Pac-10 Weekly Football Release

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Oct. 9, 2000

PAC-10 MEDIA INFORMATION:

ONLINE: Pac-10 releases, statistics, notes, player of the week announcements and other information are available online by accessing www.pac-10.org.

MEDIA TEAMLINK: In addition, releases are available by accessing MediaTeamlink. Access www.mediateamlink.com to have documents delivered directly to your e-mail or fax the moment they are updated. You also can view documents online. Log on if you do not already have an account and click the 'Sign Up Here' button and complete the short form. MediaTeamlink e-mail service is free to all accredited media. Documents requested via fax will incur a $0.15 per page fee.

FAX-ON-DEMAND: Documents also are still available via fax-on-demand from MediaTeamlink. To access, dial 770-558-6000 from the handset of your fax machine and enter your 10-digit PIN. If you do not have a PIN number, call Pivotal Communications at 770-399-0096.

COACHES TELECONFERENCES: Pac-10 head football coaches will be available on a media teleconference every other Tuesday during the season. Each Pac-10 coach will be available for 10 minutes with the call starting at 9:30 a.m. PT/MT. In addition, a taped replay of the call will be available at 2:00 p.m. PT/MT following the call and will be available anytime up until the next call. Media members may call the Conference office or any Pac-10 SID office to receive the media-only teleconference phone number for both the live teleconference or the taped replay.

PAC-10 SATELLITE FEED: The Pac-10 provides a weekly satellite feed featuring interviews with coaches and selected players regarding upcoming games along with highlight footage. The half hour feed airs every Wednesday at 12:00 noon PDT/MST (3:00 EDT). Coordinates for the feed are Telstar 5, Transponder 16 (C-band). Trouble numbers: Master Control 310-543-1835 or 310-286-3749 or pager 888-423-0095 or Michelle Lockhart at 925-932-4411.

RUNNIN' WITH THE PAC: 'Runnin' with the Pac,' a weekly magazine show about the Pac-10 Conference, is in its second season on FOX Sports Net. The show features and in-depth look at the Pac-10 Conference with profiles and interviews of coaches and student-athletes and reports from around the Conference. 'Runnin' with the Pac' airs on FOX Sports Net regional sports networks, generally on Friday or Saturday. Check your local listings.

PAC-10 IN THE POLLS: Seven Pac-10 teams are among those receiving mention in the polls this week, including five in the Top 25 for the second straight week and all seven in the top 29 vote-getters. WASHINGTON, OREGON, UCLA, OREGON STATE and ARIZONA are those listed in the Top 25. The Pac-10 last had five teams in the Top 25 on Sep. 27, 1998.

OUT OF OUR LEAGUE: With just one regular season non-conference game remaining (Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 25), the Pac-10 has had an outstanding season against outside competition. The Pac-10's non-conference record stands at 23-7 (.767) overall and 22-7 (.759) vs. Division IA opponents. Of the Pac-10's seven losses, four have come to teams ranked in the Top 25. The Pac-10 has a remarkable 5-4 record against Top 25 teams and has posted four wins against teams ranked in the Top 5 with UCLA knocking off No. 3 Alabama and No. 3 Michigan, Washington defeating No. 4 Miami and Stanford handling No. 5 Texas.

2000 PAC-10 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

Week - Offense, Defense, Special Teams
Sep. 2 -DeShaun Foster, TB, UCLA, Joe Tafoya, DE, ARIZ, Nick Murphy, P, ASU
Sep. 9 - Marques Tuiasosopo, QB, UW, Andre Carter, DE, CAL, David Newbury, PK, USC
Sep. 16 - Jason Gesser, QB, WSU, Larry Tripplett, NT, WASH, Nick Harris, P, CAL
Sep. 23 - Maurice Morris, TB, ORE, DeLawrence Grant, DE, OSU, Keith Lewis, S, ORE
Sep. 30 - Ken Simonton, TB, OSU, Idris Haroon, DE, ARIZ, Kurtis Doerr, P, ORE
Oct. 7 - Paul Arnold, TB, WASH, Michael Jolivette, CB, ARIZ, Anousith Wilkaikul, Sr., WSU

SERIES NOTES FOR THE GAMES OF OCT. 14:

UCLA (4-1) at CALIFORNIA (1-4) - 12:30 PDT - The Series: UCLA and California are old UC system rivals which have met 70 times, including at least once a year dating back to 1933. UCLA leads the series 45-24-1 overall and 22-13 in games played at Berkeley, including the last two. The teams have split the last 12 games, although UCLA has won four of the last five. . . . Last Year: An early morning earthquake shook the Los Angeles area and the Bruins felt like they had been hit by an earthquake as a spirited California defensive unit spearheaded a 17-0 shutout of UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The loss snapped a 13-game regular-season home winning streak for the Bruins and was Cal's first conference shutout since 1992. UCLA entered the game averaging 31 points per game, but the California defense limited the Bruins to 12 first downs and 168 yards total offense (87 rushing, 81 passing). The Golden Bears had a huge time of possession advantage (38:18-21:42) and were able to control the ball on the ground to the tune of 248 yards rushing. TB Joe Igber led the ground attack for Cal with 20 carries for 113 yards (5.7) and P Nick Harris earned Pac-10 special teams player of the week honors for his punting.

