Pac 10 Sports Blog

The Pac-10 Conference’s Rivalry Week, Part 2, belonged to the Oregon Ducks.

Seven days after California beat Stanford in the Big Game and Washington State edged Washington for the Apple Cup, the Ducks and their in-state rival the Oregon State Beavers squared off in the annual grudge match known as the Civil War.

It turned out to be no contest.

Propelled by a high-octane offense that produced 37 points in the first half and 28 more after the intermission, visiting Oregon soared to a 65-38 victory last Saturday in Corvallis, foiling Oregon State’s chance to clinch a long-awaited Rose Bowl berth.

As a result, USC now has the inside track to represent the Pac-10 in Pasadena on Jan. 1. The Trojans will line up Saturday against cross-town foe UCLA during the conference’s Rivalry Week, Part 3.

If coach Pete Carroll’s fifth-ranked Trojans prevail over UCLA in the battle for the Victory Bell, they will earn the outright conference championship and will meet Joe Paterno’s Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Here is a look at Saturday’s Pac-10 slate, which includes the rivalry clash between the Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils.

Washington (0-11 overall, 0-8 Pac-10) @ California (7-4, 5-3)
1 p.m. MST Saturday
Tyrone Willingham will coach his final game for the Huskies as Washington attempts to avoid a winless season.
California appears set to accept an invitation to the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco. The Golden Bears likely will hand the ball early and often on Saturday to tailback Jahvid Best, who ran for 201 yards two weeks ago against Stanford and has rushed for 1,083 yards on the season.
The Huskies defeated the Golden Bears last year in Seattle, 37-23. Washington hasn’t won since.
Prediction: California 38, Washington 17

USC (10-1, 7-1) @ UCLA (4-7, 3-5)
2:30 p.m. MST Saturday
The Trojans have clinched at least a share of their seventh consecutive conference title. They can win it outright with a victory over UCLA and can consequently earn their fourth consecutive Rose Bowl appearance.
The Bruins will be aiming to duplicate their rivalry performance of two years ago, when they sprang a 13-9 upset over the Trojans, costing USC an opportunity to play in the national championship game.
More likely is a repeat of the type of contest which took place last season, when USC held the Bruins to 168 total yards and forced four turnovers in a 24-7 victory.
This year’s USC team is ranked first in the nation in scoring defense and total defense, allowing just 7.8 points and 210.5 yards per game. The UCLA offense does not figure to have any more success against the Trojans than Notre Dame did last week, when USC romped 38-3, limiting the Fighting Irish to 91 total yards and four first downs.
Prediction: USC 34, UCLA 0

Arizona State (5-6, 4-4) @ Arizona (6-5, 4-4)
6 p.m. MST Saturday
The winner of Saturday night’s Duel in the Desert not only will enjoy statewide bragging rights and possession of the rivalry’s Territorial Cup — they’ll also receive a trip to Vegas.
For the Sun Devils, it’s all or nothing. If they defeat the UA for the fourth consecutive season, the Las Vegas Bowl awaits. If the Sun Devils fold, their season becomes a bust, with a losing record and no offer to participate in any bowl game.
For the Wildcats, the consequences for losing wouldn’t be quite so bad — they’d still receive an invitation to Honolulu to play in the Hawaii Bowl. Nonetheless, this is a case for Arizona where the importance of the victory outweighs the relative value of the reward.
In other words, while the Wildcats certainly have nothing against the premise of spending a week in Hawaiian paradise, they’d much rather experience the sights and sounds of Sin City — if defeating the archrival Sun Devils is the required means to get there.
The outcome of the UA-ASU matchup figures to be decided by what happens throughout the night when the host Wildcats have the ball. While the Arizona offense — featuring quarterback Willie Tuitama, running backs Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin, wide receiver Mike Thomas and tight end Rob Gronkowski — is capable of putting up 30-plus points, the Arizona State defense boasts a cadre of playmakers who possess the ability to shut the Wildcats down. The Sun Devils showed off their defensive skills on Nov. 28 in a 34-9 victory over UCLA, holding the Bruins to three field goals and returning four UCLA turnovers for touchdowns.
If the Duel in the Desert evolves into a shootout, the mundane Arizona State offense will be hard-pressed to keep up. Heading into the season, the Sun Devils had the on-paper look of a juggernaut, but it hasn’t turned out that way. While the passing offense led by fourth-year starting quarterback Rudy Carpenter has been reasonably productive (averaging 229.1 yards per game), the ASU rushing attack has been pathetic (gaining an average of 93.7 yards per contest).
Prediction: Arizona 20, Arizona State 17

