Pac-10 set to prove rankings are no fluke
■ No more byes: Every Pac-10
team is in action this
weekend, looking for revenge
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
It’s a great weekend for Pacific
10 Conference football.
Heading into Saturday’s match
ups, seven Pac-10 teams boast
rankings in the top 30, led by Ore
gon’s No. 9 Associated Press stand
ing. And don’t be surprised if, in
two days, that figure changes.
Three of the five games have
spreads of eight points or less,
which should lead to an exciting,
and perhaps surprising Saturday.
Stanford (2-3,1-1)
at Oregon State (3-2,1-1)
What in the mug is going on in
Beaverville? Head coach Dennis
Erickson has the Beavers off to
their best start since 1967... is any
one in Eugene a little nervous?
“Were making a great deal of
progress,” Erickson told The Regis
ter-Guard, “but I'm not into moral
victories.”
The Beavers narrowly lost in
Seattle last week, 33-30, and are
looking to take out their losing
frustration on last season’s Pac-10
champion, which lost 20-14
against Notre Dame last week.
One of Stanford’s biggest weak
nesses is at quarterback. Randy
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Fasani went down with a knee in
jury earlier this season and his sta
tus for this weekend is still ques
tionable. If he can’t go, redshirt
freshman Chris Lewis will have to
make the trip.
Since 1969, the Cardinal is 13-4
against the Beavers in Corvallis.
However, Stanford head coach Ty
rone Willingham said he sees a
huge difference from the Beavers
of old.
“What's happened is their stadi
um is becoming one of those un
friendly places for the enemy to
walk into,” Williams said of Reser
Stadium. “They're starting to cre
ate some very nice things in their
program that allows them to have
success.”
Oregon State’s Ken Simonton is
fourth in the nation with 164 yards
per game, but was held to just 104
yards against Washington.
“This young man really attacks
the line of scrimmage, or shall I
say the goal line,” Willingham said
of Simonton. “He is very deter
mined and very good.”
Washington State (3-2,1-1)
at No. 22 Arizona (4-1
Last year in Pullman, Arizona
won 30-24 on a questionable call
in the game’s final play.
But Cougars head coach Mike
Price said he is not bitter about the
last-second loss.
“We haven't talked about it
much," Price said. "I'm sure we
have kids who remember what ex
actly did happen. It wasn't Ari
zona's fault.”
Price said it was a bad call on
the official’s part that cost the
Cougars the game.
“I feel it wasn't a catch,” he
said. “It’s not a rallying cry for us
this year, though.”
To be competitive against Ari
zona this year, however, Washing
ton State must play even better
against a Wildcat defense that is
second in the nation against the
run — allowing just 62 yards per
game — and No. 6 overall in
points allowed at 10.2 per game.
“We just have to double our ef
fort to continue to prove that we
deserve to be ranked,” Arizona
head coach Dick Tomey said. “We
did a good job of handling the fact
that we were underrated earlier in
( ( Against Oregon you see
that [UCLA] msn Y as
strong as suspected; they
have a few weaknesses
They have some things
that they can explode on
and they can be really
good, but if they don’t
have all their people
together they can struggle
at times.
Tom Holmoe
Bears head coach
the year, and now we have to do
the same thing with the recogni
tion that we have gotten.”
Cougar quarterback Jason Gesser
leads the conference with a 147.5
pass efficiency rating and has not
thrown an interception in four
games.
“When you look around the con
ference, there were a lot of return
ing quarterbacks, but Gesser is
leading the conference in passing
efficiency by miles,” Tomey said.
If the Cougars can put up 42
points against the Wildcats — like
they did in their 42-35 victory over
Boise State last week — they might
have a chance in Tucson. Washing
ton State’s defense, however, has
been its Achilles heel; it allowed
474 yards to Boise State.
No. 13 UCLA (4-1)
at California (1-4,0-2)
Things aren’t looking so golden
for the Bears; It’s pretty sad when
the team’s only strong spot is its
punter.
