake
in your evaluation, at least they were going to get
to play on the teams and they were going to
get their degree from Clemson and so forth. But everybody
else is reshuffling the deck and moving those guys into
other programs while they go get bona fide players. And
he's lining up against them and he's getting waxed. So
(20:31):
he has some figuring to do. And the worst thing
you can do is come at a reporter. And what
he did, he said, did you play football?
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Yeah, come on.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
When you do that, you have crossed the Rubicon. And
now every reporter is going to band up against you.
And you just can't do that. He's better than that.
He knows better than that. We'll wait and see what happens.
But Dabo is going to have to do some real
soul searching as to what he's going to do is
to build that program if they want to keep championship
(21:00):
for him.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
Rick, it's taco time, pick of the week time, and
I'll just give you what I went in and got
at taco time yesterday. I needed a quick snack, and
I went crisp beef burrito. It was just very, very simple.
Dipped it into that salsa. It was absolutely fantastic. You
are 2-0, speaking of fantastic. You had Nevada over Western Kentucky.
You were perfect on the year. What do we have
for week three?
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Well, we got out of the box fast, but listen,
you're only as good as your next one, right? And
we're going to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We're going to take the
Pitt Panthers at home against UCF. The UCF got a
big win. Scott Frost doing a nice job there. Their
quarterback is Alonzo Barnett. He was the James Madison quarterback
(21:44):
that took the Dukes to the college football playoff last year.
But I just like this kid, Mason Heinzel. 31 of
41 against a really good MAAC team, that being Miami
of Ohio. He threw seven touchdown passes to seven different receivers.
And I think they're going to have their way over
(22:05):
the night. And give me the Panthers. I think it's
a seven-point line.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Correct. Yes.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I'm going to take the Pitt Panthers. I'll lay the
seven and watch Mason Heinschel look like Dan Marino again.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
I was going to say, the Dan Marinos versus the
Dante Culpeppers on Saturday at 1230. Pittsburgh giving seven is
our taco time pick of the week. All right, Rick,
you're the man. Great stuff. Enjoy the weekend. We'll talk
on Thursday, man.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Look forward to it, boys.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Take care. You bet. Rick Neuheisel with us on the show.
What do you say we get a break?
Speaker 4 (22:36):
And I feel like there's just a little bit more
to squeeze out of the Mariner Lemon. Chuck Powell will
try to squeeze it out for us next on. Do
not make that a drop. Next on 93.3 KJRFM.
Your home for College Football Saturdays is live with CBS
Sports Analyst Rick Neuheisel.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Powered by Taco Time.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Hungry?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
At Taco Time, it's easy to create exactly what you're craving.
And we wouldn't have it any other way. How do
you Taco Time? Customize your meal and order ahead on
the Taco Time Northwest app. Taco Time. Time for something different.
Now with Rick Neuheisel, here's Softie and Dick.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
All right, big thanks to our friends at Taco Time.
Find a Taco Time near you at TacotimeandW.com. This guy
looking to go 3-0 with his Taco Time pick of
the week, by the way, in a matter of minutes here.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
He's red freaking hot.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Had Nevada over Western Kentucky last weekend, so looking to
go 3-0 and get off to a sizzling, smoking hot start.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Rick Neuheisel back with us.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Normally Thursdays at 3-10, but he graciously stepped aside because
of the Seahawks game on Wednesday night allowed us to
react to all that.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
So he's here now on a Friday at 4. How
are you, man?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I am well. Congratulations to the Hawks. Wasn't exactly as advertised,
but really happy for Drew Locke. He's a great kid,
and he was ready when necessary.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Yeah, well, thank you. I thought Dick and I played
great in the game, by the way, on Wednesday night.
So I appreciate you finally recognizing.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
You two were awesome. No question.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Hey, Rick, before we talk football, I think it's appropriate
on the 25th anniversary of 9-11 to go back and
talk about what that day and what that season– What
that week really kind of meant for you. You guys
were all set to play Miami on that Saturday. And
then the world changed on Tuesday. And your game got postponed.
