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'The Call' will ring in Apple Cup lore forever PULLMAN - It was the most bizarre ending in the 95-game history of the Apple Cup, but for Washington State it was not controversial. For those who wear crimson and gray, it was simply wrong, a bad call, one that came at absolutely the worst time and denied the Cougars the opportunity to either win the game or tie it and send it to a fourth overtime. The Call, as it will probably now forever be known in Pullman and in Apple Cup lore, ended the third overtime with Washington a 29-26 winner over Washington State. After owning up to his own bad play calls and his own coaching mistakes, Price was unequivocal that the play that was called was a forward pass. "It was a forward pass that got batted back," Price said. "You just hate to see a game end that way. I've never seen anything like it before. It's a shame to take the game away from the kids. It's an unforgivable mistake as far as I'm concerned. It was ugly to see a game end that way." The pass, or fumble as it was ruled, was knocked into the air by Husky lineman Kai Ellis, who nearly caught the ball in the air. When it was knocked out of his hands, Ellis fell on it for the recovery that ended the game. "He (referee Gordon Riese) said the forward pass was incomplete," senior offensive lineman Tyler Hunt said. "We were in the huddle trying to get the play. Then they turned around and said it was a backward pass." The Call, which was announced to an overflow Martin Stadium crowd after all the officials conferred, set off a scene more ugly than the game itself. With he Huskies celebrating at midfield and pointing fingers into the WSU student section, dozens responded by pelting the field with half-filled plastic water and soft drink bottles, most losing part of their contents as they flew through the air. The battle lasted a full 10 minutes with one photographer hit in the face, blood dripping all over his equipment. Craig Hill, a reporter The Tacoma News Tribune, was hit in the back of the head. Hill's eyes were glazed and a WSU trainer said he believed Hill had suffered a Grade 1 concussion. Washington coach Rick Neuheisel had to be escorted from the field by four uniformed police officers, who stopped near the tunnel at Martin Stadium and pointed out one of the water-throwing students to be arrested. "It's never going to be a good thing," WSU defensive end Isaac Brown said, "for the Huskies to be dancing on our field, especially after an ending like that." Jason Gesser, the WSU quarterback who left the game with a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter and did not return, was also nearly hit a bottle whizzing by as he hobbled off the field after congratulating Husky quarterback Cody Pickett in a gesture of good sportsmanship that was in stark contrast to what was going on all around him. Gesser said it was a difficult way to end his final game at Martin Stadium. "The officials had no idea how they were going to make the call," Gesser said. "You can't make one call and then come together and call something like that. If you don't know, you can't make a call. It sucks to lose a game, especially like that." Gesser said he has no doubt how the game would have ended had he not been forced to make a hasty exit. "There's no doubt in my mind that we would have won," Gesser said. "It's tough to lose like that, especially to the Huskies." Price said the strange ending overshadowed a poor performance by both teams. "It seemed like both teams wanted to give the game away," Price said. "We had a lot of opportunities and they did, too. We took turns giving the game to each other. I'm not going to let go of this one for a long time." Washington, which has won five straight Apple Cups, improves to 7-5 on the season, in position to get invited to a bowl game. "We've been criticized throughout the season," Neuheisel said, "which is a byproduct when you're not playing well. Our hard work has paid off. It wasn't a pretty win, but I look forward to hopefully playing one more time." Of course Washington State gets to play again. The Cougars play UCLA and can still earn a berth in the Rose Bowl with a win. "We have two weeks to get over this, so that will help," Price said. "We still have a good chance to go to the Rose Bowl and not many people in life get second chances. We have one. This team can still make a huge mark in the history book at Washington State." The WSU players tried to stay philosophical, knowing that even bigger games still lie ahead, but it wasn't easy. "We have to bounce back," Brown said. "Losing this game is a big deal, but it's not a big deal. We can still win the Pac-10 title and go to the Rose Bowl. We have to go down there and play like we have something on the line. We're going to play UCLA hard and I expect us to come out victorious." Defensive tackle Rien Long summed up the Cougar attitude, which he said would be fine by the time they board a plan to Los Angeles to play UCLA. "The season goes on, life goes on and we still have a good chance to go to the Rose Bowl," Long said. "We disappointed, but life is still good." | ||||||||||
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