Oh yeah, the Bruins are also rag
ing for revenge after losing to the
Bears 17-0 last year.
“It left a terrible taste; not just
[for] me but all the offense," UCLA
quarterback Cory Paus told The
L.A. Times about last year’s per
formance against Cal. “We didn't
play particularly well last year as a
whole. But that game was the
worst offensive performance.”
Despite posting the worst Pac-10
record, Bears head coach Tom Hol
moe said he sees some weaknesses
in UCLA’s game, which has given
his team some confidence.
“Against Oregon you see that
[UCLA] wasn’t as strong as sus
pected; they have a few weakness
es,” Holmoe said. “They have
some things that they can explode
on and they can be really good,
but if they don't have all their peo
ple together, they can struggle at
times.”
UCLA comes off a much-needed
bye week to refresh some its many
injured players.
Tailback DeShaun Foster, one of
the nation’s leading rushers, went
down with a fractured hand
against Arizona State Sept. 30 and
is not expected back for at least a
couple weeks.
“A lot of people didn't think
we'd be 4-1 right now,” UCLA
head coach Bob Toledo said. “A lot
of the big teams have already gone
down. I predict that the winner of
this conference will have one
loss.”
ASU, UW ready to light it up
■ Offensive-minded
Washington and Arizona State
battle it out for second place
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
It’s a clash of teams with identical
records and identical desires,
And it’s not
going to be easy
for either of
them
After a tight
33-30 victory
over Oregon
State last week,
the No. 11 Wash
ington Huskies head to Tempe,
Ariz., in hopes of continuing their
march toward the post-season.
Arizona State, coming off a 30-10
wallop of California, is 4-1 on the sea
son and a win against the Huskies
would do wonders for the Sun Dev
ils’ Rose Bowl dreams as well.
"This is a big game,” Arizona
State head coach Bruce Snyder said.
r.
“Not only are we playing a good op
ponent, but we're both fighting to
stay in that group that can still make
it to the Rose Bowl. So I think you're
going to find two teams that can re
ally go after each other. This is a
They are not throwing
for an unbelievable
percentage; it's just the
yards they are getting per
attempt, which is the
major concern.
Rick Neuheisel
Husky head coach
huge game for us and for them.
We're both in the same boat. We
both have an oar and we’re going to
beat each other over the head with it
and see who can knock the other
guy out of the boat. ”
Washington leads the Pac-10 in
total offense with 414.8 yards per
contest while the Sun Devils are the
best passing team in the conference.
“They have struck and struck
quickly,” Husky head coach Rick
Neuheisel said of Arizona State’s
big play offense. “They are not
throwing for an unbelievable per
centage; it's just the yards they are
getting per attempt, which is the
major concern.”
Neither team’s defense has
proven itself yet this season. The
Huskies are the worst rushing de
fense in the conference and allowed
Oregon State 474 yards of total of
fense. Similarly, Arizona State is
ranked eighth in the Pac-10 in total
defense.
Don’t be surprised if both teams
score more than 50 points.
The key to the game: If the
Huskies can take a lead into the
fourth quarter, a win is almost guar
anteed. The Sun Devils have scored
just nine points this season in the fi
nal period, while allowing their op
ponents to score 27.
NAME THAT DEFENSE
Want to name the Oregon football defense?
They’re a gang and they’re green, but defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said that these Ducks can’t share the same
nickname as the 1995 Rose Bowl squad. So, we at the Emerald sports desk are hosting an informal “name that
defense” competition.
It’s simple: Just e-mail your nickname ideas to Smittside@aol.com. We’ll publish the top-10 ideas in next week’s
Homecoming Game Day supplement, along with your name, of course. For the top nickname, we are giving away a
copy of the 1995 book titled, “The Year of the Duck.” The book is written by former Oregon sports information
director George Beres, and it is a detailed look into the Oregon Ducks’ 1995 Rose Bowl season, full of unique
anecdotes and captivating pictures.
And hey, who knows. Your idea might make headlines across the nation.