Inside the Pac-10 - Week Fifteen

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

No. 5 USC @ UCLA

While it is clear that Bruin Coach Neuheisel has a great deal of work to do, the Bruins showed that they have the will to play hard. However hard work alone cannot win conference championships and the Bruins are clearly lacking in the talent department compared to their cross-town rivals. UCLA was unable to repeat their stunning upset victory of two years ago and were run over by a Rose Bowl-bound Trojan squad, 28-7.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft did a better job protecting the ball than he did in previous weeks. However he and the rest of Norm Chow’s crew were unable to generate any offense against the smothering USC defense.

The Trojan offense had no such issues, piling up nearly 500 yards of offense. UCLA could not stop either phase of the USC attack as quarterback Mark Sanchez compiled 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns while the ground attack was led by Joe McKnight’s touchdown and 99 yards. Overall the rushing attack

With the win, USC secured its seventh straight 11-win season and a slot in the Rose Bowl for the fourth year in a row. While the Trojans had hopes for a National Championship, they will have to settle for a second trip to Pasadena and a battle against a much tougher opponent.

Washington at California

With their 48-7 annihilation at the hands of the California Golden Bears, the Washington Huskies have just finished one of the worst seasons in their school’s history, becoming the first Pac-10 team to ever go winless. They have now lost 14 straight games going back to last season. The winless Huskies allowed California running back Jahvid Best to run up a stunning 311 yards and four touchdowns. Best galloped for186 of those yards and three of his TDs before halftime.

Best’s record broke the old record of 283 yards and will add to his overall season total --already the fourth best in school history--when the Golden Bears head to the Emerald Bowl on December 27th.

Coach Tyrone Willingham finished his tenure as coach of the Huskies with yet another loss and the school is expected to announce on Monday that USC Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian will be their next Head Coach.

Arizona State at Arizona

With their victory over the Arizona Sun Devils, the Arizona Wildcats secured their first winning season since 1998.

Led by a superb game from senior quarterback Willie Tuitama, who totaled 284 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the Wildcats inflicted a 31-10 beating on their in-state rivals. Running back Nic Grigsby continued his solid play as well, contributing 114 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

The Arizona defense stepped up, with cornerback Marquis Hundley intercepting a Rudy Carpenter pass and returning it all the way to the Arizona State 34 to set up Grigsby’s touchdown. Special teams contributed to the win as well. Mike Thomas’ dynamite 52-yard punt return for a touchdown highlighted their efforts.

Still, both teams looked relatively sloppy for much of the night, especially in the first half where they committed an excessive amount of penalties and made numerous physical errors .

As has often been the case during his career, Carpenter was under constant pressure and the Arizona State running game was nonexistent, unable to top more than 38 yards.

Photo Credit: College Press Box (USC)

Pac 10 Preview: UCLA @ Arizona St.

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

Coming off a pair of wins against the Washington schools, the Sun Devils look to continue their winning streak, as they welcome the struggling UCLA Bruins to Tempe tonight.

ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter has started playing to form again, topping 200 yards in each of the last three games, while tossing six touchdowns. He faces a Bruins’ defense that likely won’t put up much of a fight. Carpenter has much to play for at the end of the season, even if his team will be sitting home during bowl season. With a respectable showing at the finish, Carpenter is hoping to regain some of the NFL draft stock he had prior to the season. As always, the key is protection along the offensive line. If they can keep Carpenter upright, he will be able to easily deliver the ball against a shaky UCLA secondary. While they can be opportunistic, the Bruins rarely keep up enough pressure to make a quarterback the caliber of Carpenter flinch.

Coach Rick Neuheisel will have his work cut out for him, both containing Carpenter and getting his own offense moving in the right direction. The Bruins are also coming off a win over the doormat of the Pac-10, Washington. However, even against the winless Huskies, junior quarterback Kevin Craft could not protect the ball. The Bruins cannot afford to turn the ball over. If they do, the Sun Devils will make them regret it.

Inside the Pac-10 - Week Eleven

USC 17, California 3
Defense was the word of the day as the only two top 25 teams in the Pac-10 clashed at the Los Angeles Coliseum with the Trojans prevailing. USC forced one turnover, but had two more overturned due to penalties. In fact, if there is one phase of the game USC continues to struggle with, it is penalties.

USC kept up its average of nine plus penalties per game with ten for 105 total yards. It is a bizarre problem for a Pete Carroll led team. Normally Carroll is able to keep his teams disciplined, but then again, that was part of the issue in the Trojans’ loss to Oregon State. A lack of focus has plagued USC in the last few seasons and nearly did them in again in this game.

But while there were stretches where the Golden Bears dominated the clock, they were unable to punch the ball in on any of their drives. In part it was because the USC defense was able to completely smother the Bears’ running game, holding Jahvid Best to just 30 yards and the overall the California run game to 27 total yards.

