We riding with Jake after that one: An oral history of The Point

SEATTLE — The gesture lasted less than half a second, but birthed an image that will live for as long as Washington and Oregon play football.

When Jake Browning crossed the goal line for the first of Washington’s 10 touchdowns during its 70-21 decimation of Oregon on Oct. 8, 2016, the quarterback did something he’d never done before and hasn’t done since: He incurred a 15-yard penalty for taunting the opponent, extending his left index finger toward Ducks linebacker Jimmie Swain in a “gotcha” kind of way.

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A photo of the play — dubbed affectionately by UW fans as “The Point” — quickly went viral and surfaces regularly on social media to this day. For all of the victories (34) and touchdowns (102) and passing yards (10,612) Browning has accumulated as a four-year starter, there might not be a solitary moment for which he is adored more by UW fans than that fleeting jab two years ago at Autzen Stadium.

Not that Browning, who threw six touchdown passes that day and rushed for two more, has ever felt moved to revel in it. The day it happened, he remarked only, “I don’t know what that was. That’s not my character. That’s not who I am. That’s not who I was raised to be. That was bad.”

If Browning still harbors such regret — he is off-limits to media this week, for what it’s worth — he seemingly falls in the minority among those who wear purple. As No. 7 Washington prepares for its immense Saturday showdown with No. 17 Oregon in its first trip to Eugene since that momentous evening in 2016, we take a look back at Browning’s entry into rivalry lore.

At 5-0 and ranked No. 5 nationally after a 44-6 pasting of then-No. 7 Stanford, the Huskies already had announced themselves as the new favorite in the Pac-12 North. Oregon, meanwhile, was beginning its free-fall under fourth-year coach Mark Helfrich, entering the Washington game on a three-game losing streak after a 51-33 setback at Washington State. As such, oddsmakers installed the Huskies as 10-point road favorites.

Still, there was the matter of “The Streak,” Oregon’s 12-year reign of dominance over the Huskies, a source of much anguish and misery for UW fans.

Kevin King, 2016 Washington cornerback: I just remember it being an intense week. Everybody was talking about “The Streak.” Everybody hit us up on Twitter talking about “The Streak.” UW fans were saying this is the year “The Streak” is going to be broken. There was a lot of hype around it.

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John Ross III, 2016 Washington receiver: Everyone felt like this was our time to make a lot of noise, and with “The Streak” going on, the guys who had been there — we emphasized that even though this is just another game, it really means a lot to the guys who have been here and put a lot of work in. We were so ready. In pre-game, it felt like we had already won.

Bob Rondeau, then-Washington radio play-by-play man: The pregame feeling was decidedly different than in previous years. In film study, I could see that Oregon’s young defense was dreadful, and thought the Huskies would score plenty of points. But 70? No, didn’t see that coming.

Damon Huard, former Washington quarterback, current color analyst: There have been a lot of times as an analyst going into that stadium the last decade where you’re like, “Boy, I don’t know if we have a chance to win today. This Marcus Mariota guy’s pretty good, and we’re really young.” But walking into the stadium in 2016 certainly was a different feel. I think Husky fans knew it. I think the Duck fans knew it. It was about time. And the way the kids performed that day, it was a lot of fun to call that game, for sure. It had been a long time coming.

Hugh Millen, former Washington quarterback, current radio analyst: Every program is at a certain level, and you’ve got to take steps. And I think that Browning and the team — you could graph their incline, but there’s a few point-marks where you say, “If you’re really a better program, you have to get rid of this 12-game losing streak.”

Dave “Softy” Mahler, Sports Radio KJR 950 AM host and diehard UW fan: I think everyone was just tired of the bullshit coming out of Eugene. I mean, it was ridiculous. Like, it didn’t even make sense. Twelve in a row to Oregon? You’ve got to be kidding. What the hell world were we living in? I was ready for it to end. It was beyond time for it to end.

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Washington kicked off to start the game, and on Oregon’s first play, true freshman quarterback Justin Herbert — making his first career start — threw a pass off the hands of a receiver and into the arms of UW safety Budda Baker for an interception, setting up the Huskies at Oregon’s 30.

Two plays later, Browning completed a pass to receiver Dante Pettis to Oregon’s 1-yard line. On first-and-goal, Browning pulled the ball on a zone read and ran untouched across the goal line.

Then came ‘The Point.’

