Inside The Huskies

Bo Nix's Goose, Make That Duck, Was Cook-ed on Late-Game Hit

The Oregon quarterback couldn't get up right away after UW safety Alex Cook dropped him late in the game.

Dan Raley

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Big plays were everywhere for the University of Washington football team coming down the stretch last Saturday night at Autzen Stadium. Heroic, hearty and head-hunting stuff.

Working backwards, Husky edge rushers Bralen Trice and Jeremiah Martin terrorized Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and brought him down for just his second sack of the season to really stymie the final drive.

Husky place-kicker Peyton Henry kicked a 43-yard field goal to put his team up for good at 37-34 with the weight of the world on his foot. 

Michael Penix Jr. drew the attention of NFL scouts everywhere with an incredible pro throw from the right hashmark to the left sideline that Taj Davis turned into a tying 62-yard touchdown pass.  

Oh yeah, somewhere in midst of all of these battlefield advances, Husky safety Alex Cook had a defining moment himself in his long career — he came up and slammed Nix so hard, the Oregon quarterback sat dazed and wondering what hit him before he was helped off the field after failing to pick up a first down inside the UW 10.

Basically, this Cook got inside Nix's kitchen.

It was ring the bell, order up.

Cook, a sixth-year senior and the only secondary starter to start for the Huskies all season, was smart enough to recognize the play coming at him right away. With this knowledge, he made the Ducks standout pay with a ferocious hit, knocking him out of the game for a crucial series.

It was the same offensive look Oregon had given in the second quarter when the solidly built 6-foot-2, 213-pound Nix ran though the UW defense and scored untouched on a 10-yard run.

Cook had followed the receivers clearing out the area before. Not this time. He'd studied a photo of what had happened earlier. He saw the same play setting up again on this third-and-5 situation at the UW 10.

"I'd just seen that picture when he previously scored," Cook said. "They pretty much took everyone away from the formation, all the receivers. I said, "OK, I recognize this picture. This is the play they scored on."

And you thought defensive backs are just out there running around the field and hoping not to get beat. 

Cook will tell you they are constantly cramming information, remember what worked and didn't work against them, and trying to get an edge. 

Beat me once, and celebrate your success. Try to beat me twice, and prepare to get blown up.

Cook used a little deception of his own, lining up as he did before, hoping everything would come right to him. And that's exactly what happened.

"I'm going to give them the same  look I did before, but I'm going to come back and hit the same hole he previously scored on and hopefully I make a play on it," Cook said. "Thankfully I was able to do that."

The 6-foot-1, 196-pound safety from Sacramento, California, came up fast and dropped the bigger Nix for a just 2-yard gain, forcing fourth down.

Nix was groggy as he watched Cook get up and raise a triumphant arm into the air. Someone tried to help the Ducks quarterback to his feet, but he went back down to the ground and ducked his head, feeling considerable discomfort if not a disconnect.

Cook struck him good with a low hit, which was brave considering the other guy was 17 pounds heavier than him.

"I hit it right on the nail," said Cook, enjoying the three-day-old replay of his Eugene moment. "I didn't slow down. I knew it was do or die in that situation. If I even hesitated for split second, he was going to get the first down.

"Bo Nix is a big dude. You have to bring your hard hat when you tackle that guy."

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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