Mark Sanchez continued to play well and compiled 238 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though his first score to wide receiver Patrick Turner was bobbled. However, USC didn’t give anyone time to review the touchdown and kicked the extra point quickly.

With the victory, USC eliminated one of the threats to its Pac-10 Championship hopes, although Oregon State still controls its own destiny and has the conference lead.

Oregon 35, Stanford 28
Stanford nearly overcame an early two touchdown deficit, but a last second touchdown by Duck running back LaGarrette Blount won the game for the Oregon and likely ended Stanford’s hope for a major bowl bid.

Oregon won despite turning the ball over four times. While Stanford was able to move the ball both on the ground and through the air, they were unable to keep up with the Oregon offense.

Oregon had 451 total yards and while Stanford ate the clock up (their total time of possession was 39 minutes to Oregon’s 20 minutes) Oregon scored almost at will on the ground and was able to minimize the time of possession gap with a quick strike offense.

Near the end of the game, the score teetered back and forth with Stanford gaining the lead with 2:18 left on an Anthony Kimble touchdown run, only to see Oregon score the game winner on Blount’s second score of the day.

Arizona 59, Washington State 28
Arizona rebounded from its crushing loss against USC with a blowout of visiting Washington State, compiling 531 total yards of offense, 189 of them from running back Nic Gigsby.

The Wildcats poured it on all game scoring early and often, almost exclusively via the run game which the Cougars had no answer for. Five different backs and quarterback Willie Tuitama scored on the ground.

Washington State scored all of their touchdowns on the ground as well, but could not keep pace with the Wildcat attack.

With the win, Arizona keeps its hopes alive for a bowl bid, although any dreams of the Rose Bowl are long gone.

Oregon State 34, UCLA 6
The first half was a scare for Oregon State, as they entered the break tied with UCLA, 3-3. But the Beavers exploded in the second half, led by Jacquizz Rodgers’ 144 yards and touchdown. Teams still lack an answer to Rodgers’ speed, elusiveness and athleticism and it was all on display again Saturday.

When they weren’t pounding the ball on the ground, the offense moved the ball efficiently through the air, with junior quarterback Sean Canfield’s 222 yards and two touchdowns.

Bruins quarterback Kevin Craft had been able to protect the ball better the last few games, but reverted back to form, turning the ball over twice against Oregon St. The UCLA running game was completely ineffective, barely able to scrape 48 yards together despite using five different running backs.

With the win, the Beavers continue to lead the Pac-10, keeping pace with USC but owning the tie breaker over the Trojans by virtue of their head to head victory.

Arizona State 39 - Washington 19
For three quarters, the Washington Huskies hung with ASU and even briefly held the lead.

However, Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter led his team on two key scoring drives and extended Washington’s losing streak to 11, a school record.

Carpenter looked much more like the quarterback we saw early in the season and all of last year in the second half, and the Sun Devils finally gave him a rushing attack. Senior running back Keegan Herring finished the night with a 29-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, but it was their senior quarterback who truly engineered the win, keeping cool under pressure and guiding his team downfield.

The Huskies pulled out all the stops, including a blocked punt, reverses, direct snaps-- everything but smoke bombs--to try and end their skid. But the offense fell apart during the second half, as quarterback Ronnie Fouch lost his touch and started having his throws going everywhere but to his receivers. At one point, Fouch missed nine throws in a row. The rest of the offense wasn’t much better as Washington reverted back to form and failed to score touchdowns on three trips inside the Sun Devils’ five yard line.

The Huskies did play well for parts of the contest, but in the end they watched their win slip away due to the steady hands and cool demeanor of Rudy Carpenter and his offense.

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images; Chris McGuire (Patrick Turner)

Oregon State (4-1, 5-3) @ UCLA (2-3, 3-5)

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

The Bruins have been a very streaky team. Sometimes they can be very efficient and sometimes Rick Neuheisel’s squad looks like they haven’t played a down together in weeks. They’ll need all their ‘i’s dotted and ‘t’s crossed if they are to slow down a very potent Beavers team, which can smell the Pac-10 title.

The biggest challenge for the Bruins is slowing down freshman sensation Jacquizz Rodgers, who is athletic, agile, able to make tacklers miss and is very dangerous in space. His brother James Rodgers can run the ball as well, and is also an effective target for quarterback Lyle Moevao.

It will incredibly difficult to slow – much less stop – the Beavers’ potent offense, but UCLA will have to find a way to do it if they have any chance of pulling off the upset. One way would be to keep them off the field and that will require not only a solid game from Bruin quarterback Kevin Craft, but a solid ground game. That’s been almost nonexistent, as their lead runners, Derrick Coleman and Kahlil Bell, haven’t even reached 200 yards for the season. Bell has five touchdowns.