(01:40):
There was a plane accident just the next day. 16
Husky fans in Mexico lost their lives. They were down
there on a tour part of that whole week, by
the way. You guys rescheduled the Miami game for November. Obviously,
things didn't go well that day in November, but what
do you remember being a part of and your takeaways
(02:01):
for navigating your boys and the kids on the team
through that and the postponement and everything that came along with.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It, man? Well, it was a surreal day for those
of us who remember it.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I woke up, like always.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
On a Tuesday getting ready to go to work and
getting ready to put in a plan that, you know,
was going to be against one of the nation's best teams, Miami,
and knew that they were angry at having lost to
us the year previous. And and I woke up to
a radio alarm clock in the old days. You had
(02:38):
radio alarms.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Right.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
So the radio station came on. And as I'm getting
up and getting ready to go.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
To work, I listen.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I hear the radio voice say there's a plane that
hit the World Trade Tower. And I'm like, what did
he say? And, uh, my wife was still groggy and
she said, he said a plane hit the, one of
the world trade towers. And I said, turn on the TV.
And we turned it on and saw the smoke and
(03:07):
all that was happening. And like the rest of the
world watched in horror as the other tower got hit.
And I said, I got to get to work. I
got to get, this is, uh, bigger than any of us,
but I got to get and make sure that we
have a plan. We have a direction because the last
(03:29):
thing anybody needs on a day like that is, you know,
to feel alone, to feel like there's not a place
to go. There's not a place to feel safe. And
that's exactly what we tried to do for our team.
All those kids who were worried about family back East,
you know, was anybody in the air is we all
now vividly remember all the different planes that, uh, were
(03:50):
impacted on that particular day. And it was the horror
of horrors. But it led to something that I think
we all kind of miss as well, which was the
galvanization of us as a country. And we're in a
time and era right now where we're as splintered as
maybe I can remember, where it's red versus blue, it's
(04:12):
dividing lines and so forth. That incident created a A U.S.
of A. And it shouldn't take that for us to
feel that way. So I hope that people, as we
mourn the losses of thousands and thousands of people, both
impacted that day and then because of illness that was
(04:35):
contracted on that day, I think we also need to
remember how good it felt to be part of a team.
And we're in the most powerful team ever. on the
planet when we are a team. So, fingers crossed we
can find a way back to that.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
What was the uncertainty like? Because, I mean, we didn't
know at the time. Were we going to play NFL games?
Were we going to play college football games? What was
that uncertainty like for you guys as a team?
Speaker 3 (05:01):
You know, I had a young girl that was working
in our office whose father was a general. And he
was in the Pentagon that day. And I remember... talking
to her, trying to get on the phone to her
family so that she could be comforted. It's just one
(05:24):
of those deals where you just kind of go on
autopilot and you just try to be there for folks. Obviously,
we weren't going to play that week. It was eerie.
Husky Stadium and practicing their there in Montlake, you see
planes flying over you all the time. For the next
five days, there was not a plane in the sky.
(05:44):
And it was a surreal deal that our world had
been totally changed. It was never going to be the same.
And that was haunting. That was really haunting. And yet,
as a person in a position of leadership, you had
to man up and be ready for that. And, you know,
we responded. We got the kids organized, and we got
(06:07):
all the families contacted, and we got it done. But
I just remember this is way bigger than any of us.
This has to be all about– Again, being on that
big team called the US of A.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Well, I remember, Rick, when that Miami game got canceled.
I think you and I have had this conversation before
that Coach Baer is on the air. He's saying, we
can't play that game. We just got to squash it
and not play it. He just thought it was a
mistake to go to Miami after the Apple Cup.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And play the game.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
And I remember talking to you at the Orange Bowl
when the game was over and somebody asked you, do
you want to see the series with Miami continue?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
You said no. Within like seconds, you said no.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
So, I mean, looking back on that, I mean, God,
you played a pretty good Texas team and fought tooth
and nail with them. You beat a good Michigan team.
You beat a top 10 Stanford team. You beat a
top 10 Wazoo team in the Apple Cup. That Miami
game just for some reason just had no juice.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Why? We were wore out. And remember, every team up
until that time, I think it was after that year
that we went to 12 games as a regular season.
