Pac-10
continued from page 14E
then-No. 3 ranked Alabama. The
victory came at a cost, however, as
sophomore starting quarterback
Cory Paus was forced to leave the
game early with a separated throw
ing shoulder. Paus is hopeful to be
back for the Pac-10 home opener
this Saturday against Oregon, but if
not, the quarterback duties will be
long to sophomore Ryan McCann.
Luckily, the Bruins won’t rely on
their quarterbacks as much this year
due to the healthy return of running
back DeShaun Foster, who missed
most of last year with an ankle
sprain. In two seasons, Foster has
piled up 1,048 yards with 16 touch
downs, and expect those totals to
improve dramatically, as well as the
Bruin win total.
5. ARIZONA WILDCATS
Last season:
6-6, 3-5 Pac-10,
tied for sixth
Head coach:
Dick Tomey,
14th year
Returning starters: 11 (7 offense,
4 defense)
Player to watch: QB Ortege Jenk
ins
Outlook: Arizona was on a high
after it finished the 1998 season with
a big Holiday Bowl win over Nebras
ka and a 12-1 record.
Then came the No. 3 preseason
ranking in ‘99, immediately fol
lowed by its deflating 41-7 drubbing
by Penn State to open the season.
The Wildcats would never recover
and didn’t even reach a bowl game.
A whole new year is here and al
ready they are being written off by
the media, who picked them eighth
in the Pac-10 in its preseason poll.
Starting quarterback Ortege Jenkins,
for one, relishes the underdog role.
“We’re going to be the guys out
headhunting and nobody’s going to
be headhunting for us,” Jenkins said.
“It takes a lot of pressure off.”
But the pressure to win is squarely
on the senior’s shoulders now that for
mer QB Keith Smith is gone and the
two-quarterback system has vanished.
Helping out the Wildcat attack is
its experienced line on both sides of
the ball and the potential star in
sophomore wide receiver Bobby
Wade.
This is the most intriguing team in
the league. The Cats could finish as
high as third, or as low as ninth.
6. OREGON STATE BEAVERS
Last season: 7-5,
4-4 Pac-10, fifth
Head coach:
Dennis Erickson
Returning
starters: 13 (6 of
fense, 7 defense)
Player to watch: TB Ken Simon
ton
Outlook: Head coach Dennis Er
ickson signed a new contract. Many
Beaver fans sprinted to the ticket
booth over the off-season to gobble
up season tickets. And quarterback
Jonathan Smith and tailback Ken Si
monton return with that winning
taste still in their mouths.
But will it be enough to record an
other winning season after eclipsing
the .500 mark for the first time since
1970?
The key will be the passing game
because Simonton can’t continue to
receive 40 carries per game — as he
did in the Beavers shaky season
opening 21-19 win over Eastern
Washington on Sept. 2.
A big difference this year will be
that teams will not overlook Oregon
State, making Erickson’s encore sea
son all the more tougher.
7. STANFORD
CARDINAL
Last season: 8-4, 7
1 Pac-10, first
Head coach: Ty
rone Willingham,
sixth year
Returning starters:
12 (7 offense, 5 de
fense)
Player to watch: WR DeRonnie
009712
IPizia Pipeline
Beat
UCLA!
I Large 14" Three
j Hem Pizza
j Plus Two Free (2)
1 22 oz. Soft Drinks
I
Nol valid wilh any other offer Limited delivery area
J!
I X-tra Large 16
| One Hem Pizza
j Plus Two Free (2)
j 22 oz. Soft Drinks
^^Not valid with any other offer. Limited delivery area
Two Locations & Free Deliver
824 Charnelton St., Eugene 3831 Main St., Springfield
686-5808 746-7666
Pitts
Outlook: Once again, the Stanford
Cardinal head into a Pac-10 season
with everything to gain and nothing
to lose. Nothing these guys do
should surprise anybody after last
year’s shocking campaign that was
capped with them playing in the
“Granddaddv of them all,” the Rose
Bowl.
This year the quarterback duties
belong to Randy Fasani, who has
waited three long years to take over
the helm of the team. Last year’s
back-up, Joe Borchard, was the ap
parent starter, but was wooed away
by baseball’s Chicago White Sox. So,
Borchard got $5 million dollars rich
er and Fasani got the starting job for
a Pac-10 team. Not a bad trade off.
Fasani will have some help on the
offense with the Pac-lO’s best return
ing receiver in DeRonnie Pitts and
the explosive running attack of Ker
ry Carter. But with its poor defense,
the Cardinal could be heading for a
reality check this season.
Then again, they could win it all.
Who knows?
8. ARIZONA
STATE
SUN DEVILS
Last season: 6-6,
5-3 Pac-10, fourth
"m * Head cqach:
Bruce Snyder, ninth
'year
Returning
starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 defense)
Player to watch: TE Todd Heap
Outlook: Senior quarterback Ryan
Kealy missed the spring while reha
bilitating his torn anterior cruciate
ligament, and then got arrested for
driving under the influence a couple
months later. Head coach Bruce
Snyder suspended his quarterback
indefinitely.
At least the Sun Devils return one
of the nation’s best tight ends in Todd
Heap and top running back Delvon
Flowers. Oh wait, Flowers was
knocked out for the entire season
back on Aug. 17 when he suffered a
torn ACL in a morning scrimmage.
Emerald
The 2000 Ducks will line up against their Pac-10 foes with theRose Bowl in their sights.
It’s going to be a long, dry season
down there in Tempe.
^WASHING
TON STATE
COUGERS
Last season: 3
9, 1-7 Pac-10,
10 th
Head coach:
Mike Price, 12th
year
Returning starters: 11 (6 offense,
5 defense)
Player to watch: FS Lamont
Thompson
Outlook: Head coach Mike Price
looked around at the new locker
rooms in his stadium, the new omni
turf on the field and the new uni
forms on his players.
“Wow, it feels like a Pac-10 team,”
he joked.
Coach, the problem is that no mat
ter how new everything is, winning
is what never gets old. But losing
sure does.
And already, the newly appointed
starting quarterback, Jason Gesser, is
having problems with it. Gesser en
tered the season 29-0 as a starter (28
0 in high school, 1-0 last season), but
soon tasted defeat in the Cougars
first game of the year against Stan
ford on Sept. 2.
“I’ve never lost a game my whole
life,” Gesser said. “I’m not used to
this stuff.”
Don’t worry Jason, you will be soon.
10. CALIFORNIA BEARS
Last season: 4
7, 3-5 Pac-10,
tied for sixth
Head coach:
Tom Holmoe,
fourth year
Returning
Starters: 12 (8 offense, 4 defense)
Player to watch: DE Andre Carter
Outlook: Not too pretty.
Head coach Tom Holmoe is again
counting on hyped-up sophomore
quarterback Kyle Boiler to be the real
deal. But don’t count on it. Last year
Boiler only completed 38.6 percent
of his passes — the worst mark by a
Cal starter since the 1947 season.
While the defense will continue
to be the team’s strength, it lost
some key players from last year and
will be counting heavily on defen
sive end Andre Carter and corner
back Chidi Iwuoma to lead the way.
Hey at least they’ll be strong in
one aspect this year: They’ll be hold
ing up the rest of the Pac-10.
ition
er 29th and 3
UO st«
ancin
:::G CcxCOiC;:
After 10:30 - Prizes, Music and Fun ALL NIGHT LONG The best dance party in Eugene is always at Scandals
2 2 2 2 Centennial Blvd (Next to Autzen.Stadium) 343 4734