If they can’t, the Oregon State offense will have an excellent chance to go 2-0 against teams from Southern California.

One More Year: Several Seniors Apply For Extra Year

Next Level Scouting, Inc. is reporting that several seniors are considering their options of returning back to college for an extra year because of past medical issues or red-shirt years that could be granted to them by the NCAA.

Some of the featured names on that list include Miami defensive end Eric Moncur, Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley, Georgia defensive tackle Jeff Owens, California offensive lineman Michael Tepper, UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan and Troy defensive end Kenny Mainor.

Most have already filed the necessary paper work to begin the process of having NCAA officials review their requests with the hope of receiving final answers before the end of the calendar year.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Pac-10 Preview - Week Eight

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

#6 USC @ Washington State

When USC dropped their game to Oregon State, it was the sort of loss that has plagued the Trojans over the last few years. After the loss, Pete Carroll and his team vowed to remain focused and not get caught in another trap game.

As bad as Washington State has played, the Trojans cannot afford to take them for granted, although it’s hard to imagine a scenario where USC loses to the woeful Cougars. Wazzu has lost their starting quarterback, Marshall Lobbestael, to a knee injury, which will sideline him the rest of the season and their offense has been barely able to move the ball with Lobbestael in, so one wonders how poorly the passing game will be now.

However USC has its own problems, namely a lingering injury to quarterback Mark Sanchez. Last weekend, he not only battled a bone bruise in his left knee, but had problems protecting the ball, throwing three interceptions.

If Sanchez can cut down on the mistakes and USC’s defense can continue its sharp play, this game should be an lay-up for the Trojans.

Then again, that’s what some said about the trip Corvallis.


#25 California @ Arizona

The Golden Bears have finally returned to the top 25, over a month after their September 13 loss to Maryland knocked them from the rankings. The Bears now head to Arizona to meet a Wildcats team, which couldn’t keep its unbeaten Pac-10 streak intact last weekend against Stanford. This match-up has vital implications for the Pac-10 conference championship as Cal is still undefeated in conference play and Arizona needs to win to get back up on top. Neither team can afford to let USC creep up on them if the Trojans continue to win within the conference after rebounding from their own loss to Oregon State.

The Wildcats were the highest scoring Pac-10 team until last week, when they struggled to complete drives, especially late in the game. The question about Arizona was how they would hold up against better competition. The answer was certainly not to their liking and quarterback Willie Tuitama will have to get that offense back on track against a much more potent defense than they have seen to date.

The Golden Bears hope to have stud running back Jahvid Best back from a dislocated elbow. Best has a national best average of 215 all-purpose yards per game and is ranked second in the Pac-10 with 105 yards per game on the ground. If Best is back, he will add to an offense which is also returns senior QB Nate Longshore. Cal’s offense is just getting healthy and the defense is coming off of its best game all year, a game against ASU where the Golden Bears stifled Sun Devil quarterback Rudy Carpenter and forced three turnovers.

Arizona has a very tough challenge ahead this week, their greatest test yet. The Golden Bears are peaking just in time for the trip to Arizona Stadium.

Stanford @ UCLA

Stanford comes into the Rose Bowl hot off its win against the Arizona Wildcats. However, it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Cardinal as they lost their starting quarterback in the process and the key to this week’s game may be whether Tavita Pritchard can return from his injury. The junior signal caller had his bell rung hard at the end of the first half against Arizona and was replaced by Jason Forcier, who didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard.

While Pritchard has struggled at times, he is a more consistent option than the other two choices; the ineffective Forcier and junior Alex Loukas, who was more effective with his feet than his passes.

The Bruins are a slowly developing team, making fewer mistakes and improving each week under coach Rick Neuheisel. Quarterback Kevin Craft is taking good care of the ball and limiting his mistakes, while the defense seems to be forming into a reliable – if not intimidating – unit.

Stanford has the weapons to win this game, with a solid but unspectacular running game and the ability to move the ball through the air. But without Pritchard, UCLA may be able to sell out to stop the run and make one of the less able backups beat them through the air.

And that may be a game the Bruins can win.

Oregon State @ Washington

As bad as Washington State is, they can probably take solace in the fact that they are not the worst team in Washington, much less the Pac-10. I mean, at least they have a win, even if it was Portland State.

The Washington Huskies don’t even have that going for them and it won’t get any better over the next three weeks as they play Oregon State, Notre Dame and USC.

The ugly starts this weekend with the visiting Beavers who have played some tough competition to get to 3-3. Of their six games so far, three of their opponents were ranked and the Beavers beat the best of them (then #1 ranked USC) and nearly beat #15 Utah. While the men from Corvallis have struggled at times, they have proven they can play hard.