Every year ended before Thanksgiving. And kids normally got to
go home for Thanksgiving. And it was just basically after
(07:27):
the win over Washington State, it was basically kind of like,
What are we staying around here for? I thought we
prepared well, but we just didn't have the juice when
we got out there, and they certainly did. That was
senior night for them, and they had been beaten, and
they ended up winning the national championship that year. They
were damn good, but it was a massacre, unfortunately.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Well, it was not a massacre last week as we
thought it might be in the Apple Cup.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
What did you make of what you saw from the
dogs in that game?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I saw enough. I mean, I feel badly about the
two running backs that are out for a while. And
so Jed's got to cobble together a running game. And
DeMond Williams will probably be part of it, but he
doesn't want to overuse that because of the rigors of
Big Ten play that lie ahead. But there were some
missed opportunities to make that game a little bit more one-sided,
(08:25):
which was the expectation going in. But you have to remember,
that's the healthiest that the Washington State team will be too.
The group of six teams now struggle with depth. But
their first game usually is a spirited one. And when
you put them in the same stadium with their in-state rival,
you're going to get their very best. And I thought
(08:45):
that was exactly what Kirby Moore got out of his team.
We'll wait and see how they do. I think they're
at Kansas State this week. But getting that win was important,
as it will be again this week against Utah State.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Well, Rick, when you say you saw enough, let me
translate that. Enough to not be totally freaked out and
concerned about where Washington's heading in 2026? Is that what
you mean by you saw enough? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I still think that the schedule sets up as long
as they can patch together and whatever is going to
be the running back rotation, Trey Cooley and whomever, if
they can– you know, manufacture enough of a running game
to support DeMond Williams with his throwing game, I think
he's talented enough for them to win. And I know
(09:33):
that Ryan Walters is excited about that defense. So I'm
not too concerned right now.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
On DeMond's performance, I know there's a lot of Husky
fans that are really going to have to get back
into his good graces or vice versa because they were
really critical of his game on social media after the game,
even though I thought the fourth quarter, he can't do
better than six for six and a touchdown, 145 yards.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
So overall, what'd you think of DeMond's play?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Listen, what was interesting to me was seven carries for
61 yards because to me that's the key. When he
is a part of the running game and you have
to defend him with a hat in the box, meaning
that he creates an extra gap in the defense, that's
when he's going to create opportunities to get down the field.
(10:20):
It's very much what Marcus Tuiasosopo did for us when
we transitioned to the Vier after trying to incorporate our
Colorado offense into and not really having all the pieces.
When all of a sudden you put a quarterback run
threat in there, all of a sudden there's unbelievable play-action opportunities,
and that's exactly what ignited our offense, and we won, what,
(10:41):
20 of the next 24 games.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Right.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Well, Rick Neuheisel's with us, and I always wonder, a
game like this against Utah State, who lost to an
FCS team last weekend, by the way, in Idaho State.
How much can you really glean talent-wise, right, from a
team like that when you're playing a team like that?
I mean, let's not have a delay a game to
start the second half. Let's not have guys getting unsportsmanlike penalties.
I don't care who you're playing. But as a coach, honestly,
(11:05):
you got Utah State and then Eastern. How much can
you really learn about how good your team is when
you play games like this?
Speaker 3 (11:17):
It's difficult, but you have to be all about you.
This can't be about what the Aggies bring to the table.
This has to be about what Washington does to improve.
And that's exactly how Jed will be approaching it. As
you keep getting better, you know, awaiting Minnesota, who will
(11:37):
be here before you know it, you've got to get better.
And with two running backs down, that running game is
going to be the number one priority.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
Rick, I was trying to think of anything like what
we saw in that Michigan-Western Michigan game. I got to
go back to the fifth down game between Colorado and
Missouri before I can find a college football game that
had that controversial a finish.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
And they tried to get them to overturn that one, too.
And Bill McCartney said, they fooled us as well. Yeah,
you're not going to get it back, and it's a
shame because we all saw Western Michigan win the game.
We are going to get changes. The Big Ten is
now going to have live cameras in their replay room
(12:28):
so that we're going to get the conversation as the
ACC is getting currently. And that was a byproduct of
the problem that they had with that Virginia Tech-Miami game
a couple years ago where they overturned a play without
any concrete evidence. that they should overturn it. It's what
everybody should be doing, but better late than never. Michigan,
(12:51):
I think, is going to be really dangerous this week.
I think everybody's going, they have no offense. They don't
have this. They don't have that. That's when they're dangerous.
You remember those Michigan versus everybody t-shirts? I guarantee you
they'll be wearing them again. And I think Kyle Whittingham
and company are going to pull an upset over Oklahoma.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Yeah, well, that'd be pretty significant, man, no doubt. But,
I mean, they've got to get their quarterback to play better.
