Wednesday, October 7, 1998
Football Briefs
#15 Oregon (4-0) at Washington State (3-2)
Oregon: Starting off the season with a win over ranked Michigan
St., the Ducks have surprised the nation with an undefeated record.
The Ducks are led by a potent offense headed up by the national
leader in passing efficiency with a mark of 193.1, Akili Smith, and
the number sixth rusher in the nation, Reuben Droughns, who
averages 145 yds per game. Last week versus Stanford, Smith had 358
total offensive yards to push Oregon up to the lead in scoring
offense in the Pac-10 at 50.5 points a game.
Players to Watch: Akili Smith QB
Reuben Droughns RB
Washington State: Entering their game against UCLA the Cougars
had the number one ranked defense in the Pac-10. But the Bruins
reeled off 49 points, dropping the Cougars to third. Although they
have only one loss in the Pac-10 and own a 35-37-7 all time record
against Oregon, they should falter against the high flying offense
of the Ducks.
Player to Watch: Lamont Thompson CB
Prediction: Oregon 55, WSU 24
Cal (3-1) at USC (4-1)
Cal: The Golden Bears look to be in big trouble as they pulled
off a miraculous win in 1996 (22-15). But this year, the Bears are
last in total offense which bodes well for the energetic Trojan
offense. However the Bears defense is en fuego, leading the league
with a +7 turnover margin. Key defenders are Deltha O’Neal and Matt
Beck who have the second best scoring defense in the Pac-10.
Players to Watch: Deltha O’Neal KR
Matt Beck CB
USC: Pulling off a 22-0 run in the fourth quarter against ASU
last weekend, the Trojans stayed in contention for a Rose Bowl
berth. With a controversy at quarterback between redshirt
sophmoreMike Van Raaphorst and freshman phenom Carson Palmer, star
athletes R. Jay Soward and Chad Morton have stepped up to fill the
void created by Van Raaphorst, who has been struggling.
Player to Watch: Chris Claiborne, LB
Prediction: USC 34, Cal 17
Oregon St. (3-2) at Stanford (1-4)
Oregon St: Even though the Beavers have a winning record, they
have collected victories over Nevada, Baylor, and a 20-16 squeaker
over Utah St. Both OSU and Stanford are near the bottom in every
category except for Tim Alexander who is eighth in the nation in
kick return yards at 31.2 per return.
Player to Watch: Tim Alexander WR
Stanford: A far cry from being ranked last year, the Cardinal
have hit the bottom of the barrel. Stanford does have one great
victory under their belt, a 37-34 win over North Carolina. The
Cardinal have a 45-17-3 overall record against the Beavers.
Player to Watch: Todd Husak QB
Prediction: Stanford 28, OSU 17
#22 Notre Dame (3-1) at ASU (2-3)
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish have roared back from a Purdue
defeat and will meet up for the first time with the Sun Devils.
Player to Watch: Jarius Jackson QB
Arizona State: J. R. Redmond. No other player needs to be
mentioned as this Heisman hopeful almost single-handedly gave USC
their first Pac-10 loss of the season last weekend. With 207 all
purpose yards a game he leads the league and must be stopped by the
Irish if they want to keep winning. The Sun Devils were supposed to
battle for a national championship, but have struggled losing a few
close games against Washington, BYU, and USC.
Player to Watch: J.R. Redmond RB
Prediction: ASU 21, Notre Dame 17.
Utah St. (1-4) at Washington (2-2)
Utah St: This will be their second Pac-10 game as they lost a
close one to OSU. Unfortunately for them, Washington is coming off
a tough loss and will be looking for a team to demolish.
Player to Watch: Aggies (the Mascot)- no one can stop the
Huskies but a farmer in this one.
Washington: With Brock Huard returning to quarterback the
Huskies were shooting for a national and Pac-10 Championship, but
they ran into Nebraska and Arizona. The loss last Saturday against
Arizona came on one of the season’s greatest plays as Wildcats’
quarterback, Ortege Jenkins, leapt for the endzone with seconds
ticking off the clock, somersaulting into the endzone securing a
win.
Player to Watch: Brock Huard QB
Prediction: They met in 1904 with UW winning 45-0, this year
will be no different.
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