Nobody brings more to the table than phenomenal freshman Jacquizz Rodgers. It is hard to imagine the ineffective Husky run defense finding a way to slow, much less stop, someone who much better ranked teams have failed to stop. Rodgers is so good he makes you forget that the team can pass, but junior quarterback Lyle Moevao has been moving the ball pretty consistently and has compiled more than 1,500 yards so far this season. He is prone to streaks of bad mistakes, even against bad teams – for example, his four interceptions against the previously mentioned Washington State defense. Still, Moevao usually takes good care of it and Oregon State can move the ball.

Washington is reeling and it may be all coach Tyrone Willingham can do to keep his job, much less eek out a win against one of the more prolific offenses in the Pac-10.

This Date in College Football History

Oct. 17, 1992: Washington State opens the season 6-0 for the first time since 1930 with a 30-17 win over UCLA in Pullman. Cougar linebacker Ron Childs returns an interception for a touchdown while Deron Pointer returns a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to start the second half.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Pac-10 The Week That Was - Week Five

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

#25 Fresno State @ UCLA
Fresno State got all it could handle, squeaking by the Bruins 36-31. Bulldog quarterback Tom Brandstater led the offense with 236 yards and three touchdowns while running back Ryan Matthews torched Rick Neuheisel’s team for 166 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn’t as if Pat Hill’s players took the ball and ran away. The Bruins played a gutsy game and were never totally out of it; they looked much more like the team which upset Tennessee than the team that was sleepwalking the past few weeks. But in the end, a Fresno State 21-play, 8:55 drive—kept alive by a fourth down conversion–killed the clock and Bruin hopes for another upset at the Rose Bowl.

Colorado State @ California
The Golden Bears welcomed the visiting Rams but were not the friendliest of hosts, throttling the Rams 42-7. Special Teams Coordinator Pete Alamar had to be happy with the punt his squad blocked and returned for a touchdown and the 73-yard punt return Syd’Quan Thompson took to the house in the third quarter. The Bears also returned an interception for another touchdown. But the win came with a cost as sophomore Jahvid Best left the game with a dislocated elbow. Head Coach Jeff Tedford said that x-rays were negative, but they will be without the running back against Arizona State this Saturday. Another problem for the Golden Bears was the mediocre performance by quarterback Kevin Riley, who was replaced by senior Nate Longshore in the third quarter.

Stanford @ Washington
The Stanford Cardinal showed up to Husky Stadium with one thought in mind–keep Washington winless. With a replacement running back—former starter Anthony Kimble—they did just that, beating the Huskies 35-28. Kimble took over for starter Toby Gerhart, who left the game in the first quarter with a mild concussion, and put up a career-best 157 yards with two touchdowns thrown in for flavor. Adding injury to insult was the loss of Washington star quarterback Jake Locker with a broken right thumb. Coach Tyrone Willingham will have to find something to spark this team if he is to save the season, much less his job, any time soon. Meanwhile the Cardinal looked solid, especially at quarterback where Tavita Pritchard threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns without turning it over.

Oregon @ Washington State
The Ducks were the worst type of houseguests–unruly, unstoppable and uncaring as they spoiled Washington State’s homecoming to the tune of 63-14. The Oregon ground attack was the main culprit with Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount each scoring three touchdowns. The Cougars were the unfortunate recipient of Oregon’s anger after the Ducks lost their last game to Boise State, and Washington State’s bottom-ranked defense was just no match for an offense averaging 43 points a game. Wazzu Coach Paul Wulff’s offense continued its bad habits, turning the ball over four times, including two interceptions by freshman quarterback Marshall Lobbestael.

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images

This Date in College Football History

October 1, 1988: 2008 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Troy Aikman leads No. 2 UCLA past Washington 24-14 in the Bruins' first trip to Seattle in a decade. Trailing in the fourth, Aikman seals the come- from-behind win with a 48-yard TD pass to Reggie Moore with 88 seconds left.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Pac-10 Preview - Week 5

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

#25 Fresno State @ UCLA
When #25 Fresno State decided to have UCLA on its schedule, it probably thought that the Bruins might serve as a challenge, not the other way around. But the way both teams have been playing since opening day, it’s exactly that--the Bulldogs have survived a tough loss to then 10th ranked Wisconsin, while Rick Neuheisel’s Bruins have slipped down into the abyss after a stunning win against Tennessee. UCLA will have to pressure Bulldog quarterback Tom Brandstater and try to force mistakes, a tough thing to do to an experienced senior who has thrown only one interception this year. The Fresno State offensive line has allowed seven sacks, but UCLA has not been able to take advantage of any opportunities in their last two games. If Brandstater has problems getting started, Fresno State will turn to its ground game. Ryan Matthews has been the ‘big dog’ thus far in the backfield and he should do well against a UCLA defense, that has had issues against the run--even Tennessee was able to put up almost 200 yards on the ground while losing. The Bruins have more problems on offense. Quarterback Kevin Craft is still trying to find his way at the position and has limited his mistakes the last two games, but was almost completely shut down by the Arizona Wildcats last week. The Bruins’ run game has also been woeful, though when you are down by more than one touchdown early in games, the run game tends to fade away quickly. It remains to be seen if this unit has anything to offer, or if it will even get the chance against Bulldog coach Pat Hill’s defense.