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer

The Oregon State Beavers are just two wins away from clinching their first trip to the Rose Bowl in 44 years.
The Beavers took another giant step toward a New Year’s Day invitation to Pasadena last Saturday when they defeated the California Golden Bears, 34-21, in Corvallis. With the victory, Oregon State improved to 6-1 in the Pac-10.
The USC Trojans, who pulled away in the second half Saturday night for a 45-23 triumph over Stanford, currently stand atop the conference at 7-1. Oregon State, however, can leapfrog over the Trojans and into the Rose Bowl if the Beavers (who defeated USC, 27-21, on Sept. 25) win their final two regular-season games, against Arizona this Saturday and against rival Oregon on Nov. 29.
The Oregon Ducks, who hold sole possession of third place in the Pac-10, defeated fourth-place Arizona, 55-45, in a shootout at Autzen Stadium in Eugene last Saturday. Meanwhile, in games last week involving teams in the lower tier of the conference standings, Arizona State shut out Washington State, 31-0, and UCLA defeated Washington, 27-7.
Three games are on the Pac-10 schedule for this Saturday, with the spotlight contest kicking off at 7 p.m. EST in Tucson when Arizona hosts Oregon State.

Washington (0-10 overall, 0-7 Pac-10) @ Washington State (1-10, 0-8)
3 p.m. EST
The Apple Cup rivalry series has produced 64 victories for the UW Huskies and 30 wins for the WSU Cougars, with six ties. Last year’s game, the 100th Apple Cup, was won by Washington State, 42-35.
This season’s match-up is unique in that neither team has posted a victory all year over a Division I-A program.
Washington State’s only win came on Sept. 20 over Division I-AA Portland State. Washington hasn’t beaten anybody and is the only winless team in the FBS. The Huskies should be able to change that Saturday against a Washington State squad that has been outscored 440-61 in eight Pac-10 games.
Prediction: Washington 31, Washington State 24

Stanford (5-6, 4-4) @ California (6-4, 4-3)
3:30 p.m. EST
These northern California rivals have met 110 times in the Big Game since 1892, with Stanford posting 55 victories, Cal winning 44, and 11 contests ending in ties. Total points scored in the series: 1,780 for Cal, 1,755 for Stanford.
The Cardinal prevailed in last year’s grudge match, 20-13. They’ll try to win a similar type of ball-control struggle on Saturday, handing the rock early and often to senior Toby Gerhart, who is the first Stanford running back in 18 years to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. Gerhart, who finished with 101 yards and a touchdown on the ground last week against USC, now has 1,033 rushing yards this year and is just 52 yards away from breaking Stanford’s single-season record, set by Tommy Vardell in 1991.
Stanford needs a victory Saturday in its regular-season finale to qualify for a bowl game.
Cal, which is already bowl-bound, finishes the regular season with two home games. In addition to Saturday’s tussle against Stanford, the Golden Bears also will host Washington on Dec. 6.
Prediction: California 24, Stanford 21

Oregon State (7-3, 6-1) @ Arizona (6-4, 4-3)
7 p.m. EST
The Arizona defense was torched last Saturday by Oregon for 45 points and 411 total yards — in the first half.
The Wildcats rallied to make a game of it in the second half, closing a 45-17 deficit at the intermission to 48-45 on freshman tailback Keola Antolin’s fourth touchdown of the day with 6:38 remaining. The Ducks, however, clinched it on a 40-yard touchdown run by LeGarrette Blount with 3:38 left.
Saturday’s contest between Oregon State and Arizona could develop into another shootout. Oregon State freshman Jacquizz Rodgers leads the Pac-10 in rushing with 1,233 yards, while the Wildcats can counter with the 1-2 punch of sophomore Nic Grigsby (who has 941 yards rushing on the season) and Antolin (who has rushed for 398 yards). The Beavers’ Rodgers and the Wildcats’ Grisby each have run for 11 touchdowns, while the UA’s Antolin has nine rushing TDs.
Junior quarterback Lyle Moevao has passed for 1,967 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Beavers, while UA senior Willie Tuitama has thrown for 18 touchdowns and a conference-leading 2,321 yards.
Prediction: Oregon State 38, Arizona 35

