PAC-10 UPDATE GAME OF THE
WEEK   VS.  In a
battle of the conference’s two unbeaten teams, Arizona travels to
Eugene to take on the Ducks. Oregon is looking to defend an
impressive 18 game winning streak. Last year’s game was exciting as
it gets, a 44-41 thriller. Whoever ends up on top with the win has
the inside track to a Rose Bowl berth. Â PAC-10
FOOTBALL STANDINGS Â CONFER.
OVERALL Arizona 3-0 5-1 Oregon 3-0 5-1 Oregon St.
2-1 5-1 Washington 2-1 5-1 Arizona St. 1-2 4-2 UCLA 1-2 4-2
Washington St. 1-2 4-3 California 1-2 2-4 Stanford 1-2 2-4 USC 0-3
3-3 Â SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
GAME TIME USC @ Stanford 12:30
p.m. Arizona St. @ Washington St. 2 p.m. California @ Washington
3:30 p.m. Oregon St. @ UCLA 3:30 p.m. Arizona @ Oregon 7:15 p.m.
SOURCE: Pac-10 Conference Original by CONNIE WU/Daily Bruin Senior
Staff Web Adaptation by ROBERT LIU/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Oregon continues to dominate
Though the Pac-10 is always an unpredictable conference, where
any team seems able to win on any given Saturday, No. 7 Oregon
(5-1, 3-0) seems to have cleared a path for itself toward a New
Year in Pasadena. In three consecutive games, the Ducks have
trampled top Pac-10 powers UCLA, Washington and USC. Though they
still have three road games to go, their toughest challenges will
more than likely come in their last game at Oregon State (5-1, 2-1)
and this weekend against Arizona (5-1, 3-0). They’ll have a
hefty home-field advantage in the Arizona matchup not having lost
in Autsen Stadium in 18 consecutive games.
Simonton’s Heisman Bid
Though limited in playing time, Oregon State tailback Ken
Simonton continued to impress the national media with another solid
performance against Stanford. The junior rushed for 81 yards and a
touchdown on only 14 carries in limited action against the
Cardinal, keeping himself in a Heisman race that still hasn’t
established a clear front-runner at this point in the season.
Simonton ranks fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game,
averaging 149 in one of the nation’s toughest conferences.
With 894 total rushing yards and 11 touchdowns to his credit, the
Beaver runner leads the Pac-10 in rushing, all-purpose yards and
scoring.
In the Pac-10, Simonton ranks 13th all-time with 3,408 career
rushing yards. He needs 111 yards of rushing against a banged-up
UCLA defense this weekend to enter the top ten and only 16 yards to
surpass former USC standout O.J. Simpson’s career mark.
Simonton’s Heisman run may be demolished in his final two
tests of the season, however, as he will face the Pac-10’s
top two defenses in Arizona and Oregon.
Collaborative success
In such a wild Pac-10 season as this one, offensive regularity
has not necessarily proved to be the most effective. Take
Washington’s running game, for example. Without a clear
starter at running back, the Huskies (5-1, 2-1) have been forced to
implement a runner-by-committee scheme throughout the season.
Though unorthodox, the strategy has been strangely successful, as
Washington leads the Pac-10 with 191.7 rushing yards per game,
despite lacking an individual rusher in the conferences top-10.
Even more intriguing is the success of the Arizona State passing
game. The Sun Devils (4-2, 1-2) currently lead the Pac-10 in
passing offense at 266.3 yards per game, including 340.3 yards per
game over their last four contests. What’s unusual about this
success is not the fact that ASU leads in this category, but that
they lead after starting three different quarterbacks over the
course of the season.
Notes compiled by Josh Mason, Daily Bruin Contributor.