Colorado State @ California
Jeff Tedford’s Bears have had two weeks to lick their wounds after the stunning loss to Maryland on September 13th. Whether they will dwell on this or use it as fuel to right the ship is a huge part of this match-up against a visiting Colorado State Rams team that would like to get a little respect. Cal quarterback Kevin Riley was red hot as he led his offense in a valiant comeback against the Terrapins, but his three fourth quarter touchdowns were not enough. The road back to legitimacy starts with Colorado State. Rams quarterback Billy Farris has been effective so far, but can turn the ball over and California’s defense can be opportunistic. If they can force mistakes and the offense can take advantage of the turnovers, the Bears have an excellent chance to get back on track this weekend in Berkeley.

Oregon @ Washington State
The Oregon Ducks may have dropped a close one to Boise State, but it makes them no less dangerous against Washington State. The key may be if freshman quarterback Darron Thomas gets a chance to continue the excellent play he showcased while appearing in the final quarter against the Broncos last week. If he gets the nod, he will find a Washington State secondary that can play well, though will likely be overmatched by a prolific Ducks offense. The Cougars’ offense suffers from making far too many mistakes. Between their two quarterbacks they have thrown nine interceptions. If their play continues like that, Washington State will not be able to keep up with an Oregon team that desperately needs to make some noise and get back on track.

Stanford @ Washington
This game finds two teams struggling. Both the Cardinal’s losses were on the road and although the Huskies haven’t exactly been stout at home, Stanford will have to prove they aren’t suffering from homesickness before they can be taken seriously. The difference may once again come down to turnovers. Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard has thrown at least one interception the last three games and the entire Cardinal offense has struggled in part because of it. Huskies’ quarterback Jake Locker hasn’t been turning the ball over, but he hasn’t been able to make much headway through the air either. Where he does excel is on the ground, totaling 163 yards and three touchdowns. If he can keep the ball moving with his feet and the occasional pass to receivers like D’Andre Goodwin, Stanford will be hard pressed to keep up with Washington this weekend.

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images

Pac-10 - The Week That Was - Week Four

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

Arizona 31, UCLA 10
While the win eluded the now 1-2 Bruins, Coach Rick Neuheisel can at least be pleased with his team’s effort. UCLA fought hard, but in the end, nemesis Willie Tuitama led Arizona to victory over the Bruins for the third time in his collegiate career. Tuitama threw for 222 yards and his second touchdown of the day sealed the victory for the Wildcats. Quarterback Kevin Craft continued to get comfortable in a job he fell into due to injuries to the starters. While UCLA played better than they did in their drubbing by BYU, they were not quite as inspired as they were in their season opening win over Tennessee. Arizona on the other hand, starts conference play on a high note and will try to rebuild the momentum they lost in their defeat at the hands of New Mexico. The 'Cats have hopes of making their first bowl appearance under Coach Mike Stoops.

Washington State 48, Portland State 9
Washington State won the game 48-9, but may have paid too steep a price as quarterbacks Kevin Lopina and Gary Rogers (who left in an ambulance with neck pain) were injured in the game. Third-stringer Marshall Lobbestael not only stepped in but stepped up, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and 149 yards in just over a quarter. Cougar wide receivers Brandon Gibson (three receptions, 84 yards, one touchdown) and Devin Frischknecht (five receptions, 110 yards, one touchdown) both made the most of their opportunities. On the ground, running backs Dwight Tardy (80 yards, one touchdown) and Chris Ivory (78 yards, one touchdowns) split the carries (11 each) down the middle to good effect. Meanwhile, Portland State couldn’t get any run game going, totaling a paltry eight yards against the Cougars’ rush defense.

#3 Georgia 27, Arizona State 10
Georgia left no doubt in the desert, that they were national title contenders with a sound win over Arizona State. A complete turnaround from last week’s squeaker against South Carolina, the Bulldogs ran out to a 21-3 lead in the second quarter and never looked back. Georgia kept tremendous pressure on ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter, sacking him four times. They also locked down the Sun Devil run game. Sun Devil running backs compiled a mere four yards. With no threat of the run, the Georgia secondary was free to roam the field and shut down Carpenter’s receivers, while the linebackers blitzed at will. Carpenter found himself scrambling on most plays, trying to keep the play alive long enough to find an open target, often to no avail. Defensively, the Sun Devils stifled Bulldog running back Knowshon Moreno for part of the game, but in the end could not fully contain him, as he scored twice and totaled 149 yards. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford also had a very effective day, compiling 285 yards and one touchdown through the air.