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer

The USC Trojans earned another key victory in the Pac-10 title chase last week when they defeated California, 17-3. Oregon State, meanwhile, remained just a half-game behind the first-place Trojans by knocking off UCLA, 34-6.
Elsewhere in the conference last Saturday, Oregon edged Stanford in a 35-28 thriller. Arizona became bowl-eligible by pounding Washington State, 59-28, while Arizona State snapped a six-game losing streak with a 39-19 win over Washington.
Another full slate of Pac-10 action is on this week’s schedule. Here is a look at the five match-ups.

California (6-3 overall, 4-2 Pac-10) at Oregon State (6-3, 5-1)
3:30 p.m. EST
Oregon State controls its own destiny in the race for the Rose Bowl, owning a tie-breaker advantage over USC thanks to a 27-21 victory over the Trojans on Sept. 25. If the Beavers can defeat California, Arizona and Oregon to close out their regular-season schedule, they will be playing in Pasadena on Jan. 1.
Oregon State tailback Jacquizz Rodgers has been a major factor in the Beavers’ success. With 144 yards rushing last week against UCLA, Rodgers increased his season total to 1,089 yards, setting a new Pac-10 freshman record. He is on pace to become the first freshman ever to lead the Pac-10 in rushing.
California will be looking to get its offense back on track after being held to three points and 165 total yards last week against USC.
Prediction: Oregon State 31, California 27

Washington State (1-9, 0-7) at Arizona State (3-6, 2-4)
5:30 p.m. EST
While the Sun Devils’ season has been a disappointment, they can still qualify for a bowl game if they finish with victories over Washington State, UCLA and rival Arizona.
Arizona State should have no trouble with a Washington State team that has allowed 409 points in seven Pac-10 games.
Prediction: Arizona State 49, Washington State 10

Arizona (6-3, 4-2) at Oregon (7-3, 5-2)
6:30 p.m. EST
This game has the makings of an entertaining shootout between two teams that have plenty of offensive firepower.
Oregon is the top rushing team in the Pac-10 with an average of 274.3 yards per game. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli led the Ducks on a buzzer-beating drive last Saturday against Stanford, as LeGarrette Blount scored the winning touchdown on a 3-yard run with six seconds remaining.
Meanwhile, Arizona amassed 531 yards of total offense last week against Washington State. Nic Grigsby rushed for 189 yards and Willie Tuitama passed for 214 for the Wildcats.
In winning their sixth game of the season, the Wildcats have qualified to play in a bowl game. It will be Arizona’s first bowl trip since 1998.
Prediction: Oregon 34, Arizona 31

USC (8-1, 6-1) at Stanford (5-5, 4-3)
7 p.m. EST
This year’s Stanford team is better than the one that went to Southern Cal last season as a 41-point underdog and shocked the Trojans, 24-23.
This year’s USC defense, however, has been dominant in eight of the Trojans’ nine games, with the lone exception being the 27-21 loss to Oregon State in late September. Since that loss, USC has won six straight and has outscored its opponents, 231-23.
For the season, the Trojans lead the nation in scoring defense (at 6.7 points allowed per game) and total defense (206.4 yards per game). They should be able to maintain those rankings by shutting down Stanford’s grind-it-out, ball-control offense.
Prediction: USC 31, Stanford 3

UCLA (3-6, 2-4) at Washington (0-9, 0-6)
10:15 p.m. EST
Rick Neuheisel takes his new team, the Bruins, to Seattle to face the Huskies, a team that he coached from 1999-2002.
While Washington is the only FBS team in the country that has not won a game this season, the losing streak could end on Saturday.
Prediction: Washington 24, UCLA 21

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer

Last week’s Pac-10 action featured comeback victories by Arizona and UCLA. The Wildcats put up 28 points in the third quarter to surge past California, 42-27. The Bruins, meanwhile, scored a last-minute touchdown to edge Stanford, 23-20.
Elsewhere in the conference, USC pounded Washington State, 69-0, and Oregon State earned a 34-13 triumph over Washington.
Four teams are tied atop the Pac-10 standings, as USC, Arizona, Oregon and Oregon State all have 3-1 league records. USC will play at Arizona this Saturday, while Oregon travels to Arizona State. Oregon State has a bye this week.
Here is a look at the four games involving Pac-10 teams on Saturday’s schedule.