OREGON (4-1) at USC (3-2) - 12:30 PDT - ABC - The Series: USC and Oregon have met 48 times dating back to 1915 with the Trojans leading the series 33-13-2. However, Oregon has won the last two and three of the last four. In games played at Los Angeles, SC holds a commanding 21-5-1 advantage and has won eight of the last nine. . . . Last Year: Oregon and USC opened Conference play at Eugene and the Ducks prevailed, 33-30, in a frantic triple overtime game. USC trailed 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, but rallied to take the lead before Oregon tied it up at 23-23 with a late field goal that sent the game into overtime. The teams went scoreless in the first overtime, traded TD passes in the second and then the Ducks won it in the third OT on a 27-yard field goal by reserve kicker Josh Frankel. It was an aerial war that saw the teams combine for 637 yards passing. UO QB A.J. Feeley completed 23 of 39 (.590) for 275 yards and three TDs with no interceptions. USC QB Mike Van Raaphorst filled in brilliantly in leading the Trojan comeback attempt when starter Carson Palmer was lost to a broken collarbone late in the first half. Oregon shut down the USC running game as the Trojans could net only 31 yards on 31 rushes. SC LBs Markus Steele (16) and Zeke Moreno (15) combined for 31 tackles.

STANFORD (2-3) at OREGON STATE (4-1) - 3:30 PDT - FOX Syndication - The Series: Stanford and Oregon State have met 67 times dating back to 1919 with the Cardinal leading the series by a 46-18-3 count. And while Stanford has won eight of the last 10, the teams have split the last four games overall and the last two at Corvallis. . . . Last Year: Stanford and Oregon State met at Palo Alto and the Cardinal improved its Conference mark to 4-0 with a narrow 21-17 win over Oregon State. The teams were tied 7-7 entering the fourth quarter and then things got interesting as there were four lead changes and Oregon State was driving for a fifth before Stanford hung on for the win. Despite the relatively modest score, the teams combined for 717 passing yards and 1,016 yards of total offense. OSU QB Jonathan Smith had a huge day in passing for 405 yards and two TDs and Beaver TB Ken Simonton chipped in with 115 yards rushing. Key for Stanford was RB Brian Allen, who rushed nine times for 99 yards (11.0) and two fourth-quarter touchdown dashes of 20 and 37 yards. Card WR DeRonnie Pitts led all receivers with eight catches for 123 yards (15.4) and one TD.

WASHINGTON (4-1) at ARIZONA STATE (4-1) - 7:15 MST/PDT - FOX Sports Net - The Series: Washington and Arizona State have met 21 times with the Huskies holding a 13-8 series advantage. UW has won seven of the last 10, but the teams have split the last four overall and the last four played at Tempe. It's a homecoming for Husky coach Rick Neuheisel who grew up in Tempe and attended McClintock High School, located just down the street from ASU. . . . Last Year: Arizona State and Washington met at Seattle with the Sun Devils taking advantage of six lost fumbles by the Huskies in a 28-7 win. Arizona State QB Ryan Kealy had two TD passes in the final 16 minutes to stretch out a slim 13-7 Sun Devil lead, but it was the ASU defense that was the story with 11 tackles for loss, including five QB sacks, and the forcing of seven fumbles, six of which the Devils recovered.

WASHINGTON STATE (3-2) at ARIZONA (4-1) - 7:00 MST/PDT - The Series: Arizona and Washington State have met 28 times with the Wildcats leading the series 19-9. UA has had the better of it of late winning six of the last seven overall and three straight at Tucson. WSU's last series win was at Pullman in 1997 (35-34 OT) and the Cougars' last win at Tucson was in 1992 (23-20). . . . Last Year: Arizona and Washington State met on a windy day at Pullman. Although the Wildcats dominated the stats and the time of possession (38:26-21:34), they found themselves tied at 24-24 as they took over the ball at their own 20-yard line with 1:56 remaining. UA moved it to the WSU 42-yard line and QB Keith Smith lofted a desperation pass to the end zone as time ran out that WR Bobby Wade came up with to give the Cats a 30-24 victory. Arizona finished with an even 500 yards in total offense split nicely between 249 rushing and 251 passing. Wade ended up with 5 receptions for 100 yards, including the game-winner. For WSU, RB Deon Burnett rushed 13 times for 96 yards (7.4) and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 55-yard burst that tied the game at 24-24.