Stanford 23, San Jose State 10
Stanford had to battle back from a halftime deficit and running back Toby Gerhart was their leader as the Cardinal beat the San Jose State Spartans 23-10. Gerhart carried the ball 22 times for 148 yards and a touchdown, while struggling quarterback Tavita Pritchard scrambled for 40 yards and a touchdown, adding a 25-yard “catch” of his own deflected pass. Stanford gets back to even after dropping two in a row.

Boise State 37, #17 Oregon 32
Going in, the Ducks needed to limit mistakes and not fall behind, they did neither. Oregon quarterbacks threw three interceptions and Boise State ran out to a 24-6 first half lead. A late surge by the Ducks was not enough this time, as Broncos’ signal caller Kellen Moore threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns in the freshman’s first career start on the road. Jeremiah Masoli was the latest Ducks quarterback to fall to injury, as he exited the game in the first quarter with a mild concussion. This forced headman Mike Bellotti to utilize three quarterbacks with very little success until freshman Darron Thomas, the fourth quarterback used this season, came onto the field for the final stanza. Thomas gave the passing attack some bite, as he threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns in just one quarter of work. This was Boise State’s first road win against a BCS-conference team in the program’s history.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Pac-10 Week Four Preview

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

Arizona @ UCLA
Both teams are in need of a win in order to right ships that just a week ago appeared strong and sturdy. Before the Wildcats suffered a tough loss to New Mexico, quarterback Willie Tuitama was playing mistake free football. He needs to put his two interception performance against New Mexico behind him, because a shaky Bruins’ secondary lies in the waters ahead. They also need tailback Nic Grigsby to revert to form as well—he totaled 304 yards and five touchdowns. On the other side of the field, Coach Rick Neuheisel is wondering just which team is going to show up this weekend. The fighting, clawing, ‘never say die’ scrappers from the victory against Tennessee, or the not quite ready for prime time players that got blown out by BYU? Sadly, it is probably more the latter than the former. Quarterback Kevin Craft cut down on his mistakes against BYU, but still has a long way to go as a starter. That goes for the team around him as well. After the embarrassing loss last week, it may be all the coaching staff can do to keep the kids focused on this game and not last week’s. While UCLA is not as good as they were week one, they are not as bad as week two, and Arizona is no BYU. That said, the Wildcats will still have an edge in nearly every aspect of this game (other than home field) and should be the victors in this match-up.

#2 Georgia @ Arizona State
A week ago, Arizona St. was thinking about perhaps beating Georgia and making a statement. While they were doing that, their foot came off the gas and UNLV took advantage. Despite Georgia’s not-exactly-strong win against South Carolina, the Bulldogs come in heavily favored to win while ASU is still trying to figure out what happened last week. The key to this game for both sides comes down to one man – Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter. If the offensive line can keep him from being hammered by the Bulldog defensive line, Carpenter should be able to exploit a secondary that is second to last in the SEC, allowing 236.3 yards per game. Arizona State is putting over 300 passing yards on the board each week. The Sun Devils have allowed just five sacks so far this year – and enormous improvement – and the Dawgs have amassed only six on defense, so keeping Carpenter is a possibility. The senior signal caller attempted 23 passes last week, while the team ran 36 times—the first time this season the team ran more than it passed. But it didn’t get the job done, as the rushing attack was only able to garner 3.6 yards per attempt and couldn’t kill the clock before UNLV got back in the game. In order to win, Carpenter needs to have a big game, and to do that he needs to be standing.

Meanwhile, Georgia will need better production from star running back Knowshon Moreno and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Like ASU’s offensive line, the Bulldog line is under the microscope. They must protect Stafford better after allowing South Carolina to get to him four times last week. The Sun Devils defense will try to repeat South Carolina’s success at stumping Stafford and stuffing Moreno, but the run defense will have to stop the bleeding after allowing 100+ yards in both of the last two games. That will be a tall challenge, with the talented sophomore coming in with something to prove. ASU has been good against the pass in this young season, but Stafford will put that to the test in the first top end challenge the Sun Devils will face.

If Coach Dennis Erickson’s boys upfront can protect Carpenter, they might make a game of this and perhaps bounce back into the rankings. But if Georgia can keep the pressure on and Moreno can rebound from his lackluster game last week, Georgia could make it a long evening in Tempe for the hometown team.