UCLA (3-4 overall, 2-2 Pac-10) @ California (4-2, 2-1)
3:30 p.m. EDT
Kevin Craft tossed a 7-yard touchdown to Cory Harkey with 10 seconds remaining to complete the Bruins’ rally over Stanford last week. Craft passed for 285 yards in the game, a week after finishing with 288 yards through the air in a loss to Oregon.
The Golden Bears squandered a 24-14 halftime lead in their loss at Arizona – allowing two long touchdown passes, a scoring run and a pick-six interception during the Wildcats’ third-quarter barrage. California was bolstered by the return of tailback Jahvid Best, who rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown after having missed the Golden Bears’ previous game with an elbow injury.
Prediction: California 31, UCLA 13

Notre Dame (4-2) @ Washington (0-6)
8 p.m. EDT
Tyrone Willingham will try to lead the Huskies to their first victory of the season against the coach’s former team, the Fighting Irish.
Washington was hurt by three interceptions thrown by redshirt freshman quarterback Ronnie Fouch in last week’s loss to Oregon State. True freshman running back Terrance Dailey provided a spark to the UW offense, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown.
The Washington defense will be tested by Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, a sophomore who has passed for  1,631 yards with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions through six games.
The Fighting Irish fell to North Carolina, 29-24, in Notre Dame’s most-recent contest on Oct. 11.
Prediction: Notre Dame 35, Washington 17

Oregon (5-2, 3-1) @ Arizona State (2-4, 1-2)
10 p.m. EDT
Both teams have had two weeks to prepare after enjoying byes last Saturday. Both have quarterback issues – the Sun Devils are hoping that senior standout Rudy Carpenter is recovered from an ankle injury while the Ducks are deciding between Jeremiah Masoli and Justin Roper.
Masoli ran for 170 yards and a touchdown against UCLA on Oct. 11 for the Ducks, who lead the Pac-10 in rushing with 275.1 yards per game.
The Sun Devils, who have lost four straight, will try to get their running game back on track. Senior tailback Keegan Herring, who has been hobbled by injury, has rushed for just 131 yards this season after finishing with 815 yards on the ground last year.
Prediction: Arizona State 24, Oregon 21

USC (5-1, 3-1) @ Arizona (5-2, 3-1)
10:15 p.m. EDT
Early in the week, Tucson was fired up about the impending visit from the sixth-ranked Trojans. But with legendary U of A basketball coach Lute Olson announcing his retirement on Thursday, it remains to be seen whether the enthusiasm of the homecoming crowd at sold-out Arizona Stadium will be tempered for Saturday’s football showdown.
The Wildcats thrived upon their home-field advantage last week, building momentum and confidence throughout a 28-point third quarter that powered them to a 42-27 win over then-25th-ranked California. Senior quarterback Willie Tuitama completed long scoring passes to receiver Mike Thomas and tight end Rob Gronkowski during the onslaught, which also included a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown by Devin Ross.
Arizona unleashed a new weapon on offense, turning to freshman tailback Keola Antolin after an early fumble by sophomore starter Nic Grigsby.
Antolin, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound speedster, rushed for 149 yards on 21 carries, scoring twice in the second quarter on runs of 20 and 11 yards and once in the third on a 1-yard jaunt.
Arizona coach Mike Stoops indicated this week that Grigsby and Antolin would share the workload against the Trojans, who have posted consecutive shutouts over Arizona State and Washington State.
The USC defense has held its opponents scoreless for 10 consecutive quarters. In last week’s 69-0 demolition of the Cougars, the Trojans did not allow WSU to cross the 50-yard line.
The USC offense is firing on all cylinders as well, averaging 41.5 points per game. Southern Cal had three running backs rush for more than 100 yards each against Washington State, while quarterback Mark Sanchez threw five touchdown passes, all in the first half.
Sanchez, a junior, has 19 touchdown passes this season to go with six interceptions.
Prediction: USC 34, Arizona 24

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer

Highlighted by Stanford’s 24-23 victory over Arizona, last week’s Pac-10 results also included a 31-24 triumph for Oregon over UCLA, a 28-0 shutout for USC over Arizona State, and Oregon State’s 66-13 runaway over Washington State.
Saturday’s conference schedule features four games, with Arizona State and Oregon having the week off.