I mean, God, 12-22, 170 yards, touchdown pick, 55% against
Western Michigan. The guy's making, he's got a $ 12. 5 million
NIL deal. How much has Kyle Whittingham literally just stuck
with this guy because of how much he's getting paid?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Well, that's exactly right. It's like a first-round draft choice.
They have to play, right? They have to get in there,
and if they're not worth it, then how long do
you have to ride with them? Listen, Bryce Underwood is
a hell of an athlete. He's much like Terrell Pryor
from days gone by. And you remember Terrell Pryor ended
up being a wide receiver in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
This is one of those guys that you have to
build an offense for. And the good news for Michigan
is they have Jason Beck as their offensive coordinator. who
came to Utah last year with his quarterback from New
Mexico by the name of Devin Dampier. And that's a
run-first quarterback. He was a 1,000-yard rusher at New Mexico
(14:09):
before coming to Utah and helped the Utes get to
10 wins last year. I'm going to look for a
transition of an offense that gets a bunch of tight
ends in the game that allows– Bryce Underwood to be
a running back as well as a quarterback and then
get one-on-one opportunities outside because of the box ganging up
on that will be forced to Brennet Venables when you
(14:30):
see that many tight ends in the game. And I'm
going to see if Underwood can hit one-on-one passes, but
I do like the Wolverines in front of 110,000 people
in the big house.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Rick is the LSU situation settled now or cooler heads
prevailing and we won't have pro players playing and we
won't have LSU kicked out of the SEC.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Yeah, I think we're past it. I think it was
the ultimate game of chicken. I feel badly for the
NFL players that came back because they were not given
the choice to stay in college. They didn't get drafted.
They went and tried to make a team because that
was the only option for them. The Louisiana State judge
agreed with that, but the SEC put their foot down,
(15:12):
along with all the other powerful conferences, and.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
They said no.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
And LSU looked like they were going to force their hand,
but then all of a sudden it was, okay, you
play that game, we're kicking you out. And we have
a right to do so as a voluntary organization. It
would have been interesting to see how those machinations would
have played out in court, but I think LSU saw the,
and first of all, they played without them that night,
(15:37):
151 to 10 over Clemson. I think they think they're
going to be okay without them. And I'm glad we
averted that. I'm also glad that the SEC didn't fine
them or force any more punishment. I think it was
just a stare down and hopefully we're behind it because
there is no more class of 22 issues. But there
will be another issue when it comes to basketball season.
(15:58):
You watch and see. There will be basketball players that
will be trying to do the exact same thing.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Well, Rick Neuheisel is with us, and Rick, as much
as we love Texas playing Ohio State this weekend.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Should they be playing each other?
Speaker 4 (16:11):
I mean, if you're Ryan Day and Steve Sarkeesian, you're like,
wait a minute, if we lose this game, we can
probably afford one more loss the rest of the year.
I mean, Sark's got Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU,
A & M. He's got six ranked teams left. Ryan
Day's got four, Iowa, Indiana, USC, Oregon. Meantime, a school
like Indiana, for example, is playing North Texas, Howard, and
(16:32):
Western Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
In their non-conference season.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
So as much as we love watching games like this,
would you play this game if you were in the
SEC or the Big Ten?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
You've hit the nail on the head. We've got to
force the issue with the non-conference season. We've got to
take a little page from the NFL and play inter-conference
games that basically pair the Big Ten against the SEC
and the ACC versus the Big 12 and round-robin those
in home-and-home and take two of the non-conference. We're at
(17:05):
the point now where everybody's playing nine conference games, at
least most teams are. There's a few in the ACC
that still aren't. But by virtue of playing that, then
you take two of the non-conference and you play these
games where wherever you finished in your conference, you play
that team and you do SEC home and Big Ten away,
(17:27):
Big 12 home, ACC away, and then you flip it
on the other game. So everybody's getting one and one.
And we have games that the fans are going to enjoy.
And it will make for some interesting matchups. I mean,
like this weekend, we've got Minnesota hosting Mississippi State on CBS.