Lavon Coleman, 2016 Washington running back: He didn’t seem like that kind of guy to … I don’t know, “showboat” like the rest of us. But sometimes it draws it out of you, and that happened to get it out of him.

Rondeau: I didn’t immediately notice the finger point, and was perplexed by the flag on the play. Then, seeing the replay, thought, “I’ll be damned! Jake! Of all people!”

Mahler: I didn’t really notice it at first from the press box. I was sitting on the other end of the field, practically. I had no idea what he did to deserve a flag. My first thought was that’s not like Jake to do anything to warrant a flag like that. I think I first saw (the photo) pop up on Twitter, and I loved it.

Ross: After seeing “The Point,” I was like, “He a bad man for that.” Watching him do that, watching his growth, watching the team respond to that — that was just, like, motivation for everybody, and it kind of got everyone juiced. Everybody was like, “We riding with Jake after that one.” Not that we weren’t before, but in that game — it’s going to be very disrespectful what we’re about to do to them the rest of the game.

King: We seen it. We knew he did it. We was hyped. We didn’t care. Of course, I’m sure “Coach Pete” (Chris Petersen) told him something. That’s the kind of coach he is. But we was hyped.

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Jen Cohen, Washington athletic director: I know that “Coach Pete” hated it. But I think every single one of us in that moment, we loved (Browning) even more for that moment because there’s that side to him. He handles himself and he respects the game, he respects the opponent, but he’s got a tinge of sarcasm to him.

Mario Bailey, former Washington receiver: Man, I thought it was great. It’s one of those things where you don’t see Jake’s personality come out too much. I’m sure his teammates get to see it in the locker room and throughout the years, but us as fans, we don’t ever get to see that. That just let me know, honestly, that he had some dog in him, that he was willing to do that against Oregon and talk some mess and let them know what was going on.

Greg Lewis, former Washington running back, current KOMO 1000-AM pregame show analyst: To be honest with you, it brought a smile to my face. As a Husky fan, alum, former player and someone who was on staff for a lot of those losses when I was working in the athletic department, there was definitely a frustration that I felt. When he did it, I had a smirk on my face.

Cody Pickett, former Washington quarterback: Jake’s got a little flavor to him, which I think is great. You’ve got to have some confidence. I’m not necessarily all for showboating or anything like that, but he just pointed at him. It was harmless. It was a good play. I was a fan and happy to see it happen.

Damon Huard: I just thought it was awesome. He’s really not that guy to do that sort of thing, but it was kind of fun and certainly will go down in Husky history. I think that was the first touchdown. I’m glad we put up, like, 12 more. It was great.

Brock Huard, former Washington quarterback, current ESPN 710-AM radio host: How many years had they beaten Washington? Wasn’t there a Twitter site for the last time the Huskies beat Oregon? I think that’s what Jake was pointing to — to 12 years, to the Twitter sites, to the dominance Oregon had for all of that time.

Millen: The body of work of Jake Browning, he has not been that type of guy. So I think he’s been very respectful to the game and to his opponents. So that was like a once-in-a-career aberration for him. And I’m not in his head, so I don’t know if that was out of frustration because Washington had lost 12 straight. Maybe there was a little extra pull. But it certainly added a little bit to the rivalry.

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Taylor Rapp, Washington safety: I think all the guys in the locker room, they enjoyed seeing that. I think everyone on the team respects how he plays the game, how he loves the game and how he attacks the game. I think definitely, they really enjoyed that.

Coleman: A lot of us were laughing. It was going to become a meme, we felt like. … It’s just funny. It was just hilarious.

Mahler: How do you not love it as a Husky fan?

It’s difficult for photographers to navigate Autzen Stadium’s narrow sidelines, so Joshua Bessex, shooting the game for The (Tacoma) News Tribune, camped out in the end zone, awaiting Washington’s first touchdown. As with any memorable photo, he needed a little luck to capture the perfect frame.

Bessex: I kind of was shooting expecting a run play, and I ended up following the wrong player (Coleman) for a bit, and realized he didn’t have the ball and realized it was actually Browning. So I got back and just started shooting. I didn’t really know what had happened until after I saw the photos. As I kind of went through the photos, there are a couple empty frames, then you see the Oregon player, and you go, “Oh, wow, Jake’s actually showing a little something.” He’s expressive, but he’s not overly expressive, and he’s definitely not expressive before he gets in the end zone. I immediately knew that if the Huskies won, it was going to be a defining photo. I sent it out on Twitter pretty much immediately after taking it. I also knew if the Huskies lost, it was going to be an interesting photo the other direction. But I think everyone was so high on the Huskies that year that it was going to be a moment.