PAC-10 NOTES:

HOME/ROAD/OPEN DATES: In 10 Conference games to date, home teams have gone 6-4. Teams coming off open dates this year have gone 6-2.

LOMBARDI SEMIFINALISTS: California DE Andre Carter and Stanford DT Willie Howard are among the 12 semifinalists for the 2000 Rotary Lombardi Award presented to the nation's outstanding college lineman.

HALFWAY POINT: As we hit the midpoint of the college football season, eight Pac-10 teams have winning records and a remarkable six have a winning percentage of .800.

CONFERENCE LOSSES: It is a fact that there have only been six seasons where a team has won the Conference Championship with two Conference losses, although two of those seasons came in the 1990s (1992 and 1993). It also is a fact that no team has ever won the Conference Championship after starting out 0-2 in league play.

ARIZONA is riding a three-game winning streak. . . . Wildcat defense continues to impress. UA limited No. 18 USC to 10 yards rushing, logged five QB sacks and forced five turnovers. Cats also blocked two PATs, including one by 6-foot-8 TE Peter Hansen. It was the seventh blocked kick of Hansen's career. . . . Arizona leads the Pac-10 in scoring defense (10.2) and is particularly impressive against the run. In five games, Wildcats have allowed 62.2 yards rushing per game and just 1.8 yards per carry and a total of two rushing TDs. All those figures easily lead the Pac-10.

ARIZONA STATE coach Bruce Snyder, with 53 Conference wins, needs just one more to tie Jim Owens (Washington, 1957-74) for 10th place on the list of winningest coaches in Conference history. . . . At 4-1, ASU is off to its best start since 11-0 1996 regular season that led to the Rose Bowl. . . . Senior walkon Griffin Goodman became the third QB to start for ASU this year when he lined up against Cal. Goodman completed only 11 of 28 passes, but made the most of them as the completions went for 394 yards, an average of 35.8 yards per completion. Included were touchdown passes of 68, 50 and 50 yards. . . . Devils were the first team to score more than 21 points against Cal this season. . . . ASU has scored first in each of its five games. The Sun Devils have outscored opponents 40-13 in the first quarter and the defense has not given up a first-quarter touchdown in the last four games.

CALIFORNIA TB Joe Igber rushed for 181 yards at ASU last week, just one yard shy of his career best. Included was an 80-yard run that matches the longest in the Pac-10 this year. Igber is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and is fourth in the league in rushing (88.8) and fifth in combined rushing-receiving yards (102.0). . . . Cal rushed for 255 yards at Arizona State, second-highest team rushing total in the Pac-10 this year. . . . Cal offensive line has allowed just 11 QB sacks in five games. . . . Golden Bears rank second in Pac-10 in kickoff coverage. . . . P Nick Harris established a Pac-10 record for most punts in a career last week. Harris has 285 punts for 12,407 yards, which also is a Pac-10 career mark.

OREGON comes off a three-game home stand to play three of next four on road after an open date last week. . . . Ducks extended home winning streak to 18 with win against Washington in most recent outing. That is the third-longest home winning streak in Conference history trailing 26 by California (1919-23) and 20 by USC (1927-29). Oregon also boasts Pac-10's longest current Conference game winning streak at seven straight. Overall, Ducks have won 10 of last 11 games. . . . UO has knocked off two No. 6-ranked teams in last two games with both Washington and UCLA ranked sixth entering game with Ducks. . . . Oregon has not allowed a first-quarter touchdown in its five games this year. Ducks are outscoring opponents 40-3 in first quarter. . . . TB Maurice Morris rushed for 152 yards vs. Washington, the most for a Duck runner against UW since Bobby Moore in 1971 (191). . . . P Kurtis Doerr had four of his six punts downed inside the 20 against Washington, including two inside the 10, to earn Pac-10 special teams player of the week honors.

OREGON STATE PK Ryan Cesca set a school record last week by extending his PAT streak to 57 straight. He is 57-57 in his OSU career. . . . Beavers' 4-1 start is best since starting 7-1 in 1964, which is last year OSU won the league championship and went to the Rose Bowl. . . . Oregon State has won last six in a row at home. . . . Coach Dennis Erickson is just one win shy of his 125th career win. His record stands at 124-46-1 (.728) in his 15th year as a head coach. . . . When Washington outscored OSU 13-9 in the fourth quarter last week, it marked the first time the Beavs had been outscored in the fourth quarter since Erickson's arrival. . . . QB Jonathan Smith last week moved ahead of Heisman Trophy winner Terry Baker into second place on OSU's career total offense list. . . . TB Ken Simonton continues to move up the Pac-10 career rushing list. The junior currently stands 14th with 3,327 yards. . . . OSU scored its first ever two-point defensive conversion at UW when CB Keith Heyward-Jackson scooped up a Husky fumble on a two-point try and took it the length of the field the other way.