Portland State @ Washington State
I hesitate to say that Washington State should be able to beat Portland given last weekend’s events. Still, this is a bounce-back game for the Cougars and they should be able to win at home. The Cougars will be looking to reboot their season against Portland State, but need the defense to play better after having been manhandled in the first three games. Meanwhile, the offense needs to cut down on turnovers. Six interceptions from the quarterback position is too many, as they have continually put the defense behind the 8-ball and on the field more often than they can handle.

San Jose State @ Stanford
San Jose State comes to Stanford with an offense that moves the ball well, but is not as effective getting into the end zone. Stanford does a better job of scoring, but so do their opponents. This combination could spell disaster for the Cardinal, if the Spartans pick up their game in the red zone. While they looked good beating Oregon State, Stanford has been beaten handily over the last two games. San Jose State dropped their one big test at Nebraska, but otherwise has kept their opponents putting up points. The Cardinal should model their game on Nebraska’s and attack with the pass.

Boise State @ #17 Oregon
After an overtime comeback against Purdue last Saturday, the Ducks host Boise State with starting quarterback Justin Roper sidelined. Tailbacks LeGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Johnson will try to keep the dynamic offense moving on the ground, while Boise State will trot out running back Ian Johnson and wide receiver Titus Young to carry their offense. Oregon will likely turn to Jeremiah Masoli to carry the quarterback load, though true freshman Chris Harper may get some work as well. Regardless, the run game will be pivotal for the Ducks, as they try to limit their inexperienced quarterbacks. Boise State boasts a defense ranked 28th in the nation, giving up just 257 yards a game. They will try to put the Oregon offense in passing situations, turn on the pressure, and try to create turnovers, just as they did last week against Bowling Green. Oregon cannot afford to get behind this week, the way they did against Purdue. Boise State is also capable of explosive offensive play and if they get out in front by a bunch, the game will be in the hands of Oregon’s quarterbacks. Something the Ducks do not want to happen.

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images

This Date in College Football History

Sept. 9, 1972: Unranked UCLA stuns No. 1 Nebraska, ending the Huskers' 23-game winning streak. With the game tied 17-17, Bruins quarterback Mark Harmon (1973 NFF National Scholar-Athlete) leads a 57-yard drive, setting up 30-yard field goal by kicker Efren Herrera with 22 seconds left for a 20-17 win in Los Angeles.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

This Date in College Football History

Sept. 7, 1974: Tennessee quarterback Condredge Holloway tears knee cartilage on the second play of the game, only to return from the emergency room in the third quarter. Holloway then leads an 80-yard drive that rallies the Volunteers to a 17-17 tie with UCLA in Knoxville. Television experiences something new, as Jim Lampley debuts as a sideline reporter of ABC.

ALABAMA IS TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) - With their 34-10 win over Clemson in Atlanta, the Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) is the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Aug. 30.

The Alabama defense held Clemson to just 188 yards of total offense and 11 first downs. Clemson finished the game with no rushing yards.

John Parker Wilson completed 22-of-30 passes for 180 yards and two scores and Mark Ingram and Glen Coffee combined for 186 yards rushing. Leigh Tiffin also booted four field goals for the Crimson Tide.

For Alabama, it was the Tide's 12th straight win over Clemson and its seventh straight to open a season.

Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Aug. 30 included:

· East Carolina (1-0): T.J. Lee blocked a punt and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown with 1:52 left in the game to give the Pirates a 27-22 over Virginia Tech.

· UCLA (1-0): Kai Forbath's 42-yard field goal in overtime gave coach Rick Neuheisel a 27-24 win over Tennessee in his coaching debut for the Bruins.

· Utah (1-0): Brian Johnson threw for 305 yards and Louie Sakoda kicked four field goals as the Utes beat Michigan, 25-23, in front of 108,421 in Ann Arbor.

The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the fifth season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Members of the FWAA board of directors and All-America committee decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2008 college football season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Bowl National Team of the Week through Dec. 1.

Since 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted six games that have decided the college football national championship, including three Bowl Championship Series title games. This season the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game will be played on Jan. 5, 2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Insight Bowl will be played on Dec. 31, 2008 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.

CFI: POST GAME - WEEK 13 PART II

OH, THOSE TIGERS

Everyone knows about the Missouri Tigers’ two-headed monster at tight end in senior Martin Rucker (5 receptions, 40 yards, TD) and Chase Coffman (2 receptions, 14 yards) -- a duo the Jayhawks did a nice job of containing. Last year’s leading receiver Will Franklin (5 receptions, 32 yards) only put up modest numbers himself, while freshman sensation Jeremy Maclin led them with his 10 grabs, but again KU had to be happy they kept the record-setting playmaker to only 6.9 yards per grab. How did Chase Daniel throw for 361 yards, you might ask? Career days from sophomore Danario Alexander (8 receptions, 117 yards, TD) and junior Tommy Saunders (8 receptions, 82 yards) certainly helped him achieve those numbers. It seemed like every time Daniel needed a big play, he looked to the 6’4” Alexander.