Mahler: I’ve already seen it 500 times on Twitter this week. I’m hoping that Jake comes back after he graduates and does a signing for the public and signs thousands of those things. I think Husky fans would love to have one signed by Jake.

Ross: I see it every time we play Oregon again. Every week we play Oregon again, that’s when it comes up a lot. I’ve got (former Oregon offensive lineman) Jake Fisher on my team right now (with the Cincinnati Bengals), so I might say something to him.

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King: I see it a lot. People have it as their Twitter picture. That picture will be legendary forever, really.

Coleman: I scroll on my feed and the first thing you see is Jake pointing. They even put the little Michael Jordan face on the Oregon player one time. It’s like a tradition now in the Oregon-Washington rivalry.

Bessex: It’s cool to see it continue to pop up. Last year, someone tweeted out a photo of “The Point” that was in Oregon’s locker room and it had the score underneath, and I was just like, if the other team is using it as a motivational tool, I guess it means something to everyone.

Ben Burr-Kirven, Washington linebacker: Any time it’s Oregon week, people love to post that. People try to tag you in it. … Fans get fired up about it, but I don’t think about that in any real important way. I don’t think Jake does, either.

Darrell Daniels, 2016 Washington tight end: I didn’t see it happen. I just saw the picture at the end of the game. Went on Instagram, and it was a big thing, Jake pointing at the guy. It was funny, though. I enjoyed that, especially coming from our quarterback, seeing the way he competed. I mean, that led us to go to the Pac-12 championship and, ultimately, the playoff, so I like it.

Rondeau: I found it more amusing than disappointing, and quite probably reflective of how most Husky fans were feeling going into that game. The photo only confirmed those emotions and, if nothing else, helped allay the constant Autzen Stadium reminders of Kenny F’ing Wheaton’s interception touchdown of 1994.

Bessex: That photo just keeps popping up. I had an owner of a brewery that made a meme out of it. My sister called and said she had a weird request. She was like, “Yeah, the guy that owns the brewery down there, we saw that photo and I told him my brother took that photo. He’s asking if you could sign it.” I was like, “Sure, I guess.” That’s kind of neat. Photographers don’t get to do that that often.

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Keishawn Bierria, former Washington linebacker (at Pac-12 Media Days in 2017): That’s kind of what our team wants to see out of him: Go ahead and say what you’re going to say because we’re right here to back you up at all times. It is what it is. That point, I laughed at it. It was funny to me. I didn’t really notice it until that picture. (When) I saw that picture, I was like, “OK, Jake.”

Burr-Kirven: He’s always had that fire in him, I think. I don’t think it was because it was Oregon. I think it was because it was Jake and he was fired up and there was a guy in his face and he was like, “I’m going to let you know.” He does that stuff to us in practice, so we’ve seen that before.

Indeed, Browning’s teammates expressed in the aftermath two primary points — that they might have been a little surprised to see their quarterback actually commit a taunting penalty but that they were plenty familiar with the attitude that led to the act.

King: Jake is a real competitive guy. He has a big fire burning in him. Whenever he’s competing, he gets real riled up. He’s got that dog in him. When he goes down there, he reaps his rewards and he has fun with it. He talks a little shit, which we all love.

Ross: Our defense, they talked a lot of trash when we were in practice. Every day. It was something every day. We had talent on both sides, so it was almost like playing a game every single day. The defense would talk a little bit, some of us would talk, and Jake would be like, “Don’t worry about it. Just watch this, we’ll throw a touchdown or make a play.”

Jimmy Lake, Washington defensive coordinator: I remember in training camp, we were bringing this blitz, he made this certain check and gashed us for a run. And he’s looking over, smiling, like, “Yep, I got you.” That’s the type of competitor he is. He’s not trash-talking with his mouth. He does it with his brain and his arm.

Burr-Kirven: I remember we came in as freshmen, and they had that three-way quarterback battle going with him and K.J. (Carta-Samuels) and Jeff (Lindquist), and I remember from pretty much a week in, it was pretty clear, like, wow, this dude’s got a little fire in him. He was talking trash. He was talking trash to seniors after he was making plays. It was one of those things where you pick up like, “Man, this guy doesn’t look that crazy impressive or anything like that, but he’ll swing back, and he’s got a fire burning in him that doesn’t ever seem to go out.”