STANFORD is 10-2 in its last 12 Conference games. . . . Stanford is on a two-game losing streak, the first time the Cardinal has dropped two in a row since 1998. . . . Stanford's defense is markedly improved over 1999, allowing 106 fewer yards per game total defense (346.8 yards compared to 452.8 per game last year). Most has come in pass defense where the Card is allowing 197.6 yards per game compared to 304.9 in 1999. . . . Stanford is easily the least penalized team in the Pac-10 getting hit for just 25.4 yards per game. . . . WR DeRonnie Pitts has moved into seventh place on the Pac-10 career receiving list with 184 receptions (includes bowl games).

UCLA QB Cory Paus was back in the starting lineup in Bruins' last game vs. Arizona State. Paus had been out following a separation of his throwing shoulder on the very first play of the season-opener against Alabama. He completed 17 of 30 for 267 yards and two TDs in his return. The passing yards mark the second-best performance of his career. . . . TB DeShaun Foster went out with a fractured hand suffered against ASU, but backups Jermaine Lewis (104) and Akil Harris (100) both topped the 100-yard rushing mark, the first time since 1996 two Bruins rushed for 100 yards in a game. Harris, a redshirt freshman, popped a 23-yard TD run on his second career carry. . . . UCLA rallied from a 21-0 deficit to defeat ASU 38-31, matching the biggest comeback in Bruin history. . . . Seven different Bruins have attempted a pass this season and six have completions. . . . UCLA has trailed in every game this year. . . . Bruins have scored 12 times in 16 trips to the red zone this year--10 TDs and two field goals. . . . UCLA is 5-7 (71%) on fourth-down conversion attempts.

MORE PAC-10 NOTES:

USC leads the Pac-10 in both third-down conversions at 44.7% (34-76) and third-down conversion defense allowing opponents just 25.7% (19 of 74). . . . QB Carson Palmer leads the Pac-10 in passing at 260.6 yards per game and is completing 58% of his passes. Palmer ranks second in league in both passing efficiency (122.3) and total offense (253.6 yards per game). . . . LBs Markus Steele and Zeke Moreno have combined for 21 tackles for loss (-63 yards). Steele leads the Pac-10 with 11, Moreno is tied for second with 10.

WASHINGTON has 17 QB sacks so far this year, which surpasses its total for all last season. . . . Huskies' 4-1 start is best since going 7-1 in 1997. . . . QB Marques Tuiasosopo has passed for more than 200 yards every game this year. . . . Entering last week's game, Oregon State had allowed 234 yards rushing and two rushing TDs to previous four opponents. Huskies surpassed those total with 281 yards rushing and three TDs. The Beavers had not allowed any individual to rush for more than 47 yards, but Husky TBs Rich Alexis (107) and Paul Arnold (102) both topped the 100-yard mark. . . . Washington's 16 rushing TDs leads the league.

WASHINGTON STATE has thrived away from home with a three-game road winning streak going. Cougars' home win against Boise State last week was the first game this year involving WSU that the home team won. . . . Against Boise, WR Scott Lunde downed two fourth-quarter punts on the 1-and 2-yard lines. Both led to Cougar touchdowns, including the game-winner. . . . WSU and QB Jason Gesser has been picked off just two times in five games this year and Gesser has a current streak of pass attempts without an interception of 103. . . . Cougars are a remarkable 8-10 (80%) on fourth-down conversion attempts.

QUOTABLE: Oregon State TB Ken Simonton, from Pittsburg, Calif. in the Bay Area, on adjusting to life in the Pacific Northwest: 'It wasn't as big of an adjustment (for me) as for some of the guys from L.A. I mean, I'd been camping before. I'd seen trees and forests before I got here.'

Arizona DE Idris Haroon on the Wildcat defense that ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense (10.2) and second in rushing defense (62.2): 'We are attacking offenses. We just want to bury them, put them in the dirt.'

A LOOK AHEAD: The schedule for Sat., Oct. 21:

USC at STANFORD, 12:30 PDT (ABC)
ARIZONA STATE at WASHINGTON STATE, 2:00 PDT/MST
CALIFORNIA at WASHINGTON, 3:30 PDT (FOX Syndication)
OREGON STATE at UCLA, 3:30 PDT
ARIZONA at OREGON, 7:15 PDT/MST (FOX Sports Net)