You know what else this means? The Tigers could be just as dangerous in 2008 with Daniel, Maclin, Alexander, Saunders and Coffman returning.

On the defensive side of the ball, one player stood out among the others -- junior safety William Moore (pictured). He was all over the field Saturday night, tied with linebacker Sean Weatherspoon for the team lead in tackles (seven). Moore also had a tackle for a loss displaying his ability to play near the line of scrimmage and made a key interception near the goal line, stifling a Kansas drive. Moore is a tremendous athlete who can play either safety position. He was also part of a secondary that took Kansas’ top receiver out of the game. Marcus Henry was limited to two receptions for 17 yards…in his three previous games the senior put up 18 receptions for 392 yards and five touchdowns.

ONE PLAY AWAY

The Hokies win over Virginia has them in the ACC Championship, but had their stellar defense been able to make one stop on a rainy night back in October against Matt Ryan, Tech would be right there with West Virginia and Missouri staking a claim to one of the two spots for the BCS Championship game.

MATTY ICE IS STILL NICE

Speaking of Mr. Ryan, before you write him off as a Heisman candidate let’s at least take a look at what he’s done “wrong”. At 8-0 and coming off his thrilling comeback in Blacksburg, Ryan was atop the Heisman race. In four November games, Ryan has thrown for 1,520 yards (380 yards per game). The problem? His touchdown to interception ratio was only 9:8 -- it was 19:8 over the first eight games. Not two mention two losses to start November, but let us not forget that the Eagles have won ten games and are in the ACC Championship game, far exceeding expectations. In his final game in front of the “Beantown” faithful, Ryan threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns against Miami. He also snapped a 15-game losing streak to the ‘Canes, which dates back to the “Flutie game” in 1984. Ryan’s 28th touchdown pass set a new single season school record, surpassing Flutie’s 27 in his Heisman season.

WHY NOT?

In the season of Appalachian St. and Stanford, why not UCLA in the Rose Bowl?

If the UCLA Bruins defeat the USC Trojans and Arizona upends Arizona St. it would leave four teams tied atop the conference standing: USC, UCLA, Arizona St. and the Oregon-Oregon St. winner. With wins over Oregon, Oregon St. and USC (assuming for these purposes), the Bruins would be 2-1 in a head-to-head comparison. If the Ducks win (at home vs. OSU), it would come down to Oregon and UCLA, with the Bruins coming out on top by virtue of their 16-0 win last week. If the Beavers win, losses to USC, UCLA and ASU would knock them out of the running, while the remaining three all split the round robin. The next tiebreaker would knock out the Sun Devils since they lost to “the team occupying the highest position in the final regular season standings”, which is likely to be USC. That leaves us with the teams from the City of Angels and the Bruins winning out again, by virtue of their (hypothetical) win this week over the Men of Troy.

Got all of that?

And you thought the BCS was confusing.

MOMENTUM

It was interesting that the day after the LSU Tigers dropped a 50-48 contest in triple overtime to Arkansas, the Tennessee Volunteers defeated Kentucky in four overtimes, 52-50. So will the Vols build on their emotional win, which included blowing a 17-point lead, UT blocking a potential game-winning field goal in the second overtime, before a two-point conversion from Erik Ainge to Austin Rogers was the difference? Or will LSU come in down? In Baton Rouge, the two-point play was also decisive, as Felix Jones ran it in (following Peyton Hillis’ TD run), with Darren McFadden on the sideline, while Matt Flynn’s final pass landed softly in the hands of an Arkansas’ defender. The Bayou Bengals are sure to lament a 4th-and-10 they allowed Casey Dick to convert in the first overtime.

Photo Credit: Mizzou Media Relations

CFI: FROM THE NEWSLETTER ISS. #7: PART I

WHAT YOU MISSED: THE TEAM THAT CANNOT AFFORD TO LOOK BACK IS…

California Visiting UCLA (October 20, 3:30, ABC): As tough as it may be, the Golden Bears cannot look back and lament last week’s loss to Oregon St. They must regroup and focus on the future, which this week includes a UCLA team that, despite all its faults, is still undefeated in the Pac-10. Cal must remember what their goals are, and that they are still intact. With Arizona St. and USC still on their slate, they hold destiny in their hands as far as a conference title is concerned and who knows, if they run the table, Jeff Tedford, DeSean Jackson and company could even play themselves back into the National Title picture, but it all begins this week. State beat them last week -- they can’t let them beat them again.

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