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Brock Huard: I think I’ve grown to appreciate in his four years of playing and starting, just his incredible physical and mental toughness. It’s not very often when I ask these coaches I sit with (as an ESPN color analyst), “Who’s your toughest player, who’s the guy you want in the octagon?” I think Jake was one of the first guys in all of our years where the head coach just stared right at me and said, “Jake.” End of story. It’s not even a debate. There’s nothing to argue. It’s Jake.

Daniels: Jake is a competitor. That’s what people don’t know about Jake. I mean, they do know that, but he loves football. So he was out there competing and just having fun. That was the swag that we had: Go out there, have fun and dominate the opponent.

King: We were always talking. And especially when you’ve got a good relationship with somebody, you can really have some fun with it. And we all were cool, from the receivers to the DBs to the quarterbacks. We all had a great time. We always had competition with him and we’d be talking and stuff. It made practice fun.

Rapp: I love the way he plays the game, the fiery competitor he is. At the end of the day, it’s probably not something he should have done, but I love the way he plays the game.

Bierria: I wouldn’t say that was out of his character. I would just say he wants to be the type of dude that wins with class and integrity. But that competitive side to him is going to show up. It’s going to come out. Even in the highest and the lowest moments, Jake is going to be Jake, at the end of the day. And that point — it wasn’t like he thought about it. It just happened. That’s you, Jake.

One person who wasn’t thrilled with “The Point” was Petersen, who issues 500 push-ups to any player guilty of such a penalty. Browning was not exempt from this penance.

Michael Kneip, 2016 Washington offensive lineman, current Bellevue High coach: I loved it! All the guys did. But right when it happened, we knew he was going to be in trouble.

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Ross: I think he might have caught some backlash for it from “Coach Pete.” Everyone else was laughing and just like, congratulating him, slapping him on the helmet, telling him that’s the way to be.

Browning, at Pac-12 Media Days in 2017: I got ripped after that. So, no, not a lot of pride in that.

(It is worth noting here that Browning must have derived at least some degree of enjoyment from the play; three days after the game, he posted the Bessex photo on his Instagram page. It has more than 3,460 likes and 165 comments. The caption: “6-0 #SorryCoachPete.”)

Coleman: If you ever got a personal foul, standard, no matter who you were, 500 pushups before the day was over.

King: Somebody would count ’em. I’m pretty sure it was a one-day thing, but it was throughout the whole day.

Ross: I don’t know if it was all in one day. I do remember some guys doing it with him. We did it a little bit with him. That was our leader of the group. We weren’t going to let him do it by himself.

King: We were like, shoot, we’re going to take that one as a team. A few guys helped him do some pushups. That was cool. We didn’t care about it. It just showed us how excited Jake was, and really how much he wanted to beat them.

Petersen is thoroughly uninterested in reminiscing about the play. Asked this week about UW fans rallying around the photo, he more or less dismissed the question: “I don’t know anything about that, to tell you the truth. I have no idea what you’re talking about with our fans rallying around that. Yeah, I didn’t like him pointing. We haven’t talked about it since two years ago, and I don’t know why we’re bringing it up now.”

He paused, then conceded, “Actually, I do know why you are.”

Of course he does. It’s Washington vs. Oregon week. And just as Ducks fans will mark the occasion by joyfully recalling “The Pick” — Kenny Wheaton’s legendary pick-six off Damon Huard in 1994 — Huskies fans will forever relish “The Point.” It didn’t alter the trajectory of Washington’s program the way Wheaton’s play did for Oregon — it was, ultimately, extra-curricular — but its symbolism was striking nevertheless.

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Brock Huard: I think that was kind of an outlet for him, the team and, I’m going to guess, a lot of the Husky faithful. It’s something a little out of character, but as we’ve learned with Jake, he’s willing to say what he believes and act what he believes. And that was 12 years of pent-up frustration.

Mahler: Players will tell you they don’t worry or concern themselves with things like a 12-game losing streak to Oregon, especially when they were only there for a year or two of that streak. Nonsense. They were sick of hearing it. Hell, I was sick of asking about it. That raw emotion from Jake was pretty much what a lot of us were waiting for. Almost like, “This crap ends today.”

Staff writer Jayson Jenks and Senior Editor Stephen Cohen contributed to this report.

(Top photo courtesy of The (Tacoma) News Tribune / Joshua Bessex)

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