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UCLA (3-1) at Oregon State (2-2)
6:30 EST
Why to watch: One week
after suffering the worst loss
in the Karl Dorrell era, a 44-6
clunker to Utah, UCLA rebounded
with an awkward, sometimes
sloppy, sometimes breathtaking
win over Washington. The Bruins
are back on track. Maybe.
They’ve got to play with far
more consistency and show an
ability to win on the road,
beginning with this week’s trip
to Corvallis. Any chance
there’d be a quarterback
controversy dissipated when
Patrick Cowan suffered a partial
tear in his MCL that could keep
him out of action for a month.
The ball is back in the hands of
Ben Olson, who needs a recovery
of his own after looking awful
in the Utah game and sitting out
last week with concussion-like
symptoms. Before imploding in
the second half of last week’s
game at Arizona State, Oregon
State appeared on the verge of a
breakthrough win that would
build some much-needed
momentum. Instead, the Beavers
collapsed in an ugly 44-32
loss. With three road games at
ranked opponents still left on
the schedule, they must hold
serve at home to have any hopes
of playing a post-season game.
Why UCLA might win: The
combination of Oregon State
problems at quarterback and
UCLA’s 17th-ranked
run defense will keep the
Beavers from scoring with any
regularity this weekend. The
Bruins will stack the line on RB
Yvenson Bernard, forcing
mistake-prone Sean Canfield to
try and beat their veteran
secondary. Canfield, who’s
thrown nine of OSU’s
nation’s-high 13 interceptions,
will buckle under the pressure
that DE Bruce Davis and the rest
of the UCLA defense will apply.
In a game that figures to be
tight, Oregon State will get no
help from a special unit that
has arguably been the worst in
the Pac-10 this season.
Why Oregon State might win:
Not unlike this week’s opponent,
the Beavers will shut down
running lanes, forcing an unsure
quarterback to beat them through
the air. Oregon State is No. 2
in the country stopping the run,
allowing under 30 yards a game
and less than one yard per
carry. With Chris Markey and
Kahlil Bell neutralized, it’ll
be up to Olson to shake off the
cobwebs and the worst game of
his life. If he shows any
ill-effects from last week’s
headaches, enter redshirt
freshman McLeod Bethel-Thompson,
who’ll eaten up by a defense
that already has 14 sacks. In
the only game involving common
opponents, the Beavers beat Utah
24-7, while the Bruins were
dismantled.
Who to watch: Is there a
magnetic pull in Corvallis that
redirects Beaver passes to
opposing players? Derek
Anderson, Matt Moore, and now
Canfield have all had serious
problems avoiding turnovers in
recent years. If Canfield can
get his act together, and
approach his prep hype, there’s
still time for Oregon State to
be a nuisance to the rest of the
Pac-10.
What will happen: In a
defensive struggle by Pac-10
standards, Oregon State will
pull out a poorly-played
nail-biter on a late field goal
from Alexis Serna.
CFN Prediction:
Oregon
State 24 ... UCLA 23
... Line: PICK
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 3
USC (3-0) at Washington (2-2)
8:00 EST, ABC
Why to watch:
After back-to-back routs of
Nebraska and Washington State,
top-ranked USC appears to be
hitting its stride just as the
Pac-10 schedule shifts into full
gear. One week after showcasing
their plethora of backs and
power along the line, the
Trojans opened up the passing
game at Wazzu’s expense, getting
279 yards and four touchdown
passes from QB John David Booty
and allowing just one sack.
With LSU and Oklahoma on the
doorstep, style points will
continue to matter to pollsters
as the debut of the 2007 BCS
rankings nears. After raising
expectations with a fast start,
Washington has floated back to
reality with consecutive
double-digit losses to Ohio
State and UCLA. Following this
week’s game with the Trojans,
the Huskies will travel to
Arizona State and host Oregon,
so the once-promising season is
in danger of unraveling. U-Dub
must also monitor the confidence
of franchise QB Jake Locker, who
has played like a freshman in
each of the last two games.
Why USC might win: It’s
back to the run for the Trojans,
who’ll notice that Washington
has been gutted for 596 yards on
the ground the last two
weekends. USC will bully the
Huskies off the line of
scrimmage, spreading the wealth
among Chauncey Washington,
Stafon Johnson, C.J. Gable, and
Joe McKnight. Locker’s five
picks in the last two games is a
real concern with the
star-studded Trojan defense in
town. USC is eighth nationally
against the run, which may leave
the freshman no choice but to go
up top in order to move the
chains.
Why Washington might win:
Locker is the X factor in a game
that clearly favors the Trojans
in just about every area of the
field. The Huskies need their
future star to play like he did
in the first two weeks of the
season, protecting the ball and
making plays with his arm and
legs. Locker will get a little
break from a USC defense that
has failed to create many
turnovers this month, and is
dinged up in the secondary.
Who to watch: While the
young Trojan wide receivers
mature at a modest pace, Booty
will continue to rely heavily on
TE Fred Davis, who caught nine
passes for 124 yards and two
touchdowns in the win over
Washington State. Against a
beatable Washington back seven,
Davis should be the focal point
around the end zone again this
week.
What will happen:
Following the script of the past
two weekends, Washington will
hang tough for the first two
quarters before fading in the
second half to USC’s superior
speed and talent on both sides
of the ball.