USC (4-1 overall, 2-1 Pac-10) @ Washington State (1-6, 0-4)
3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday
The sixth-ranked Trojans have rebounded from their loss to Oregon State by turning in dominating performances against Oregon and Arizona State.
USC should be able to name the score against over-matched Washington State. The Cougars lost another quarterback in last week’s defeat at Oregon State when freshman Marshall Lobbestael went down with a season-ending knee injury.
The Trojans hold a 55-8-4 lead in the all-time series against the Cougars. USC won last year’s game, 47-14, in Pullman.
Prediction: USC 63, Washington State 3

Stanford (4-3, 3-1) @ UCLA (2-4, 1-2)
4 p.m. EDT Saturday
The Cardinal rallied past Arizona last week when Toby Gerhart scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 25 seconds remaining. Gerhart rushed for 116 yards on 24 carries in the game, while his teammate Anthony Kimble finished with 110 yards rushing on 10 attempts.
The Bruins, meanwhile, were surprisingly competitive in their seven-point loss to Oregon, as UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft passed for 288 yards and a touchdown.
The Bruins have won the last four games in the series against Stanford, including a 45-17 victory last year in a contest that saw UCLA running back Kahlil Bell rush for 195 yards.
The Bruins will need another productive day from Bell on Saturday in a matchup that figures to be close and low-scoring.
Prediction: Stanford 17, UCLA 14

Oregon State (3-3, 2-1) @ Washington (0-5, 0-3)
7 p.m. EDT Saturday
The Beavers rushed for 323 yards in their lopsided victory last week over Washington State. Jacquizz Rodgers, the Pac-10’s leading rusher with an average of 119.7 yards per game, gained 168 yards on the ground to lead Oregon State.
Redshirt freshman Ronnie Fouch will get his second start at quarterback for the Huskies, who had a bye last week. Fouch is filling in for the injured Jake Locker.
Oregon State defeated Washington last year, 29-23, at Corvallis.
Prediction: Oregon State 30, Washington 17

California (4-1, 2-0) @ Arizona (4-2, 2-1)
10 p.m. EDT Saturday
The 25th-ranked Golden Bears are the only Pac-10 team that is undefeated in conference play. They will seek to unleash a prolific ground attack featuring running backs Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen against an Arizona defense that was gashed for 286 yards rushing last week against Stanford.
Best is second in the Pac-10 with an average of 105.2 yards rushing per game, while Vereen ranks sixth   at 74.4 yards per contest.
Arizona’s Nic Grigsby is third in the league with 102.3 yards rushing per game.
The Golden Bears enjoyed a bye last week after defeating Arizona State, 24-14, on Oct. 4. Nate Longshore passed for three touchdowns against the Sun Devils. Best missed the game against ASU with a dislocated elbow, but he hopes to return to the lineup against the Wildcats.
California leads the all-time series against Arizona, 13-12-2. The Golden Bears won last year’s game, 45-27, jumping out in front 28-3 in the first quarter. Longshore threw for 235 yards and a touchdown in the contest, while Arizona’s Willie Tuitama attempted 61 passes, completing 42 for 309 yards and one score.
Prediction: California 27, Arizona 21

The Pacific 10 Conference dominates the headlines along the USA’s West Coast throughout the football & basketball seasons and this fall should be no different. Arizona State and Oregon come off of fantastic seasons and USC is a perennial title contender, and the 2008 NCAA college football previews are now live at College Sports Fans. All ten Pac 10 team previews are now here so that fans like you can see how your team is expected to fare in 2008.

2008 Pac 10 Football Preview

• 2008 Arizona Wildcats football preview
• 2008 Arizona State Sun Devils football preview
• 2008 California (Cal) Golden Bears football preview
• 2008 Oregon Ducks football preview
• 2008 Oregon State Beavers football preview
• 2008 Stanford Cardinal football preview
• 2008 UCLA Bruins football preview
• 2008 USC Trojans football preview
• 2008 Washington Huskies football preview
• 2008 Washington State Cougars football preview