That's a fun game. Camario Taylor, the quarterback for Mississippi State,
(17:49):
they're saying he's Battlestar Galactica. He's Cam Newton. I can't
wait to watch him play. And Drake Lindsey, the quarterback
for Minnesota, is– is a, you know, highly sought after and,
and a highly thought of quarterback. So that's going to
be an interesting game, a matchup that, you know, kind
of is a strange one, but that can happen. And
that's what needs to happen here sooner than later.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
Who's going to win Texas, Texas, Ohio state.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I'm taking Ohio state. Here's why I listen, both teams
have game records and in terms of the ability to
make big plays. J.J. Smith is absolutely bona fide for
Ohio State. The quarterback was a 77% passer last year.
Arch Manning has moments in the sun that make him.
He was 20 of 27 last week. I mean, and
(18:38):
they've got this kid, Cam Coleman, that they just got
from Auburn through the portal. Ryan Wingo is a speedster. Listen,
it's going to be big play, big play. It's going
to be a much better game than the 14-7 snoozer
we saw a year ago. But Ohio State has the
ability to stop the run. They held Ball State to
45 yards. Texas State had 160 yards rushing against Texas. Listen,
(19:04):
that can't happen. If Ohio State runs the ball, that
will slow down. They can possess the ball and play
keep away. I'm going to take the Buckeyes on the road.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Hey, Rick, before we get your taco time pick of
the week, I got to ask you about Dabo, man.
We played a clip on yesterday's show where he went
after a reporter for asking about his approach to NIL.
And I thought he came across looking terribly. I mean,
this is a guy who has almost become famous now, right,
for going against the grain and being anti-NIL.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
And it's not working.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
He's lost 15 games since the start of 2023. I mean,
at what point does Dabo wake up and embrace this?
Or at what point does Clemson run him out of there?
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Well, it used to be baseball, hot dogs, apple pie,
and Dabo Sweeney. Right. And it isn't anymore. He has
to wake up and realize that you have to keep
remaking your roster each and every year. I don't think
he believes that is the way to do things. I
think he wishes for days of yore where kids were
(20:10):
developing in your program and if you made a mistake
in your evaluation, at least they were going to get
to play on the teams and they were going to
get their degree from Clemson and so forth. But everybody
else is reshuffling the deck and moving those guys into
other programs while they go get bona fide players. And
he's lining up against them and he's getting waxed. So
(20:31):
he has some figuring to do. And the worst thing
you can do is come at a reporter. And what
he did, he said, did you play football?
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Yeah, come on.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
When you do that, you have crossed the Rubicon. And
now every reporter is going to band up against you.
And you just can't do that. He's better than that.
He knows better than that. We'll wait and see what happens.
But Dabo is going to have to do some real
soul searching as to what he's going to do is
to build that program if they want to keep championship
(21:00):
for him.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
Rick, it's taco time, pick of the week time, and
I'll just give you what I went in and got
at taco time yesterday. I needed a quick snack, and
I went crisp beef burrito. It was just very, very simple.
Dipped it into that salsa. It was absolutely fantastic. You
are 2-0, speaking of fantastic. You had Nevada over Western Kentucky.
You were perfect on the year. What do we have
for week three?
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Well, we got out of the box fast, but listen,
you're only as good as your next one, right? And
we're going to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We're going to take the
Pitt Panthers at home against UCF. The UCF got a
big win. Scott Frost doing a nice job there. Their
quarterback is Alonzo Barnett. He was the James Madison quarterback
(21:44):
that took the Dukes to the college football playoff last year.
But I just like this kid, Mason Heinzel. 31 of
41 against a really good MAAC team, that being Miami
of Ohio. He threw seven touchdown passes to seven different receivers.
And I think they're going to have their way over
(22:05):
the night. And give me the Panthers. I think it's
a seven-point line.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Correct. Yes.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I'm going to take the Pitt Panthers. I'll lay the
seven and watch Mason Heinschel look like Dan Marino again.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
I was going to say, the Dan Marinos versus the
Dante Culpeppers on Saturday at 1230. Pittsburgh giving seven is
our taco time pick of the week. All right, Rick,
you're the man. Great stuff. Enjoy the weekend. We'll talk
on Thursday, man.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Look forward to it, boys.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Take care. You bet. Rick Neuheisel with us on the show.
What do you say we get a break?
Speaker 4 (22:36):
And I feel like there's just a little bit more
to squeeze out of the Mariner Lemon. Chuck Powell will
try to squeeze it out for us next on. Do
not make that a drop. Next on 93.3 KJRFM.
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