CFN Prediction:
USC
45 … Washington 20
... Line: USC -20
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 3
Washington State (2-2) at
Arizona (1-3)
10:00 EST
Why to watch:
Considering the precarious
position that Wazzu’s Bill Doba
and Arizona’s Mike Stoops are in
after four games, Monster.com
ought to be sponsoring this
week’s game in Tucson. Neither
head coach is enjoying much job
security these days, and the
loser is really going to see the
mercury rise next week. After
winning the two games it was
supposed to, and losing as
expected to Wisconsin and USC,
it’s must-win time for a Cougar
team that won’t be favored to
win many games the rest of the
way. Ditto the Wildcats, which
haven’t played a complete game
all year, and are in danger of
sinking to 1-4 with USC, UCLA,
Oregon, and Arizona State still
left of the schedule. Neither
school defends the pass
particularly well or devotes
much effort to running the ball,
so it should be bombs away for
the quarterbacks, Washington
State’s Alex Brink and Arizona’s
Willie Tuitama.
Why Washington State might
win: Arizona’s one presumed
given heading into the season,
its defense, has failed Stoops
through the first month of the
season. The Wildcats, which
returned ten starters, can’t
tackle, have one sack in their
two toughest games, and are 89th
nationally in pass defense. A
veteran, such as Brink, will
take advantage of this week’s
opponent, attacking the Arizona
secondary with a passing game
that’s produced 12 touchdown
passes and features
all-conference caliber receivers
Brandon Gibson and Michael
Bumpus.
Why Arizona might win: It
took about six quarters to get
cooking, but the Wildcats’ new
spread offense has begun to
produce consistent results
through the air. Over the last
three games, Tuitama has thrown
for 1,041 yards and nine
touchdowns, getting consistent
support from top receivers
Michael Thomas and Terrell
Turner. The unit will have few
problems keeping the good times
rolling against an immature
Washington State pass defense
that’s already allowed 11
touchdown passes and ranks 101st
in the country.
Who to watch: While he’s
taken his lumps and will
undoubtedly get picked on by
Tuitama, Washington State true
freshman Chima Nwachukwu is a
corner the Cougars can build a
secondary around for the next
few years. Fresh off a
13-tackle game against USC, he’s
physical and getting better
every week with his cover
skills.
What will happen: In a
toss-up game that’ll be decided
by the quarterbacks, take the
one that’s more accomplished and
less likely to force passes into
coverage. Brink beats Tuitama
3-2 in touchdown passes, the
difference in a surprisingly
entertaining game.
CFN Prediction:
Washington State 35 …
Arizona 28
...
Line: Arizona -2.5
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 2
Arizona State (4-0) at Stanford
(1-2)
10:00 EST
Why to watch:
Arizona State added a handful of
believers last weekend, coming
from behind to beat Oregon State
and claiming the closest thing
to a quality win that it’s had
in 2007. Now, the Sun Devils
have to put away Stanford in
their first road game of the
year without looking ahead to a
rugged second half of the
schedule. Although a 4-0 start
has netted the program a spot in
both major polls, it’s lagging
behind Oregon and Cal in the
race to be USC’s co-pilot, and
still has work to do in the
court of public opinion. Even
if it doesn’t show up in the
standings, Stanford is taking
baby steps in the right
direction under first-year head
coach Jim Harbaugh. Since
losing to UCLA in the opener,
the Cardinal has shut out San
Jose State, and spooked Oregon
with a 28-point second quarter
last Saturday night. If nothing
else, Stanford bears watching
this season because the offense
is much more entertaining and
because it’s going to ruin
someone’s season before the year
is up.
Why Arizona State might win:
In its two games with Pac-10
opponents, the Stanford defense
has given up 100 points and more
than 1,200 yards of total
offense. And now, here comes a
balanced Sun Devil attack that
can beat defenses through the
air with the pitch-and-catch
combo of Rudy Carpenter to
Michael Jones or between the
tackles with Ryan Torain and
Keegan Herring. For a change,
Arizona State isn’t all about
the offense, leading the Pac-10
in total defense and keeping
opposing quarterbacks quiet.
Why Stanford might win:
Although the Arizona State
defense looks fine
statistically, much of that was
built against some really weak
offenses. When the Sun Devils
faced Oregon State, hardly a
juggernaut, the Beavers amassed
514 yards and scored 32 points.
While ASU is more vulnerable
than the numbers show, the
Cardinal offense has arrived
with 68 points in its last two
games. QB T.C. Ostrander is
making good use of a deep
receiving corps, and the Anthony
Kimble-led running game is
moving the ball better than
anyone could have imagined.
Who to watch: As healthy
as he’s been in weeks, Arizona
State RB Ryan Torain is poised
to showcase why he was
considered a fringe Heisman
candidate before the season
began. Big, strong and
versatile, he could go for 200
total yards and three scores
against a Stanford defense
that’ll be back on its heels.
What will happen: Until
Stanford shows that it can stop
someone, it’s going to have a
brutal time trying to out score
some of the league’s better
offenses. Arizona State might
sputter at times in its road
debut, but will get enough from
the 40-point-a-game offense to
sidestep an upset. .
CFN Prediction: Arizona
State 37 …
Stanford
21...
Line: Arizona State -14.5
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 2 |
